The last few posts
The Guardian is tipping Blears for transport, James Purnell–interviewed in this week’s magazine–gets Culture. Still no word on Ruth Kelly’s fate.
The Spectator
Thursday
Anybody Home?
Update: Jacqui Smith, the BBC is reporting, will succeed John Reid The big question is who is going to Home. John Denham some are saying, but I can’t imagine he’d be on board with Brown’s more hard core proposals on terror. Both Blears and Hutton are staying in the Cabinet and haven’t been given jobs
Brown as Nidgett
Strength, energy, service, change, trust, steadfastness, change, resolution, purpose, change … Has anyone noticed how like Peter Simple’s Lieutenant General Sir Frederick ‘Tiger’ Nidgett Gordon Brown sounded yesterday? In November 2005 Nidgett brought his great strategic mind to bear on the seemingly intractable problems of the Middle East, problems that Mr Brown will have to
The world of Miliband
David Miliband to the foreign office, the youngest holder of that office since David Owen. It is a huge job. In the words of Sir John Coles, former Permanent Secretary to the FCO: “The job comes as a terrible shock to them, just the sheer amount of travelling, for example, and the enormous range of
Unspun Brown
At least for the first couple of days Gordon Brown got both the style and substance absolutely right – no repudiation of the past but an absolute commitment to moving on. And it is clear what the new direction of travel will be. A more personally responsive health service, free from the straightjacket if targets.
A motto to live by
‘I will try my utmost’ promised Gordon Brown on the steps of 10 Downing Street yesterday, quoting his old school motto. They’re funny things, school mottoes. Single sex schools tend to fall into different camps – boys’ tending towards the bellicose (Sons of Heroes / Wellington School) or self-aggrandising (Floreat Etona / David Cameron’s Eton
Cui bono
Why do we have to pay between £3.50 and £5.40 to book tickets for the theatre on the internet? Most people are unable to turn up in person to book seats — the only way to avoid the extra cost. If a theatre has, say, 600 seats, and over half are filled by people booking
A not so talented precedent
Our new Prime Minister does like a bit of history so, in the course of unveiling his new administration today, he may wish to reconsider his soundbite “government of all the talents”. This refers to the “ministry of all the talents” appointed by Lord Grenville (1759-1834) after the death of Pitt the Younger. George III
Wednesday
Can Blair bring peace to the Middle East?
Douglas Davis has done a fantastic piece for us looking at the likelihood of Blair bringing peace to the Middle East in his retirement. In short, don’t hold your breath.
How we saw the day
Scroll down for our analysis of events on the blog. But we’ve also got some great articles on what happened today including a review of Blair’s last act and Brown’s matinee by the Spectator’s theatre critic Llloyd Evans, an essay on what it was like growing up under Tony Blair by Clemency Burton-Hill, a look at whether business
What on earth was the BBC thinking?
So the Prime Minister of 10 years standing is answering his final question at PMQs and what does the BBC do? Cut away to a trailer and then the tennis. This is a complete abdication of its public service responsibilities. It has denied viewers the chance to witness a historic moment. Indeed, it is hard
More grist for the defection rumour mill
Iain Dale reports that William Hill have stopped taking bets on a Tory defection.
Reshuffle will be official at lunchtime
Just back from the first lobby briefing with Michael Ellam, the new Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (except he’s dropped ‘official’ so he’s just PMS). His hands were slightly shaking, the poor thing, and I can’t really blame him. The room was packed, and a few of us are proudly sporting little red badges saying ‘Feral
Conservatives at war
No, this has nothing to do with the Tory response to Gordon Brown — or to Quentin Davies. This is about what, in another context, Richard Hofstadter called ‘the paranoid style in American politics’. In the latest issue of the liberal New Republic Johann Hari has an immensely funny piece about his adventures on a
How about a really radical reshuffle?
All this “talent” business is getting out of hand. In some of Gordon’s speeches, it sounds like a reference to the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30). And, for the record, this is how that particular Gospel story ends for the unfortunate soul who squanders his asset: “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
Beckettt’s gone
Fraser is tipping David Miliband. Apparently, she didn’t want to go.
A healthy reshuffle
Patricia Hewitt to stand down as Health Secretary. No surprises there. Gordon has been saying throughout his grand tour that, while education is his “passion”, health is his “priority”. And no wonder: the Tories have stolen Labour’s lead on health policy, perhaps Cameron’s most remarkable and certainly his cheekiest achievement. Brown is an implacable believer
Can we have what you had, Mr. Brown?
When the Prime Minister (its so weird writing that) told us on the steps of No10 that he “went to the local school” in Kirkcaldy and chose its motto as his personal leitmotif, it is worth recalling the type of education he actually had. He enjoyed the ultimate academic selection, being chosen from primary with
Brown’s agenda
The school motto of Kirkcaldy High School: “I will try my utmost”. That was the principle which Gordon Brown promised to make the foundation of his work as Prime Minister. It is up there with Boxer’s “I will work harder” in Animal Farm. But this was the son of the Manse speaking from the heart.
“Beyond narrow party interest”
That line makes me suspect that Brown really does have something up his sleeve even post-Ashdown.