As Matt notes, there is now a truce in the Labour party; the reshuffle has earned Brown the right to die another day. When you look at the reshuffle it becomes clear that Brown has appeased every faction in the Labour party: the Blairites get Mandelson back and McBride moved upstairs, Compass get Jon Trickett as Brown’s PPS, the Unions get Adonis moved from education and Gordon Brown himself gets a Whip office staffed by his praetorians. But it still remains totally unclear what Gordon plans to do next.
Brown’s lack of direction and decision can be seen in the fact that apart from him there now appear to be three people running economic policy. There is Darling at the Treasury, Mandelson in his new role and Shriti Vadera who is now based in the Cabinet Office and responsible for Britain’ economic competitiveness. This is leaving aside the other 15 people—including a certain E Balls—who sit on the National Economic Committee.
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