Why John Reid is stepping down
5:21pm
Earlier today, like many people around Westminster, I received a text message from John Reid letting me know that he will be standing down as an MP at the next election. As sorry as I am - John was an invigorating presence on the parliamentary and Whitehall scene, and one of the few ministers who fully grasped how the world changed on 9/11 - the news does not come as an enormous surprise. For a start, he is blissfully happy in his marriage and had always talked wistfully of a time when he would be able to devote himself fully to his wife ('I'm a happy bastard, me'). But he is also a politician with a pitiless capacity to judge when the game is up. A year ago he was seriously weighing up his leadership chances, and conspicuously declined to rule out a run at the top job in a pre-conference interview with me. He had always planned either to stand against Gordon or resign as a minister: he chose the latter path, eager not to become a focus for discontent in the Cabinet - not now, or even a year from now, but somewhere down the line when the waters became choppier for Brown. This was a typically shrewd calculation by a politician as intellectual as he is pugilistic, and now he has removed all doubt by stepping down from the Commons. He is a good man and a patriot, from whom we will definitely hear more in whatever roles he now pursues, and I for one wish him the very best of luck.
Previous
Og
September 15th, 2007 6:53pm Report this commentGenerous comments. I never thought him highly competent, but then again, I felt happier with him as Home Secretary than I did with the hopeless Blunkett or the weasel lawyer Straw, and I'd rather be stranded on a desert island with him than most of the Opposition front bench.
John BullToo
September 15th, 2007 9:46pm Report this commentJohn never was of my political flavour, but he always impressed me with his open honesty - truly rare in the political classes. I too wish him well in his future interests - and I suspect we have not heard the last of him - I hope. God bless you John - Keep well !
Tory Lady
September 15th, 2007 11:22pm Report this commentA General Election will be pounced shortly - this is just part of the desk and diary clearing going on throughout Westminster and Whitehall, and enables time to get a new pair of polished shoes under that desk!
The Laughing Cavalier
September 16th, 2007 9:44am Report this commentOne cannot help feeling that this "former" marxist remained a marxist and entered government as a mole with a secret mission to sabotage as much of it as possible. Name one Ministry that he made a success of.
Shofar
September 16th, 2007 2:51pm Report this commentI always thought of John Reid as an honest Scot - infinitely preferable to the dishonest Scot now incumbent at No.10.
Graeme Archer
September 16th, 2007 5:12pm Report this commentI must be weird, based on the post and the comments, because John Reid is one of those Labour politicians who for me summed up all that was most dishonest and thuggy and illiberal about the government. He was a disaster in every ministry he was in charge of as well, but it was his style I found most unpleasant.
Richard
September 17th, 2007 12:09am Report this commentA dreadful Minister who, les we forget, had his hand slapped by the Attorney General for critcising specific judicial decisions. Which you might think fair enough - except those judges are merely carrying out the laws passed by Mr Reid's government while trying to protect people from the worse sort of 'string 'em up' demagoguery.
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