A Cabinet Reshuffle ?– Told you so

Thursday 6th September

Well, no real surprises there, were there?  Oh, just one or two.  After Jeremy Hunt’s turgid time over Murdoch and the BSky bid, he was rewarded by being given Health.  At least Rupert will now know when a hospital is being closed before the staff and patients are told.  But the downside is we will have to see his stupid grinning face for a few years to come.  One would have thought it was a perfect opportunity to have quietly dropped him, but then maybe that would have been too much an admission of guilt.

But for sheer gall one had to admire Michael Fallon (another highly slappable face) on Newsnight when he defended the demotion and reduction of women in the Cabinet, by declaring that there were now more women in Government overall, and there never had been as many women appointed by a Conservative Prime Minister before.  Hey Michael, the last Tory PM was in the last century.  He is rapidly becoming (Michael Gove excepted) the most annoying apologist for this Government.  And it was the twin demotions of Baroness Warsi and Justine Greening that really defined this reshuffle.  Warsi could be annoying, but often because she was so good and clever and witty, even when she was defending the indefensible.  Besides she was working class and a northerner and Asian, so by demoting her Cameron is sending out the right message to the type of voters he will need to win the next election.  And as for poor Justine Greening, I am afraid that Boris is quite right on this occasion.  Watch out, ‘U’ turn ahead.  The wording has subtly changed, last night Fallon repeatedly said that no third runway at Heathrow would be ‘built’ during this parliament.  So that’s okay then, one can be planned and agreed, but as long as the tarmac is still not spread out on the ground they won’t have broken their promise.

If they think the voters of West London are that stupid they must all think like Clegg.