The Great Offices of State are called that for a reason. They dominate any government, and to a large extent other ministers’ room for manouvere is massively constrained by them.
Look at the line-up. Cameron, Osborne, Hague, Fox, May. How on earth did the Lib Dems agree to support such a very right wing line up? Why did they fail to land even one of the great offices of state in the negotiation, when two are occupied by right wing political pygmies like Fox and May? This does not bode well at all for the Lib Dems.
Now you know how the socialists felt when nu-lab emerged.
Can’t say I like the line-up at all, in fact I’m horrified, but I suppose this is part of what Cameron has to do to keep the right-wing of the tories on board with the coalition.
After all, aren’t we seeing the kind of wheeling and dealing that is part and parcel of PR?
What do you think about Clarke at Justice?
Yup, moderate, thoughtful, rational Tories – conspicuous by their absence.
Funny that there are 20 Lib Dems in govt posts.
Those 20 plus the Tories 306 gives a current majority in the House.
Quite calculating, eh.
Additionally, it seems that a majority of 55% will be required to oust a fixed parliament under the new legislation.
More calculating.
Spookie.
I’m getting a bit worried about this lot.
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/the-torch-has-been-passed-to-a-new-generation-of-public-school-nancy-boys-201005122720/
BRITAIN’S long, national nightmare was over last night as the nation was once again placed in the safe, reliable hands of some vaguely effeminate public school boys.
Fishy Frobisher is in charge of the railwaysAfter three years of being governed by a rough, nasty boy from a state school who shouted at everyone and didn’t like custard, Britain wakes up today knowing it could introduce both the prime minister and deputy prime minister to its parents without having to endure an uncomfortable silence as they realised they had nothing in common.
David Cameron met a visibly relieved Queen shortly after 8pm, accepting her invitation to form a government of gentlemen before laughing their heads off about how Gordon Brown used to say ‘tea’ instead of ‘supper’.
Minutes later the new prime minister spoke to the nation outside Number 10, peeing gently into his trousers while his glowing wife Samantha stood behind him wearing the smile of someone at a summer drinks party who has just turned round to see a demented rhinoceros thundering across the lawn.
The coalition deal was finally sealed yesterday evening during a hastily arranged phone call between David Cameron and Nick Clegg where they compared notes on the daughters of minor aristocrats that they had felt up at charity balls in the 1980s.
The prime minister’s spokesman said: “We knew we had a workable, four year deal when David and Nick both realised they had probably fingered the Hon. Charlotte Brampton during the same Henley Regatta.”
The new administration started work immediately as Downing Street released the first round of cabinet appointments including Binky, Pinky, Ponky, Porky, Splodger, Dodger, Bodger, Badger, Fishy Frobisher, good old Charlie Two-Yachts and Vince Cable.
Last night a Treasury source insisted Mr Cable and the new chancellor Binky Osborne were already working well together, adding: “They’re even finishing each other’s sentences. Of course the sentence does completely change its meaning half way through and ends up making no sense whatsoever, but they are at least sharing the same sentence. And that’s historic.”
But across Britain there were mixed feelings as the Labour Party relinquished power, with some wondering whether they would ever hate anyone quite as much again, while others welcomed a new set of characters they could make anonymous online death threats against.
Far right, my backside. That’s just foam-flecked hyperbole.
Terry – “it seems that a majority of 55% will be required”
Yes, I don’t like that bit.
I suppose the argument would be that ‘coalition government’ from now on (*if*. It’s only a referendum ?) is likely to be more unstable, so the change “corrects” for this ?
But I still don’t like it. “First thing we do is tilt the rules in our favour” doesn’t look encouraging.