Monday, July 02, 2007

Cameron's bloodless coup

I don't think there is much to be said about today's shadow cabinet resuffle. Unlike some Tory bloggers I think that Caroline Spelman will do very well as Party Chairman and I think she will bat well for the party. I am disappointed that Francis Maude doesn't get a higher profile berth than Shadow Cabinet Office Minister and feel that the promotions of Teresa Villiers (Shadow Transport) & Chris Grayling (Shadow Pensions) are well deserved. The new boys in the team - Michael Gove (Shadow Schools), Herbert (Shadow Justice) and Hunt (Shadow Culture) are fine appointments and will really present a new face to the public. However, having said that I think that 2 more experienced heads in Eric Pickles (Shadow Communities) and Owen Paterson (Shadow NI) will add depth to the team. As a big supporter of Osbourne I am glad that he was given extra responsibility and that Hague is being given extra support in the foreign affairs team. A good job, if rather unspectacular.

However the really impresisve thing is the way that Cameron has managed to carry out a full reshuffle without spilling any blood on the carpet - everyone seems happy with this team and it has maintained real unity in the party. The only casualties were Hugo Swire and Oliver Heald - both of whom were pretty low profile and not quite up to the job. The other departing Shadow Minister is David Lidington who is apparently happy with his new job as Hague's No2. Now, I know that Cameron had the advantage of having to match Brown's new enlarged team and that gave him more positions to fill, but the way in which he has shuffled and carefully balanced the wings of the party is very impressive. Compare that to the leaving of Hewitt and Beckett after Brown's shuffle.

A good job well done Mr Cameron!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Conservatives are going to tackle poverty and deprivation. How? Deprived people working as a community and doing voluntary work. Sorry its tokenism and words without effect. The result will be slightly and temporily happier deprived and poor people.

Labour and Conservatives have to tackle housing (especially 2 bedroom flats and 2 bedroom house sectors) to "build" them and make them more "affordable". Housing is the biggest area creating poverty, high mortgage rates, high rents, high utility bills.

Build houses/ flats over car parks, build up in community complexes, build in energy efficiency and generation, modern easy build materials, security based designs.

Second or Third home owners (who do not buy to let) should pay more in council tax on their second holiday home, if it does not have a perminant tenant.

Councils should seized empty derelict properties and make them available, speed up demolition of derelict sites/premises and change planning permission for affordable houses to be constructed, and renovate council houses to modern standards.

Basically in a society where jobs are available, health services and educational provision is good, supply of affordable housing (2 bedroom flats/housing)
is the main direction that will tackle poverty. Less of the pay packet going into mortgages/rents, more into bringing up kids and quality of life, and making "living" more affordable.

It is an unhealthy position for society where most people rather than saving or pension provision, rely on "house prices" and equity to provide wealth. This has the effect of taking a basic need, an affordable roof over the head, away from others and young people/parents. This is where Conservatives should focus and rebalance housing provision and bottleneck, to bring house prices down, making building easier, quicker, cheaper.