
However, she is a big hitter – former deputy leader of the Labour party (the technical leader for 3 months when John Smith died), and former Foreign Secretary, Environment secretary etc. She has even the rare experience of having served as a minister in the Wilson and Callaghan governments.
Margaret (who I do not personally know) is a “serious person for serious times" (says our Gordon).
Housing is nowadays rightly a key (and serious) issue and her appointment will bring it further up the political agenda.
This is more evidence to me anyway of a subtle change by the PM. He has brought back into the government people who are not his natural supporters but are talented and are much needed to get us into shape for the coming general election. Peter Mandelson is the other far more controversial example.
Margaret is loyal, has good links and associations with traditional Labour and is a safe pair of hands as well as being a first-class media performer.
Given her trade union background I am also looking forward to the housing unions (UNISON and Unite) having good access to her department - “fairness not favours” of course.
I couldn’t resist using the cartoon above by the Guardian cartoonist, Martin Rowson, for this post – but I think that the deeply unpleasant sniggering and snide comments made about Margaret’s love of caravanning is a symptom of what you get when the nation’s self appointed elite are so detached from reality, that they think a fortnight in a Devon caravan park is somehow beneath them.
No wonder so many of them had equally deranged beliefs about the ability of the "market" to self regulate and to deal with the corrupt and dishonest so-called "masters of the financial universe". So who’s sniggering now I suppose?
(Out a sense of blogger loyalty I must say it was a shame that rail minister Tom Harris lost his job – may I say that I'm sure it is only a timetabling problem).
6 comments:
Gordon is really scraping the barrel now...Beckett earned the UK 500 million in EU fines for her role as the secretary of state for the environment for the mismanagement of EU farm subsidies! I guess the EU had this wrong and she was not actually responsible! She dithered as foreign secretary over the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and many of her former cabinet coleagues have difficulty working with her. Having been in Callaghans Govt is something most sane people would keep quiet about? Take one look at her and then work out if you are going to win the next election.
It seems Tricket has become Browns official bag carrier as his PPS while Cruddas is snubbed completely so much for the compassites sycophantic behaviour recently. Meanwhile the Prince of darkness returns, as an atheist I cant even seek god help there!
Mind I did vote for Beckett at the last Leadership election and the one before last Deputy Leadership election not that is saying much pretty poor choice even back then.
It is a timetable problem 20 months before new labour comes off the rails.
Labour win the next election? Oh yes...I forgot. Mandy's back. I wonder if Gordon's going to get Micheal Foot to write the Manifesto? That should guarantee a landslide.
My pal works for the NHS and reckons that he has made £12m in profit for it over the years. Margaret wiped out a decade of his work when she lost the EU subsidy.
New labour came off the rails two years ago..
Hi Anon
Quite right – the EU got it wrong. While you may criticise the British governments approach over the war but I don’t think she is “ditherer”. Far from it! Most reports about her say that she gets on well with her colleagues (except apparently Hoon). What’s wrong with experience!
Yep – I am sure that with real people like Margaret leading in key areas such as housing we can win!
Hi Andrew
I agree amazing stuff about Tricket, I thought that Cruddas was offered a position but turned it down again? Better the “Prince of darkness” than Eton’s finest. You don’t have much luck with Labour leaders do you?
Hi Robert
No Robert
Hi Sir Bufton
Not sure what you are going on about but welcome to the bloggersphere
Hi Anon
Two years ago? Hmmm what is this about?
Good news about Tooting MP (and UNISON member) Sadiq Khan!
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