What Does the Strange Case of Ashok Kumar Tell Us?
When an MP on the government payroll, even in a position as lowly as Hilary Benn's PPS, attacks the PM, he is fired. No question about it he has to go.What does it say about the fragile state of the Blairite's grip on control of the party that Ashok Kumar can hold on to his job after telling the PM to go, and go soon?
Guido thinks that those Blair Switch Project odds are looking attractive on Betfair again.
12 comments:
Guido, pps's aren't on the pay roll.
pps is an unpaid position.
Anonymong,
They are considered to be on the payroll vote.
Touchy, touchy.
But you did say "payroll" not "payroll vote".
you also missed a comma out in the second sentence - tut tut.
To try and answer the original question, it could mean either or both of these two things:
1. Blair is so politically weakened that he cannot now enforce discipline across government and dare not make a martyr of an MP who is expressing a widely-held view.
2. He really does intend to go soon, so there's no sense in sacking Kumar for calling on him to do something he has already decided in his own mind to do.
Either way, it points to an early departure as Guido correctly surmises.
PS this was on my blog yesterday...
Maybe he's frightened to sack an Asian.
How do you know he is not the Fake Sheik?
Beware.
I dont buy the photo yesterday. Looked like an Albanian investigative scoop with the help of a doctored photo.
Blair is re-writing the rule book as usual. Constitutional precedent says the payroll vote must toe the line, but Blair says "Who cares?" He still gets his own way with glorification, ID cards, and education so where's the problem? Another dragon in the shape of Unison has just reared its head and Blair is up for the fight. It could even restore his popularity.
It was also in the Northern Echo. You Southerners might not understand, but it's difficult to take anything in that paper seriously.
I am reliably informed that Tony and Cherie have put down a deposit on an English themed pub in Fuengirola to fund their upcoming retirement, they will be selling all day english breakfasts and Boddingtons beer, Tony thinks that he has shrewdly spotted a gap in the market
Blair needen't sweat: Steve McLaren has done more the Boro than Mr Kumar, and at least McLaren knows where we are on Europe (2-0 down for the home leg...). Blair to go after another heart flutter (real or made up) this year.
I think that Blair will be as statesmanlike in his exit as he's shown he can be in the past. He won't want to be sacked either by his electorate or his party, or have to defend his leadership against any socialist stalking horse. He'll just go. The party and Gordon Brown will just have to look after themselves.
He's fairly young as PM's go and he'll want a life after politics. A messy end to his premiership wouldn't really fit with either his performance as PM or with any future plans he might have.
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