A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Getting the reshuffle right

While grassroots delegates are focused on today's speech, MPs are already more exercised about the possible ministerial reshuffle. This is understandable and not unreasonable given their careers and salary levels depend on it.

There is already quite a bit of paranoia about "nights of the long knives" in the bars here in Manchester so my advice to the PM would be as follows:

A) get it over with. The longer that a reshuffle is delayed, the more tense things will get, the more fear of imminent demotion will fuel leadership plotting and the more debilitating it will be to the machinery of government: ministers expecting a P45 don't focus on effective decision-making, and aren't treated with respect by their civil servants. I wouldn't leave it any later than the week after next.

B) Don't do anything rash in terms of the key former Blairites. John Hutton, Hazel Blears and James Purnell are amongst the most effective ministers at a departmental level and the most articulate and proactive advocates for the government in the media. Who cares whether they are in your personal fan club. Keep them in place or promote them - if you don't they will have nothing to lose by moving against you..

C) The brightest and best of the layer immediately outside the Cabinet are former Blairites too. Promote some or all of Jim Murphy, Liam Byrne, Pat McFadden and Caroline Flint to show you are an equal opps boss who is interested in nurturing talent rather than balancing factions.

D) There are already too few veterans and big beasts in the Cabinet. Look after Geoff Hoon and Alistair Darling because experience and gravitas is a key part of the frontbench mix and there's not enough of it there.

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

In your words Luke (See Above)

"A) get it over with. The longer that a resignation is delayed, the more tense things will get, the more fear of iminent demotion will fuel leadership plotting and the more debilitating it will be to the machinery of government: Prime Ministers expecting a P45 don't focus on effective decision-making, and aren't treated with respect by their civil servants. I wouldn't leave it any later than the week after next."

GW

11:56 am, September 23, 2008

 
Blogger Merseymike said...

I would tend to think that a reshuffle isn't particularly necessary. Better to focus on gaining recognition for those who are already in jobs - because this is clearly a problem, and if the PM himself isn't popular, doesn't do the government any favours. Blair wasn't good at reshuffles and they were rarely beneficial.

I think there are one or two ministers who should go. Ruth Kelly is the obvious one, which would mean she wouldn't have to publicly display her Catholic conscience every time anything relating to what opus dei tell her to think comes up.

if there is to be a less City-worshipping approach, then Hutton should go (in my view, he would be much happier crossing the floor of the house), but if there are to be no policy changes, then the reshuffle is a total irrelevance. And this is the problem - too many of those just outside the cabinet are so associated with Blairism's failure that it is going to be hard to reinvent themselves. But that is what is required if they are not to continue to fail and be soundly defeated at the election.

12:15 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good grief, even by your standards this is delusional nonsense.

12:20 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think yew shod be promotad luek. your the poster boi of bronws britan. gw yew shod shut up and supprot our leeder.

gw - are yew an admirere of presidnet buish? yew crepe. the onle reasone yew dont like brwon is becase he dint go to publik skol or uxbrig

12:25 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Prime minister is a serious man for serious times. We need to keep him as leader. We do not need tory bimbo yuppies taking over.

Some creep at 12.25 is at it again., pretendting to be me.

GW. Who the heck is GW.
I think it that idiot who was calling himself Rich before. The guy who blabbers on about the NWO, and how he hates the system then votes tory and supports right wing republican eleites. He is just a dumb moron who makes no sense.

1:28 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Blogger Robert said...

Lets see the best shuffle would be Brown going back to the back benches and then opposition.

1:32 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think there are bigger challenges than reshuffles at the moment. If speculation about reshuffles is really calling for trouble, the other way to deal with it is just to say "I'm not considering a reshuffle right now".

1:56 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"causing" not "calling for"

1:56 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That was good sppech.
I liked his lines about
1) this being no time for a novice.
2) About the tories. A salesman does not tell you what he is selling is selling rubbish.
3) Serious man for serious times

Also when he said that he needed the NHS has a someone from a not well off up bringing to save his sight. :

3:36 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dirty Euro,

I fear you have come lately to this blog. The only relationship I had with Rich was counting up the number of different jobs "Rich" claied to have had and the number of different towns he claimes to live in.

For your guidence I joined the Party in 1966, and have no pleasure in watching Brown and the Panglosian idiots who back hime destroy the Party.

GW

4:45 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Blogger Duncan Hall said...

I don't like to be uncomradely but did I see the words Hoon and gravitas in close proximity?

8:10 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GW are yew a gay?

your leting tha cocane bimbo torise liek cameron ogg the hooke

do yo fancie him?

therees a gay conspriracy

If Ben Bradshaw defects then itprooves my theory gay tory conspiracy.

Tory gay maffia

Maybe gw has managed to be the bait to get ben bradshaw to defect Yes gw was used as gaey bait. It figues after all Cyclrate is maggot.

Tory gay maffia

gw if Ben Bradshaw defects do you not agree then it prooves my theory about a secret gay conspiracy to destory the labour government.

Labour legalised being gay. But some triators want to work for the longe lasting gay secret ealites in the torie patry they prefer to be closet gays. Maybe you in that gang hey gw and robert. Maybe Ben will become closet gay and get marrieid to a tory women, like robert did

8:56 pm, September 23, 2008

 
Blogger Mark Still News said...

"Getting the reshuffle right"

Easy just get a load more right wing cronies in?

12:28 am, September 25, 2008

 

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