For all his faults, Robert Gates is still an infinitely higher calibre of permanent Cabinet member than James “His Own Shadow” Purnell.
And at least Gates does not purport to be remotely on the Left of anything. Whereas Purnell, at it again today, sits in what still obscenely affects to be a Labour Government.
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For goodness' sake, take the "Edit Me" links out of your blogroll. How hard can it be?
ReplyDeleteHave done, although I don't know what difference it'll make.
ReplyDeleteIt will make you look marginally less incompetent. Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt's never given me any trouble.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, back on topic.
Back on topic? We never were on topic!
ReplyDeleteQuite.
ReplyDeleteYou might get rid of Google News too, it's only there so they can get more visitors from bloggers who don't know how to edit a blogroll.
ReplyDeleteI don't begrudge them.
ReplyDeleteNo, back on topic.
The Tories don't want Purnell
ReplyDeleteWho does?
ReplyDeleteBut Cameron and Osborne have publicly offered him his current job. And they have never publicly rebuffed him.
They didn't offer him a job. They said they thought he was good.
ReplyDeleteDon't you see why?
Oh, it was rather more than that.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, from their point of view, I can see why they think that he is "good". That is the problem with him.
No, no. Don't you see why they said it?
ReplyDeleteI thought you were more sophisticated than this.
But they are not.
ReplyDeleteThey inhabit the Political Class world in which it is the most normal thing imaginable to expect the next Government to be put together in this way. The present one, with its several non-Labour Ministers, almost is.
Indeed, Brown wanted it to be. He wanted Paddy Ashdown as Northern Ireland Secretary. But instead he has had to make do with, er, Shaun Woodward...
"They inhabit the Political Class world in which it is the most normal thing imaginable to expect the next Government to be put together in this way."
ReplyDeleteI also, I suppose, inhabit the Political Class world (there, I admitted it). You, to your great credit, do not. Let me tell you that it would absolutely not be considered "normal" for James Purnell to accept a post in a Conservative government. It will not happen. I appreciate that this is not a world you know a great deal about, so I understand why you make this sort of mistake. Don't worry about it.
"Let me tell you that it would absolutely not be considered "normal" for James Purnell to accept a post in a Conservative government."
ReplyDeleteIt will be once it has happened. That is how these things work.
It would not have been considered "normal" for Brown's original four GOATs, three of whom are still there, to become Ministers without having to join the Labour Party; Harold Wilson had people join the Government, the Privy Council, the House of Lords and the Labour Party all on the same day, but they still joined the Labour Party along with the Government, the Privy Council and the House of Lords.
But then it happened. And thus became "normal". That is how these things work.
Hang on, just now you said it was "the most normal thing imaginable", and now you're saying that it isn't normal now, but it will be in the future. So which is it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Socrates. I'm a member of the Political Class too (not ashamed in the least) and I don't mind telling you that, Labour, Tory or Lib Dem, there's one simple phrase to describe the route to advancement:
ReplyDeleteParty - On.
It is the most normal thing in the world for them to imagine in the next Parliament.
ReplyDeleteWhen, if it happened, if would become the most normal thing in real life.
I say again, if Brown had had his way, then this sort of thing would already be an accepted fact of life.
Tell that to Lord West, Lord Malloch-Brown (tell it to him at Cabinet, in fact), Baroness Vadera or, even if he has now left office, Lord Jones.
ReplyDeleteBut then, which party do you mean? If you mean the One Party, then you are quite right.