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Saturday, 10th May 2008

Lost in the shuffle

James Forsyth 6:32pm

Peter Hyman’s piece in The Times today is well worth reading if only for this anecdote about one of the Blair reshuffles.

On another occasion an MP was sacked for doing nothing wrong. It was merely that when she was replaced in her current job, someone forgot to pencil her in for a new one. The mistake was only realised once the reshuffle had been completed. Mr Blair had to come out with the implausible sounding football manager's response, telling the shell-shocked MP that he “was playing a rotation system, and she would soon return to government”.
Hyman’s serious point—that David Miliband should be made Chancellor—is revealing of the mindset in New Labour circles at the moment. Personally, I think Brown needs a more radical reshuffle than that. I also wonder how Ed Balls would react to Miliband getting that job and being made the heir apparent.

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Elizabeth Elliot-Pyle

May 10th, 2008 7:52pm Report this comment

Milliband, "heir apparent" to what exactly????
Labour is gone, thank God. Their is nothing to be "heir" to.
Hearing about Cherie and her memoirs etc just reminds us of the total awfullness of the whole nulabour trick. RIP labour.

Labourite

May 10th, 2008 8:08pm Report this comment

Was this Gisela Stuart, when dropped as a health minister? I'd heard something like that before. Or who else could it be?

Ian C

May 11th, 2008 2:19pm Report this comment

A re-shuffle would be the ultimate 'shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic'.

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