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Original poster

Labour shadow cabinet

60 replies

longfingernails · 07/10/2010 20:09

Ben Bradshaw, Peter Hain, Shaun Woodward and Chris Bryant all out! All of them were universally useless - the PLP has at least done some good!

I haven't really heard of Ivan Lewis, Ann McKetchin and Mary Creagh does anyone have any idea who they are and if they are any good?

OP posts:
claig · 07/10/2010 20:28

anything that means we will see less of those characters on TV is very good news

complimentary · 07/10/2010 20:36

I have not got a clue who this shower are, in fact as long as the labour party is out of power for ever I don't care. But thanks for the post, we now know how desparate the Labour party is! They are appointing people knowbody has ever heard of!Grin I loved Cameron's speech was brilliant.

jackstarbright · 07/10/2010 21:10

Two sisters and a husband and wife? Less risky than brothers?

Yvette Cooper did better than Balls!

TDaDa · 07/10/2010 22:01

Yvette Cooper will be the next Labour PM is my prediction. Like her a lot

TDaDa · 07/10/2010 22:03

Ed M should make YC shadow chancellor..would be a smart move...hubby can't get too angry

gingercat12 · 07/10/2010 22:14

I agree TDaDa. A smart woman should shadow Osborne.

If you are not interested in the Labour Shadow Cabinet, do not read this thread. It is not compulsory.

TDaDa · 07/10/2010 22:17

Smart and charming

Hassled · 07/10/2010 22:20

Another Yvette fan here - but I think Balls might be the better shadow Chancellor. Not sure. Very glad Hilary Benn is in there. I assume Burnham will get Health - he'll be very strong there.

BenHer · 07/10/2010 22:21

No place for Diane Abbot.What a relief!

jackstarbright · 07/10/2010 22:23

She is a bit of a 'deficit denier'. But if that's the way Ed M wants to play it - she's a better option than Balls.

I wonder how that would go down in the Balls-Cooper household?

Original poster
longfingernails · 07/10/2010 22:25

Burnham will get promoted from Health I think - unless he personally wants to continue with his campaign for a death-tax funded National Care Service.

He would be good as Shadow Foreign Secretary. He is too authoritarian to be compatible with EdM's views on civil liberties, so can't be Shadow Home Sec - and he acknowledges that the deficit means cuts, so he can't be Shadow Chancellor.

I reckon Yvette Cooper will get the Shadow Chancellor job, with Ed Balls as Shadow Home Sec.

OP posts:
mrsdennisleary · 08/10/2010 07:33

Yvette for Chancellor. I wouldnt want to see Ed Balls as Shadow Home Sec. Theresa May is useless enough not to require Lab to waste EB shadowing her.

Nice to see that lot of horrible Blairites cleared out such as Pat McFadden. This is fair reward for the shockingly whingeing speech he made on Sunday at conference. He did this as NPF Chair and should not have used that platform to whine about DM losing.

Do you think Caroline Flint has a photo session planned to mark her return to frontline politics?

Litchick · 08/10/2010 08:54

I think Ed Balls or Yvette will get shadow chancellor as both oppose the cuts proposed by Gordon Brown during the election.

Though I disagree with them, I do think the Labour party needs a cohesive strategy in how to position itself.

I think Ed M as leader, Yvette as shadow chancellor, and Ed Balls as shadow home sec would send out an unequivacal message that the Labour party wishes to oppose all cuts and feels the country should continue to borrow.

As I say, I don't agree with them, but I think it's a fair stance to take. And one that needs to be publicly acknowledged.

claig · 08/10/2010 09:17

Ed Balls is the best thing that Labour has got. I think they need someone like him to challenge the Tories' cuts (even though he would have made similar cuts himself). He would do an effective job playing devil's advocate.

jackstarbright · 08/10/2010 11:17

On Womans Hour today they were discussing Yvette - saying she might not want to block hubby's political ambitions Shock.

jackstarbright · 08/10/2010 11:24

Litchick - do you expect to see Labour come up with a clear economic strategy? Isn't more likely they'll just take an 'opposition' role and hope they'll get back in a wave of coalition unpopularity?

ShadeofViolet · 08/10/2010 11:33

I hope YC gets to shadow Osborne.

I agree that Ed Balls would be wasted shadowing Teresa May, but he needs to move away from schools. I hope there is a high profile job for Alan Johnson.

thebrownstuff · 08/10/2010 11:37

Not a labour supporter in anyway...but as a feminist, feel thst it's very good day for British politics.

Hurray for Yvette. jack that's my worry. I hope Ed doesn't bully/sulk her into shying away from the job. Ideological differences notwithstanding, she seems like a fantastic person to take a leadership role. I also think she could be the next leader. Who'd have thunk it Smile

thebrownstuff · 08/10/2010 12:43

killed it Grin
I'll go kill the jeremy hunt one Wink

Litchick · 08/10/2010 12:57

jackstar - I think Ed M, Ed B and Yvette are strict adherents to Keynes and would say that when times are tough the state must continue to invest and not cut.

They will swot away warnings about credit ratings as hysterical.

I suspect they will oppose every single cut.

I and many other Labour supporters completely disagree with this position...but it is going to be the party's position.

This will allow them to oppose the cuts and make further additional spending plans.

girlafraid · 08/10/2010 13:34

Alan Johnson shadow chancellow, not sure I'm thrilled about this

smee · 08/10/2010 13:51

Litchick, yes they all adhere to Keynes, but they won't oppose every cut as they know the deficit has to be cut. What they'll object to is the non sensical brutality of the coalition's cuts. They'd argue there's no point in removing the deficit if you destroy the nation to do so.

mrsdennisleary · 08/10/2010 13:59

Top 3 posts bit weird. Would prefer Yvette to be flying flag for families. Alan Johnston great speaker but not sure if this is good post for him. Teresa May demonstrably useless so waste of Ed Balls to shadow her. Andy B good for education and John Healey is a star and deserves Health.

Who has the shadow women's brief?

ShadeofViolet · 08/10/2010 14:04

I dont think Alan Johnson is right for Shadow Chancellor, I was thinking either Home Sec or Foreign. He is good at opposition for oppositions sake though.

One of the reasons I dodnt vote for Andy Burnham in the leadership election was that I thought he was too focused on Education and Health, so I think he will do well in his new role.

RainbowRainbow · 08/10/2010 14:27

I'm not thrilled about AJ as shadow chancellor either. I wonder whether Cooper was offered it and turned it down? I hope not, as that sounds out a terrible message about women's roles vis-a-vis hubby's. It's odd that she got shadow foreign sec, which is a total non-job.

And Balls will make mincemeat of May, but as mrsdennisleary said, May is rubbish enough not to waste Balls on her. I'm quite liking Burnham at Education though. He will make Gove seem even more ranty and odd.