[Politics] Reshuffle news...

[Titanic]

• Environment Secretary Therese Coffey resigns, saying it's the "right time to step back from government"
• Transport minister Jesse Norman quits, saying it was an honour to have served
• Paymaster General Jeremy Quin says he's decided to step back to concentrate on his Horsham constituency - adding it has been a "pleasure" to support the PM
• Less pleased was housing minister Rachel Maclean, who says she's "disappointed" to have been sacked from her post

 

[Colonel Mustard]

So in 12 months we have the following appointments

a) Unelected Head of State
b) Unelected PM
c) Unelected Foreign Sec

Taking back control !!!

We have never, in our entire history, elected the holder of these titles. Which isn’t to say therefore it’s ok. But I’m constantly hearing that we didn’t elect the prime minister. We elect MPs. The leader of the party with most MPs becomes, by convention, prime minister. We didn’t elect Gordon Brown as PM, nor May, Sunak et al. Most countries that have prime ministers have the same sort of system as us but they often also have an elected head of state ie a president. Countries with monarchies obviously have a different constitution. No doubt we could improve things but countless governments of all political persuasion, have opted not to change things, and I don’t expect Starmer to go there either.

 

[Pavilionaire]

We know that James Cleverly had been Deputy then Chairman of the Conservative Party for c. 3 years (mainly during Covid when nobody could see what he was up to and when parties were a daily occurrence), but his Cabinet Minister CV is breath-taking in its breadth and brevity. He is the very definition of 'Jack of all trades, master of none":

Home Secretary 0y 0m 1 day
Foreign Secretary 1y 2m (presumably, only kept on because of the Ukraine War)
Education Secretary 0y 2m
Minister for Middle East, N. Africa, N. America 0y 5m
Minister Without Portfolio 0y 7months
Under-Secretary Minister for Exiting EU 0y 4m.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Oh good - Therese Coffey has resigned as Environment Secretary.

A well-deserved Coffey break.

 

[HeaviestTed]

We know that James Cleverly had been Deputy then Chairman of the Conservative Party for c. 3 years (mainly during Covid when nobody could see what he was up to and when parties were a daily occurrence), but his Cabinet Minister CV is breath-taking in its breadth and brevity. He is the very definition of 'Jack of all trades, master of none":

Home Secretary 0y 0m 1 day
Foreign Secretary 1y 2m (presumably, only kept on because of the Ukraine War)
Education Secretary 0y 2m
Minister for Middle East, N. Africa, N. America 0y 5m
Minister Without Portfolio 0y 7months
Under-Secretary Minister for Exiting EU 0y 4m.

Was this a byproduct of very short pm tenures who shuffled things around rather than his quality? (I don’t know the answer, sort of being devils advocate)

 

[Pavilionaire]

Was this a byproduct of very short pm tenures who shuffled things around rather than his quality? (I don’t know the answer, sort of being devils advocate)In terms of number of posts and duration,

Cleverly's CV is remarkably similar to my 17-year old son, who is on job No. 5 in his 2 and a half year working career thus far.

 

[KZNSeagull]

From the Beeb:

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has just reassured Parliament that he'll make sure the new foreign secretary can be scrutinised by MPs.

David Cameron - now Lord Cameron - will not be available in the Commons, as previous foreign secretaries have been.

But Sir Lindsay says he's sought advice from the clerks and looks forward to hearing government proposals on how the foreign secretary can be "properly accountable" to MPs.

"I can assure the house I'm fully aware of the need for... members to be able to hold the government to account in this area – especially at the current time.

"I will do everything I can to ensure we are able to do so."

 

[Titanic]

Laura Trott has been appointed chief secretary to the Treasury

 

[Frutos]

You thought CMD was a blast from the past, now they've resorted to employing dead astronauts

John Glen appointed Paymaster General.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Laura Trott has been appointed chief secretary to the Treasury

Sunak obviously hoping she can get his lot back on TRACK.

 

[Lenny Rider]

When will we get a chance to change this shower of shit via the ballot box?

 

[sparkie]

Boris Johnson surely tempted by a lordship and a way back.

He could put lots of wallpaper samples on expenses.

