Taking about keeping it in the family, Gordon’s reshuffle means that in ministerial positions we now have the brothers Milliband, the Balls family and, last but not least, the Eagle twins.
Next thing we know we’ll find out that Hazel Blears is the long-lost daughter of Denis Skinner – although I wouldn’t mind seeing the look on Akehurst’s face when that story broke.
Is this a government or the fucking Generation Game and when can we expect to see Brucie appointed Minister for Gameshows?
Oh, and having written so many sex-ed posts in the last week, no one better dare mention ‘Come Dancing’ – that’s just not a mental picture I can work with at the moment.
Were you running a dead pool on the resuffle, or did I imagine it?
And on the Government Generation Game thing, the worst in modern history was surely Lord Salisbury and his nephew Arthur Balfour, a permanent fixture in Salisbury’s Cabinets and his eventual successor as PM, giving us the saying “Bob’s your uncle”.
Mind you, I’d dearly have loved for Tony Benn to be brought back to take a lead on Lords reform.
I was starting to think I was the only one who thought this ‘keep it in the family/old boys/girls club’ was a bloody disgrace.
I was – will take a look at the Labour scores in a while, bit the pool won’t be complete until Cameron shuffles or announces that he’s not making changes.
According to wikipedia, so I don’t know how reliable it is, Harriet harman is a cousin of of the Milibands.
The most bizarre family connection in the cabinet though must be the 1997 one where Donald Dewar was in the same cabinet has the man who ran off with his wife, Lord Irvine.
This is a meritocratic Government, Unity- though I am sorry that Jon Cruddas had chosen not to serve and that Paddy Ashdown listened to that fool Campbell and refused to serve.
Balls and Cooper as man and wife- well, being in the hothouse of politics since they were 18-19 and at Oxford, it would have been more surprising if they hadn’t have linked up!
The Milibands and the Eagles can hardly help being related, can they?
My only issue with them all is that this is a very Oxonian Cabinet in true Wilsonian stylee.
Epsilon:
I am being ironic here and getting the obvious comment/gag in before the other side 😉
The Millibands have a solid provenence and background in the party, and I know that Tony Benn speaks highly of Ed, who interned for Benn a few years ago and helped out with arranging papers for his diaries.
Balls and Cooper, as you say, have been a double act for a long time and I really don’t know that much about the Eagle twins – and in any case its still a lot less dynastic/familial then you’ll find thing in many local councils.
Unity buddy- I am still getting used to your irony….apologies. I can be full of sarcasm myself- so no worries.
Tony Benn speaks highly of the Milibands? Have you read ‘Free At Last’ and the entry when he goes to see their mother and them for tea. He spoke highly of their father Ralph- and I am sure he likes them as people- but political friends?
He certainly spoke highly of Ed’s qualities during the time he interned for Benn.
Wouldn’t put them as political allies, mind, but Benn’s generally a pretty fair-minded old bugger and can draw the line between personal and political.