Cabinet reshuffle : Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:02 pm
Might be as early as tomorrow, certainly coming this week. Wonder if Cameron will play it safe and keep all the big fish in post and just mix up the junior ministers. I think there might be a few noses put out of joint if there are any controversial moves. The Tory party does have a tendency to tear open wounds when individuals are bitter at not getting their way.
The problem for Cameron is there are a few names that need moving on but there are no credible alternatives to replace them.
Osborne needs to go, he is out of his depth. The credible alternatives - Clarke or Cable - are both unpalatable to Conservative hierachy, and Cable would end up pursuing a different economic policy.
Theresa May is also out of her depth but can't see who would replace her.
Andrew Lansley, Danny Alexander and Francis Maude are blunderers that are unpopular with everybody. Maude is the kind of nice person like Oliver Letwin that could be out of a Harry Enfield sketch sending up Tory stereotypes.
I see a lot of speculation about Chris Grayling being promoted to a senior role, what a joke that would be, he was Shadow Home Sec in opposition, was demoted at the time the Tories won the election because he was gaffe prone, he's been minister for employment, and has made no impact on getting people in to work, and now he's talked up as a promotion candidate.
I pity the poor department that gets Baroness Warsi, particularly if its International Development, who have a fair chance of losing Andrew Mitchell because Mitchell is one of the few non toxic members of government, a low key decent bloke similar to Hilary Benn at Labour.
My main hope is that Cable retains his post, yes people slag him off for joining the Coalition but he is one man who is actually trying to fight an alternative agenda as much as he can from within Cabinet and is a bulwark against some of the zany Tory deregulate everything and remove all workers rights ideas.
