Reshuffle predictions – how did I do?
by Stephen Tall on June 29, 2007
Well, not too bad. Five ‘direct hits’ (right person, right job) and 12 ‘indirect hits’ (in the cabinet, but in a different job). Caroline Flint, Hilary Armstrong, Lord Kinnock and Liam Byrne were the ones I tipped for the top (…)
All change in Cabinet reshuffle
by Stephen Tall on June 28, 2007
The BBC website has a helpful at-a-glance photo-guide to Gordon Brown’s first cabinet here. Only Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, survives in the same post he held under Tony Blair – every other cabinet post has changed hands. For all (…)
Tory MP defects to Labour
by Stephen Tall on June 26, 2007
The MP for Grantham and Stamford, Quentin Davies, has today announced he has crossed the floor from David Cameron’s Tories to Gordon Brown’s Labour. Mr Davies explained his decision in an open letter to Mr Cameron: “Although you have many (…)
"We must take risks," says Ming
by Stephen Tall on June 26, 2007
In a wide-ranging speech to Lib Dem staff today – reported on the BBC website here – Ming Campbell has pledged the party must be “prepared to take risks”. He also promised to make his age (66) a campaigning issue: (…)
Ready for a double by-election day?
by Stephen Tall on June 26, 2007
Rumours abound (hat-tips: Dizzy and Guido) that Tony Blair will announce his resignation as an MP this week, triggering a by-election in Sedgefield to be held on the same day as the by-election in Ealing Southall. Labour’s thinking goes that (…)
When opinion polls go bad
by Stephen Tall on June 25, 2007
For the last few months, no opinion poll of voting intentions worthy of the name has been complete without the inevitable tagged-on question, ‘And how would you vote if Gordon Brown were Labour leader?’ To which the answer of Labour-inclined (…)
Cable reveals Brown's legacy of debt
by Stephen Tall on June 25, 2007
Lib Dem shadow chancellor, Vince Cable, can’t be accused of taking a soft line on highlighting the UK’s addiction to debt. He did so in his spring conference speech three months ago, and he has now dug out figures showing (…)
Is an '08 general election on the cards?
by Stephen Tall on June 25, 2007
‘Election set for 2008’ is how The Times today reports the handover of the Labour leadership from Blair & Prescott to Brown & Harman. Even more authoritatively, bookmakers William Hill have slashed the odds on a general election being held (…)
Wheelie bin wars, ‘live’ on YouTube
by Stephen Tall on June 24, 2007
Of course, the real reason why the Lib Dem city council distributed wheelie bins throughout Oxford was as part of our ‘recycling revolution’. But the people of Headington are an inventive and subversive lot, as befits this Arezzo to Oxford (…)
Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #18
by Stephen Tall on June 24, 2007
Welcome to the 18th of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (17th – 23rd June), together with a hand-picked quintet you might otherwise have missed. Down (…)