Laws' return is old politics

The return of David Laws to ministerial office is a bad move by Nick Clegg and the Lib Dem leadership.  It is a triumph of hope over political reality and demonstrates (sadly once again) the naive political judgement of Clegg.

Here's just some of the images posted on the web over the last few days on the issue:

Whatever the merits of Laws (and his reasons for not telling the truth about his expenses) - he is severely damaged goods.  His return to government is just another reminder that the Lib Dems say one thing in opposition and do the opposite in government. 

It also demostrates that all the hopes that were invested in Clegg in the spring of 2010 that he was a new kind of politician with a new way of doing things were simply wishful thinking.

It's not as if Laws undoubted talents couldn't have been used in an unpaid way - as DPM Clegg surely has powers to appoint almost anyone he wants as an unpaid 'enforcer'.  There has been no explanation of why he had to come back on to the ministerial payrole to do the job - or what his job actually involves outside of the Education ministry.

If this is Clegg's answer to the increasing number of open critics within the party then he is in more trouble than he and his team cares to admit. 

Reshuffle reflections

With the dust settled on the cabinet reshuffle it is clear that the 'refreshed' cabinet makes two policy changes more likely.  Firstly, the Tories are in the process of u-turning on a third Heathrow runway and the moving of Justine Greening makes this much easier.  The sacking of Lib Dem Nick Harvey - leaving defence a Tory only department - will surely mean stopping a replacement for trident becomes almost impossible.

What these two policy issues show, however, is a fundamental failing in the way the coalition operates.  In normal circumstances the Lib Dems would surely be campaigning on these issues and using the opportunity of motions in the Commons to flush out supporters of both propositions - on Tory and Labour benches.

But the coaltion agreement doesn't allow the party to do so - it is for House of Commons business purposes effectively a single party. 

In council chambers up and down the country where two or more parties share administration normal competitive politics isn't put on hold between coalition partners.  Council meetings are used to expose weaknesses in opponents stances and promote distinctive positions of individual parties. 

A similar change in the rules of engagement for the coalition parties is now desperately needed - moving a few indentikit politicians between portfolios doesn't address the need for a more flexible working arrangement between the Lib Dems and the Tories.

Reshuffle speculation

Given all the speculation about a cabinet reshuffle I thought it's time to re-enter the debate.  Here's a reminder of my suggestions from January last year...

Cabinet reshuffle.

Warsi leaps to top of sack race with Boulton interview crash

Tory Chairwoman, Baroness Warsi, must now be favourite for the chop in any Cabinet reshuffle. The car crash of an interview with Sky's Adam Boulton that is doing the rounds of the interweb is so dire it is worth repetition...



It's not just a one off though. Sayeeda Warsi is usually pretty dreadful when interviewed or when involved on a panel discussion even when she has strong arguments to put across. But here her material is about as thin as it can get illustrating the paucity of the NO to AV campaign's arguments.

And given her job is about communicating Tory policies and achievements within the coalition if she can't communicate effectively - what is the point of her?