Lib Dem ‘Re-shuffle’
Nicky boy cleggweg has announced some changes to his front bench team. They are as follows:
- Simon Hughes Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
- Steve Webb Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- David Heath Shadow Leader of the House
- Jenny Willott Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- David Howarth Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Susan Kramerhas chosen to leave the shadow cabinet to take up a new role leading the party’s campaign against the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
Nick Clegg is also creating an economic recovery group to co-ordinate the party’s ongoing response to the recession.
Nick Clegg has askedLynne Featherstone to oversee the party’s online campaigning as Chair of the New Technology Board.
John Sharkey, the Leader’s adviser on strategic communications, is appointed Deputy Chair of the General Election campaign. He will work closely with Lord Rennard, Chair of the General Election campaign, and Chris Fox, the party’s new Director of Policy and Communications.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness, former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, has been appointed to advise on the party’s engagement with senior civil servants.
So what we essentially have is a game of musical chairs designed to get a little press release out to give the Libbies some airtime. I notice on the article over at the BBC on this very topic, the ‘related lib dems news’ box has the most recent article dated as 18th December 2008. That means they have had next to no news since then.
We now await the Conservatives reshuffle which I expect may well come by the end of next week.
Also how on earth can they call themselves ‘shadow secretaries of state’. They are not. They are spokesmen. The Shadow cabinet is the official opposition which is currently the Conservatives.
The full title of the opposition is Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. They are an official constitutional position within our Parliamentary system. The Lib Dems are just like any other minority party. They have spokesmen, not a shadow cabinet.
It is about time the media start referring to Tory shadow cabinet people as shadows secretary of states for that is their titles. Anyone else from any other party is a spokesman and nothing else.
