May 122010
Here’s a list of the various cabinet ministers in the new Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition government. I must admit is is far from inspiring, and even sees the return of the Big Beast and Iain Duncan-Smith.
Prime Minister: David Cameron
Deputy Prime Minister: Nick Clegg
Foreign Secretary: William Hague
Education Secretary: Michael Gove
Business Secretary: Vince Cable
(and here’s where it starts to go wrong…)
Chancellor of the Exchequer: George Osborne
Health Secretary: Andrew Lansley (no, no idea either)
Defence Secretary: Liam Fox
Home Secretary: Theresa May
Justice Secretary: Kenneth Clarke
Scotland Secretary: Danny Alexander (do we need this?)
Treasury Chief Secretary: David Laws
Work and Pensions Secretary: Iain Duncan-Smith
I am quite pleased with the new Cabinet. Best of all slimy little toads like the Chuckle (aka Miliband) Brothers, Andy Burnham, Ed Balls and Mandelson are gone, good riddance. From what I have seen today Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg seem to make a good team which I never thought I would hear myself saying. William Hague I am a big fan of, he is a very good MP and an excellent speaker. I am pleased Vince Cable has been given a top job. I agree about the point about the ‘Scottish Secretary’. If they want their own Government then why should they be able to stick their nose into our business? Why do Scotland get to have cake and eat it? Personally I feel Liam Fox (aka Dr Liam Fox ex-GP) should be Health Secretary considering his healthcare background. Also I am glad to see IDS in the DWP post. He has done a lot of work on social justice and welfare since being dropped as Conservative Leader, I think he will suit the post well personally.
I dont agree on Liam Fox being health secretary – his skills as a (presumably former) GP are not relevant in that position: they need someone to get stuck into the system and modernise it. I’ve no idea who the guy they’ve picked is, though!
I have heard of Andrew Lansley, from what I have seen of him as Shadow Health Secretary I don’t think he will be too bad, but then anything is an improvement on slimy, smarmy Andy Burnham. I look forward to seeing what he has on the table.
The only problem I have with the current situation is that my excitement at David Cameron being our new PM and Labour been frozen out of Government is dampened by my ire and extreme disappointment that the Blackpool rescue mission failed to oust Gordon Marsden. So we get a fresh new Government and the same useless old Liebour MP who will continue to kick Blackpool in the teeth.
Blackpool South was bizarre. On the one hand we had Lib Dem voices here talking up their campaign and ending up losing votes, on the other we had Ron Bell in a huge publicity drive that gained him a small increase, and then we had Mr Marsden who basically did fuck all yet won at a canter.
The dominance of the public sector in this area secured Marsden’s seat, I feel. How many of your colleagues at BVH didn’t vote Labour? Not many I bet!
I was pleasantly surprised, I met a few fellow nurses who are also Conservative supporters, a couple who were Labour supporters but the most popular party tended to be the Lib Dems. But I don’t feel the Lib Dems did themselves justice in Blackpool South, I didn’t even get one leaflet from them which I was a bit disappointed at. My girlfriend voted Lib Dem (which I delighted to hear as she was flirting with the idea of backing Liebour!!!) but they didn’t fare too well in Blackpool South. But you are right Marsden did nothing (as always) and got in. Blackpool deserves better, the people who backed that useless, Brighton-living tosser should be ashamed of themselves. I really care about Blackpool which is why I wanted rid of him.
Sad to see Lord Adonis at Transport replaced with someone with no record that I know of having a passion for public transport but lets hope he wants to get stuck in to the department and make things happen and not just see it as a rung on the ladder department.
Blaaa he’s a bleeding heart Guardian reading yoghurt knitter
true but he knew a thing or two about trains which is a first as most Transport Ministers wouldn’t know one end of a train from another. In an ideal world I would have Peter Waterman as Minister of Transport.
He probably earns more by writing songs like “Never Gonna Give You Up”
I thought that recommendation was based on his commissioning of Kylie for The Locomotion.
he he he, very good John. For those that don’t know Pete Waterman is a big train nerd as well and runs his own train company repairing engines in Crewe. One thing I would do with the new transport minister is get him to travel to every railway station, have a good look round talk to passengers and staff and get a feel for what needs doing, so what money is available can be directed in the right direction.
You don’t need a trainspotter running the department you need someone that’s going to set out a good transport strategy that isn’t necessarily obsessed with one particular form of transport.
I say good riddance to Adonis I couldn’t stand the guy, he was just another Labour yes-man and he was the man behind bring unfair tuition fees in. Good riddance to all the Labour cabinet.
exactly, which is what made Adonis a great Transport Minister he knew about transport and didn’t let the road lobby run rings around him unlike most transport ministers.
I don’t think it matters who is minister for transport really. With so little cash to do anything with no-one can do a good job of it at the moment. At least a high-speed rail link is still possible – though how we are supposed to get to the stations to catch it from outposts like here, I’m not so sure.