Anyone have an opinion about this meltdown at the polls, Clarke shoved out, Prescott emasculated and Cameron on the ascendancy.
Is Tony on the way out? Does Gordon have the stuff of leadership? And will there be a Tory victory next time?
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UK local elections and government reshuffle
The London Borough of Ealing is known as the 'Bellweather' constituency, because whichever party wins the council elections there goes on to win the next General Election. This has been the case in every election bar one in the last 40 years. On Thursday, Labour lost control of Ealing to the Conservatives.
Frankly, I think Blair is so wrapped-up in his own wondrousness that he still hasn't quite clicked that everyone hates him. He'll be blaming the results on the Clarke and Prescott controversies, thus entirely missing the point that the entire Cabinet is rotten - and he's the one in charge.
The biggest joke about the reshuffle is Prescott, who is now the only token leftie in the Cabinet. Blair couldn't get rid of him because then the Old Labour types would mutiny, so he just removed all of Prescott's powers instead. So now he enjoys all the perks of being Deputy PM (estimated at 250,000 quid a year) but doesn't have a minutes' worth of work to do.
Frankly, I think Blair is so wrapped-up in his own wondrousness that he still hasn't quite clicked that everyone hates him. He'll be blaming the results on the Clarke and Prescott controversies, thus entirely missing the point that the entire Cabinet is rotten - and he's the one in charge.
The biggest joke about the reshuffle is Prescott, who is now the only token leftie in the Cabinet. Blair couldn't get rid of him because then the Old Labour types would mutiny, so he just removed all of Prescott's powers instead. So now he enjoys all the perks of being Deputy PM (estimated at 250,000 quid a year) but doesn't have a minutes' worth of work to do.
QUOTE (Small Town Boy @ May 6 2006, 8:15 pm) 
The London Borough of Ealing is known as the 'Bellweather' constituency, because whichever party wins the council elections there goes on to win the next General Election. This has been the case in every election bar one in the last 40 years. On Thursday, Labour lost control of Ealing to the Conservatives.
Yes, but too much can be read into that. Similar things were said before 1992 when Kinnock, against expectation failed to win
QUOTE (Small Town Boy @ May 6 2006, 8:15 pm)
Frankly, I think Blair is so wrapped-up in his own wondrousness that he still hasn't quite clicked that everyone hates him. He'll be blaming the results on the Clarke and Prescott controversies, thus entirely missing the point that the entire Cabinet is rotten - and he's the one in charge.
The 'entire' cabinet? I think not. There are still good people like Brown, Beckett, Darling and Alexander.
QUOTE (Small Town Boy @ May 6 2006, 8:15 pm)
The biggest joke about the reshuffle is Prescott, who is now the only token leftie in the Cabinet.
The other 'lefties' might take issue with that . . .
QUOTE (Small Town Boy @ May 6 2006, 8:15 pm)
Blair couldn't get rid of him because then the Old Labour types would mutiny, so he just removed all of Prescott's powers instead. So now he enjoys all the perks of being Deputy PM (estimated at 250,000 quid a year) but doesn't have a minutes' worth of work to do.
Actually, it is the left that is protesting loudest about his retention in emasculated form.
I think also that a clear majority of the party just wants Blair and his awful SDP acolytes to slope off into the twilight as soon as possible. Certainly I do.
the biggest surprise was Jack Straw, surely - the others were on the cards, but after Straw's big love-in with Condi recently you wouldn't have expected him to be given the boot. well, i wouldn't, anyway.
Straw was widely credited with being the instigator of some of the messes we now see in the Home Office and while he got on with both Condi and Powell, he was regarded as flimsy by Cheney and Rumsfeld. I think Beckett is a good choice: her diplomatic skills are second to none and she is a VERY safe pair of hands in a department that needs it badly.
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