Email from the PM about the reshuffle, with a handy link showing the new cabinet. There are in fact 4 women I note, although one is someone I have never heard of before.
"The elections yesterday were a painful defeat for Labour. Too many good people doing so much good for their communities and constituencies have lost through no fault of their own and I want to thank them for their public service as well as congratulate all those who’ve won elections – and all those who have campaigned tirelessly to support them.
Since the global economic crisis first hit Britain, I never doubted how difficult it would be. Not just for our party but more importantly for our country. It’s indeed a testing time. An economic crisis and now a parliamentary crisis for MPs is a test of everyone’s resilience. Mine, the government’s and the country’s. It demands that we continue making the very difficult decisions but also it requires deep reserves of strength when things are difficult.
The task in front of us is clear. First to clean up politics, secondly to push forward with our economic recovery and third to ensure the best opportunities for people through reformed public services that are tailored and far more responsive to people’s needs. The lesson that we have learned this week is that we must push ahead further and faster on all these three fronts. And to do this I have reshaped the Cabinet and will reshape and streamline how we deliver our policies for the country.
We can only build Britain’s future if we have not only a strong economy but good public services that can meet the challenges of the future. So the third leg of our strategy for building Britain’s future is the next stage of reform in public services, a reform driven by one central principle, that a fair society is one in which everyone and not just the privileged have a fair chance to succeed.
I believe in never walking away from people in difficult times, this is what I stand for. I have the determination to take this country through the most difficult of economic times and this is what I’m doing. I know where I and my Cabinet team want to take this country, and I know what we as a nation have it within ourselves to achieve.
You can see a short note that outlines this new talented, committed Cabinet here www.labour.org.uk/cabinet
I’m certain of what is at stake, not just for Labour but for Britain. Yes it was a tough night but we fight on for what we believe. I will not waver, I will not walk away, I will get on with the job and I will finish the work.
Thank you for supporting Labour. Together we can achieve anything."
3 comments:
Louise,
I'm sure that you must be feeling really disheartened in the slow, yet inevitable, demise of the Labour Party. It's a real shame that the party you love so much is in terminal decline and the European election results will only deepen your gloom. So, what can be done? Hard to say to be honest, but given Gordon Brown's obvious tenacity, determination and survival instincts, the choice seems to be either "save Gordon" or "save the Party". Perhaps you'd like to revisit your comments calling for a General Election which you posted on May 15th 2009?
I am worringly underwhelmed by dear Gordon's email Louise. He has proven to be ineffectual in the extreme.
"It demands that we continue making the very difficult decisions.."
What difficult decisions are these? Perhaps the one that involved selling vast chunks of our gold reserves for the worst possible price? kerching! Perhaps about whether to tax pension dividends so much that funds have been left (even more) in deficit, leading to the closure of many FS pension schemes? kerching! Maybe it was about calling a general election two years ago (when it might conceivably have been won?) kerching! Was it about when he had the chance to show that he really was serious about demonstrating the level of integrity we should be expecting from ministers by losing Darling, our latest little flipper, but bottling it at the last minute? kerching! Perhaps that golden nugget of deciding whether the economic cycle has been eradicated, leading to endless boom years, champagne and caviar for everyone folks...? kerching!
Sorry Louise, there are still competent, principled people, in all parties, but I just can't bring myself to believe that GB is one of them.
Everything I see tells me he knows he is doomed, he knows this government is doomed, and he will exercise every last sinew in his fingertips to cling on for the very last millisecond because he is too self-absorbed to be able to understand that he is not part of the solution, he is part of the problem.
Parallels with our own city administration perhaps? :p
I agree with everything Tannoy said apart from the final sentence. Liverpool with a Labour administration having to contend with a Conservative Government? Roll on the bad old days.
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