UK General Discussion

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Big reshuffle underway

Ken Clarke gone.
Hague to Leader of the House and standing down at the election.
Owen Paterson out.
David Jones gone from the Wales Office.
Lansley gone.

Also loads've sub-cabinet frontbenchers moving round.

A pretty noticeable step to the right coming up.

Hague is a surprise.  What's the speculation about who'll be replacing him at the Foreign Office?

Unlike Hague, Ken Clarke is not standing down as an MP.

Liam Fox or Hammond for Foreign Office. I'd say Hammond would be the one, appointing Fox to such a high position just screams weakness.

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Esther McVey is one of those supposedly being promoted to cabinet. A bit risky, seeing as she has a marginal seat; but I guess Cameron has a plan.

He's got whole binders full of women. A Tory who isn't a man or from down South, that's a vote winner right?

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Michael Gove demoted, the best news to come out of this reshuffle.

Some very happy staff rooms in schools across the country this morning I'd imagine.

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Clegg announces that he wants the Bedroom Tax scraped.
Having heard this, Rachel Reeves announces another Bedroom Tax vote in the Commons.
Clegg panics and the LDs say they only meant they want it "reformed".

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Nick Griffin ousted as leader of the BNP after nearly 15 years.

He's to be replaced by a disgraced former teacher Adam Walker.

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Indeed, the collapse of the BNP has been one of the funnier side-stories of this parliament.

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He's the member for Bradford East. Doing things like this is a kind've desperate, dirty, identity politics. Look at how George Galloway ran his campaign in the other Bradford seat.

He'll be out in May anyway.

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http://labourlist.org/2014/08/about-that-miliband-wreath/

Terrible news for Ed Miliband.

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Read the article and the comments; it wasn't his fault.

I know, but nice example of what the media have done/are doing to Ed.

It looks like the Dept of Culture requested the cards, passed one on to Dave, but none for the other leaders, then shipped them up to Glasgow.

Oh silly season.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV5z9d2W6gs

This fella's just been made a peer by Nick Clegg's LibDems.

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The list of new peers is hilariously bottom-of-the-barrel.

A few broadsheet-friendly celebs and donors, as per.

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Random observation, but pretty odd considering the depth of unpopularity of all 3 current leaders, but 2010-15 is set to be the first parliament since 1970-1974-1974 in which there's been no leadership changes/challenges outside of a PM's resignation (Brown).

And it's not like there hasn't been points where the media's talked the possibility up for all 3 either: constant talk of Cooper-Balls 'on manouvres' for the first two years of EdM's leadership, post-omnishambles for Cameron and near enough constantly for Clegg.

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Is Welsh allowed to be spoken on the floor of the House? Did Lloyd George ever use it?

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Curious that Clacton has been more heavily polled than Scotland over the past week.

London media.

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Ian Paisley is dead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saC13RJ8CUs