A question of timing
James Forsyth 5:20pm
Over at Three Line Whip, Rob Winnett points out that David Cameron really needs to decide what to do about Caroline Spellman before the Haltemprice & Howden by-election. If Spellman is forced out once David Davis has been returned to Parliament, it will be hard for Cameron not to take the opportunity to bring Davis back to the top table.
If Cameron does decide that he needs to ask Spellman for her resignation, then there is a simple mini-reshuffle available to him: move Eric Pickles to party chairman and Paul Goodman up to shadow Hazel Blears. Part of the appeal of this is that making Pickles, a folksy Yorshireman, party chairman and one of the main faces of the Tory party would help to restore some of the balance to the Tory top team that was lost with Davis’s decision to go off and fight a by-election.
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Comments
Kevyn Bodman
June 30th, 2008 5:36pmCameron should decide what to do today or tomorrow.
I will repeat my advice to him:
Caroline Spelman knows what she did. Call her in, ask her what she did. Does she admit,deny or refute the allegations?
In the absence of a convincing refutation, dismiss her.
There you go Mr. Cameron, over to you.
Carol-Ann
June 30th, 2008 5:58pmCameron, please move Grieve from the shadow home office brief, he is a disaster. That position requires a more substantial and in touch figure.
Praguetory
June 30th, 2008 7:59pmIt's Spelman. More generally, congratulations on the improved quality of your blogs.
Marian Clarke
June 30th, 2008 8:08pmDavid Cameron, should get rid of Caroline Spellman as soon as possible; he does not want to be seen as a 'ditherer' like nutty no brain Gordon.
john (my lifes importance relies on someone else)
June 30th, 2008 8:30pmWell lets hope he does pull a pollard and state "I don't care".
Athesius the Facilitator
June 30th, 2008 8:54pmKevyn Bodman is right about C Spellman. I wrote as soon as this story broke that he should sack her. Not because she's done much wrong but because she's rubbish. But this has dragged on long enough now so for god's sake get rid of her.
Eric Pickles is a nice enough down to earth chap but not very articulate.
Cameron now needs to show some guts and start announcing and denouncing and the man to do that is I believe the party Chairman. This is the slot that requires one of the old gaurd back again. Some one who is slightly euro sceptic but not hostile. An attack dog who does not speak jargonese. A thinker on his feet who does not appear to duck questions. No not the Chingford skinhead why of course it's errwhoops I can't think of anybody so we will have to settle for Chris Grayling.
Oscar
June 30th, 2008 9:06pmThe witchunt against Caroline Spelman shoud end now. It's a non story cooked up by Newsnight. And pathetically where Auntie leads the hacks follow. I can assure you most people don't even know who Caroline Spelman is, let alone being bothered about her nanny nearly a decade ago. This so-called 'story' should just be dropped.
Athesius the Facilitator
June 30th, 2008 9:31pmOscar! That is my point. "Nobody knows who Caroline Spelman is". She's been the party chairman for ages now, and still nobody knows who she is. Thats why she should be 'blurtcakered' (custard pied in norwegian). Even my pal Anthony the Sensitive would get rid of her.
TrevorH
July 1st, 2008 9:46amAgreed Oscar .. and Athesius - the fact that people do not know who Spelman is is totally not a problem. Have you seen the polls?
Spelman - or whoever replaces her has her job, pickles has his and Lord Ashcroft has his.
Can any of the people calling for Spelmans head tell me what she has done wrong in any of the past 10 years?
If you numpties want to fall for Newsnights pathetic pro labour left wing biased line then go ahead - you pathetic pea-brains.
And Rob Winnets (whoever he is) article was a load od cr#p - effectively saying Cameron should sack half his shadow cabinet.
As for quality of blogs - the more I read the so called professional established blogs the more i think you are all stealing a living
Lord Denning
July 1st, 2008 10:34amTrevorH said: "Can any of the people calling for Spelmans head tell me what she has done wrong in any of the past 10 years?"
I didn't know they'd introduced a statute of limitations for expenses fraud. Ronnie Biggs hasn't knocked over any trains for a really long time, perhaps Cameron should make him Party Chairman?