Fox unlikely to cause trouble for Cameron
James Forsyth 4:39pm
As soon as the news about G3's funding of Adam Werritty emerged, it became clear that
Liam Fox was going to have to go. Downing Street had no desire to be seen to be pushing this Thatcherite out of the Cabinet, but its test has always been that Werritty could not have been receiving money from companies with any interest in
defence. Once that line was crossed, Fox was always going to have to go.
I suspect that the former Defence Secretary will not be a problem for Cameron on the backbenches. Fox values loyalty highly and his friends appreciate how the Prime Minister didn't push Fox at the first opportunity. Also, Fox's standing as a politician has been severely diminished by the events of the past ten days. If he did want to cause trouble, I doubt that he'd find more than a handful of supporters on the backbenches.
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FvH
October 14th, 2011 4:51pm Report this commentwishful thinking from James F !!
FvH
October 14th, 2011 4:54pm Report this commentThe report must be so unpalatable that they just couldn't publish it - what could it have contained???
Austin Barry
October 14th, 2011 4:54pm Report this commentGone to ground! Tally Ho!
GeoffH
October 14th, 2011 4:57pm Report this commentWhatever Fox's failings, we have a poisonous media.
Perhaps we should just allow Dacre, Rusbridger et al to form the cabinet to run the government and we can be rid of these periodic fits exaggerated posturing?
Of course, with journalists in charge there'd never be any whiff of expenses fiddling would there?
Austin Barry
October 14th, 2011 5:10pm Report this commentHow could anyone trust the judgment of a character who appoints his ageing catamite as his best man?
strapworld
October 14th, 2011 5:11pm Report this commentI agree, Mr Forsyth, for at least a month.
Irascible Old Git
October 14th, 2011 5:21pm Report this comment‘As soon as the news about G3's funding of Adam Werritty emerged …’
Sorry James, when was it that The Spectator reported this fact?
Indeed, who the hell are G3?
Ed P
October 14th, 2011 5:21pm Report this comment"Ferrety flushes out fox"
Irascible Old Git
October 14th, 2011 5:26pm Report this commentThanks for the heads-up (finally) about 3G.
It's website is astonishing, purely for the amount of words signifying precisely nothing, such as
‘Senior decision makers need to assess many sources of information before they act. The facts seldom speak for themselves.
‘For many clients, G3's greatest value comes from our authoritative interpretation, critical analysis and careful corroboration of information.
‘A unique group of independent thinkers, the G3 team often bring a fresh, vital dimension to a strategic assessment or a crucial point of insight necessary for making the right decision.’
No wonder the world is fucked.
escapedRoger
October 14th, 2011 6:19pm Report this commentG3 : consultants, in the US lobbyists, the worst sort of dross in a democracy.
The MoD needs David Davis, a sensible man with good TA experience, before Julian Brazier and my time but just the sort of outfit we need in the future.
escapedRoger
October 14th, 2011 6:27pm Report this commentMore about G3 : surely their alter ego, Universal Exports Charity Foundation, with its James Bond connotation is either an in joke or an admission of their Walter Mitty secret squirrel status. Dark corners need more light shined in.
daniel maris
October 14th, 2011 6:51pm Report this commentEr - no...it was clear to some of us as soon as this story broke that Fox had to go and would go within a few days. That Cameron couldn't see it is a black mark against him.
And the Speccie hasn't really covered itself in glory by putting forward such spurious defences of the indefensible.
Baron
October 14th, 2011 6:51pm Report this commentCould anyone have furnished a better summing up for the G3 outfit than the great Irascible Old Git? Merci bien, sir.
Deepsnoozer
October 14th, 2011 7:47pm Report this commentThe only good thing to come out of this has been Jim Murphy's performance.
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