Posted by PGaffney on 5 September 2012
Yesterday’s reshuffle was more widespread than many had predicted, although the majority of changes occurred and continue to occur at the more junior levels of Government. David Cameron’s reshuffle of the top ranks will have done much to strengthen his position within his party, with the promotion of a number of MPs popular with the [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 3 September 2012
After the long summer recess, parliament returns awash with speculation about the forthcoming reshuffle. All reshuffles carry potential dangers, but this reshuffle, the first of the coalition government produces a number of risks for both the Prime Minister and his Deputy. Cameron has made great play of his view that his predecessors reshuffled too much [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 7 August 2012
Yesterday’s announcement on House of Lords reform, followed by Clegg’s promise to vote against the proposed boundary changes has led many to predict the demise of the Coalition. This, of course, is little more than a replay of what we saw after the AV referendum, poor local election results and … whenever there is a [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 29 June 2012
Entirely unrelated to Treasury Minister Chloe Smith and Jeremy Paxman’s sparring on Newsnight, this week’s quiz is on (other)political car crash interviews. 1) When questioned by Channel 4 on his expenses and specifically why he bought an £800 massage chair, how did former Labour Minister Shahid Malik respond? a) I have a serious back condition. b) [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 9 May 2012
The last time the Queen formally opened Parliament the Coalition Government was still in its infancy, Labour were in the midst of a leadership election having lost the General Election, David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s personal ratings and popularity were high and press conferences were held in the sunshine of the rose garden rather than [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 3 February 2012
The resignation of a Cabinet Minister will always bring fervent speculation about reshuffles, promotions, winners and losers. In the case of the enforced resignation of Chris Huhne MP, it is clear who has lost the most, the forgotten man Norman Lamb(arguably one of the Lib Dems best performers in opposition) is a clear winner following [...]