From toe the line job to no job

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

First Clare Short says she'll resign if UK forces invade Iraq without a second UN resolution. Then she doesn't and says Blair has persuaded her that he and Bush are doing the right thing, and that she has decided her work as overseas development minister is too important to give up. Now she really is resigning and says that he misled her about the role the UN would play in a post-war Iraq.

All the aid agencies have made a point of saying how sorry they are to see her go, praising her success in raising the profile of overseas development and her commitment to the job.

The press crucified her when she failed to follow through on her threat to resign. Perhaps she'll be ridiculed again tomorrow. The general opinion was - if you can't make your mind up, vacillate on party loyalty, and you show your equivocation in public, then you are a bad politician.

Is this what you think? Or do you find that her weaknesses render her a welcome human face among a morass of inscrutable career politicians who keep their hand-wringing, compromises and Faustian pacts to themselves?

Perhaps there's a gender issue. When Estelle Morris resigned as education secretary, apologising for what she saw as her failure in the job, there was a lot of 'a man would never have done that' talk.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I support her decision, Nick.

I am relieved to see that you haven't got the sack, which is what I thought when I saw the thread title.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 12 May 2003 19:00 (twenty-two years ago)

That's what I thought as well, given the amount of ilxors that have been let go recently.

― Nicole (Nicole), Monday, 12 May 2003 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Have they? Blimey. The word is out.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 12 May 2003 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

That's what I thought as well, given the amount of ilxors that have been let go recently.

How true, speaking as one of them. However, I respect Claire Short's decision to go first. I say tis better to walk out on your own terms, than be given the "golden handcuff" treatment, and be gently shoved out, face first.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 12 May 2003 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I do think Clare Short looks stupid with her "I'm going to resign, no I'm not, oh actually I am" antics. If she'd resigned when Robin Cook did she might even have set a ball rolling which would have toppled Blair and possibly even stopped the war. But now? Pshaw.

having said that I do think Clare Short is a nice person.

Estelle Morris - I was actually impressed by her resigning.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Monday, 12 May 2003 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Estelle Morris - I was actually impressed by her resigning.

Why? I say she had little choice after the mess that she helped to create. Hundreds of UK students were left biting their nails after the exams mess, last year.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 12 May 2003 21:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Nichole, there was no pressure for her to resign. That storm had been ridden. If you're saying that morally she should have gone, well yes, that's obviously what she thought, and she did it. But many ministers often remain who do far worse jobs.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 22:54 (twenty-two years ago)

When I posted this thread yesterday, I hadn't heard her resignation speech or obviously read today's papers. It kind of took on a different character after that.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 06:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Very good resignation speach but one can't help thinking that it would have carried much more weight if it had be heard straight after Robin Cook's resignation speach. However I can actually see short manouvering for a leadership challenge at the party conference. She is possibly arrogant enough to think that the labour party would select her as leader.

She had to go now or she would have been reshuffled out in the summer. I'm pleased that her job has been given to Lady Amos, even if I'm not entirely keen on cabinet posts going to Lords.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

But she's a lady!

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:39 (twenty-two years ago)

She's still a Lord though,

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:45 (twenty-two years ago)

This country is fucked up.

P.S. Who fancies Oona King?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Fancies her for what?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Horseplay.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 09:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I bought the paper but I haven't read it yet.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 14 May 2003 20:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I fancy oona king, she = k-r0wr.

did anyone read g monbiot's incredibly vituperative "guardian" piece? basically thee message was GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH, but it was spread over nearly one whole page ov thee paper. I thought it was a bit much.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Wednesday, 14 May 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.