Lol.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

• Environment Secretary Therese Coffey resigns, saying it's the "right time to step back from government"
• Transport minister Jesse Norman quits, saying it was an honour to have served
• Paymaster General Jeremy Quin says he's decided to step back to concentrate on his Horsham constituency - adding it has been a "pleasure" to support the PM
• Less pleased was housing minister Rachel Maclean, who says she's "disappointed" to have been sacked from her post

So three tory MPs say they are delighted to have been sacked while one is disappointed?

Lying bunch of ****s, innit?

 

[nicko31]

We have never, in our entire history, elected the holder of these titles. Which isn’t to say therefore it’s ok. But I’m constantly hearing that we didn’t elect the prime minister. We elect MPs. The leader of the party with most MPs becomes, by convention, prime minister. We didn’t elect Gordon Brown as PM, nor May, Sunak et al. Most countries that have prime ministers have the same sort of system as us but they often also have an elected head of state ie a president. Countries with monarchies obviously have a different constitution. No doubt we could improve things but countless governments of all political persuasion, have opted not to change things, and I don’t expect Starmer to go there either.

Monarchy aside...

Sunak was brought in as PM mid term, much of the 2019 manifesto he has ignored. And Cameron isn't even an MP, he's a totally unelected Bullingdon posh boy parachuted into 3rd most important politician in the country.

Our system is broke and its a joke. We need to ditch FPTP, ditch the ridiculous HOL and adopt a proper representative democratic model Not one where winner takes all with 40% of the vote...

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

When will we get a chance to change this shower of shit via the ballot box?

(Something, something.....looks it up on Wikipedia......)

At the General election! Yes, that will be the time

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Monarchy aside...

Sunak was brought in as PM mid term, much of the 2019 manifesto he has ignored. And Cameron isn't even an MP, he totally unelected yet he can be parachuted into one of the major heads of State.

Our system is broke and its a joke. We need to ditch FPTP, ditch the ridiculous HOL and adopt a proper representative democratic model Not one where winner takes all with 40% of the vote...

<sigh>

Sorry, I don't want the Libdems running the country.

Oh, what was that you say? It won't change who runs the country - the liberals don't have a hope?

OK, then.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

From the Beeb:

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has just reassured Parliament that he'll make sure the new foreign secretary can be scrutinised by MPs.

David Cameron - now Lord Cameron - will not be available in the Commons, as previous foreign secretaries have been.

But Sir Lindsay says he's sought advice from the clerks and looks forward to hearing government proposals on how the foreign secretary can be "properly accountable" to MPs.

"I can assure the house I'm fully aware of the need for... members to be able to hold the government to account in this area – especially at the current time.

"I will do everything I can to ensure we are able to do so."

Meanwhile, I am doing everything possible to ensure I will live forever, and balance a full jar of Robertson's Jam on my tumescent member.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Cleverly's CV is remarkably similar to my 17-year old son, who is on job No. 5 in his 2 and a half year working career thus far.

He left school at fourteen and a half? Has Sunak turned time back to 1973? The man Is. A. Disgrace.

 

[nicko31]

So can we now say after the Tories attempt to spark a race riot failed on the weekend that the culture war stuff is largely on hold for now?

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Monarchy aside...

Sunak was brought in as PM mid term, much of the 2019 manifesto he has ignored. And Cameron isn't even an MP, he's a totally unelected Bullingdon posh boy parachuted into 3rd most important politician in the country.

Our system is broke and its a joke. We need to ditch FPTP, ditch the ridiculous HOL and adopt a proper representative democratic model Not one where winner takes all with 40% of the vote...

I can't remember what was in the 2019 Tory manifesto TBH, apart from 'get Brexit done', and I'm really not minded to go and research it. I'm pretty sure they would say that COVID and Ukraine have totally changed the economic landscape and priorities.

Obviously there are many flaws in our democracy and electoral system. Some form of PR is long overdue, and I'm disappointed that Starmer has ruled out electoral reform. Unfortunately no Labour or Tory government is likely to change an electoral system that has brought them to power, and swap it for one that will almost certainly keep them out of power forever (except as part of a broad coalition).

As for Cameron, it's permitted under current rules to have someone in the Lords acting as a govt minister. Didn't Blair have someone? And I'm pretty sure Thatcher did but I can't recall who. Again, not saying it's a good system but it's how things have always been. In a weird way I think Cameron might just make a half decent Foreign Secretary. At least we know who he is, as do the foreign leaders he'll be dealing with.