Our beloved Sceptred Isle now has a new PM and her cabinet is coming together. Philip Hammond is a sensible choice to be Chancellor. He is nothing terribly exciting. Nor, frankly, is Theresa may, but he’s a stable, reliable figure that inspires quiet confidence. I was somewhat taken aback by the Blond Bombshell’s appointment as foreign minister. He ably managed London for many years so it’s unlikely to be beyond his capabilities, but it’s a strikingly elevated position for someone with no ministerial experience. Perhaps it is her name, the fact that her name rhymes with “dud” and that she shares it with a former Australian PM who was just that, but I developed a distinct disdain for the good lady (bless her heart!) during the Campaign to Liberate Britain. Davis and Fox’s appointments are brilliant. Davis is no fool and no delicate flower. I have confidence in his ability to manage Britain’s independence. Fox, likewise, has the intellectual heft and the right mindset to prevent Britain from getting into a rut. Fallon has not been the worst in his position and it’s doubtful that replacing him would have led to any improvements.
Boadicea's Chariot 
May(!) O observe that BoJo is an inspired selection, comparable with Ian Botham. We often need more oomph than a Mike Brealey or a Geoffrey Boycott can offer, fine exponents of their crafts as they were. To pursue the ananlogy, BoJo is an all- rounder with a bit of ‘edge’ which will scare the Europrats.
I agree, Boris as Foreign Secretary is an inspired appointment. I’ve had dealings with him as our MP. He has a great sense of humour and is terrifyingly clever able to grasp very complex issues in minutes.
I get the impression that he understands the ridiculousness of much of humanity (including himself ) and can’t help laughing at it whilst at the same time helping where he can. He certainly helped a lot of (little) people in this constituency (with no publicity) and they haven’t forgotten.
He is also an ace debater – which will scare the tongue-tied bureaucrats abroad. A cricketer too. 😎
Rugby too ? I understand that he fearlessly tackled an eight year old Japanese boy ?
U+263A
JM’s a bit quiet about his Gove selection today. 😎
It was an inspired choice, that is true. It was a near certainty that BoJo would be given a cabinet position and a prominent one at that. He was far too prominent a figure in British politics to be excluded from a cabinet position — be it in a reshuffled Cameron cabinet or, as the case is now, a May cabinet. Osborne’s dismissal was equally expected. His “emergency budget” was akin to pouring a gallon of arsenic into the political punchbowl. Gove’s fall is in keeping with May’s personality. Whatever her faults, she puts a high value on loyalty and Gove’s act of betrayal was akin to Gertrude marrying Claudius. Whatever his intentions or momentary delusions, he is forever condemned to pay the price for his betrayal.
I am delighted to see the removal of all the moron’s ‘chums’. Let us hope she now starts on the croneyism so rife in govt. contracts.
I am amused at the inclusion of Leadsom. What better way to demonstrate the inconsequentiality of a ‘gnat bite’?
Thatcher may have been the ‘iron lady’ but one has the glorious suspicion that this one might be forged steel. May it be so, a first class ruthless bitch is just what is required to do the job, go girl, go!
PS good to see that Crabb go, slimy little creature with his dirty phone, yukk!
Tina: Quite so. The unceremonious sacking of George “Hoes and Snow” Osborne put a smile on my face! Odious little creep, he’s unfit to balance the accounts of a SoHo brothel, much less serve as chancellor. Glad that we agree on Crabb. He has a face somewhere between that of a paedophile and a creepy, lecherous uncle who makes unwanted advanced after having too much to drink. Leadsom? I’m not entirely sure she wasn’t a sop to give the appearance of a serious challenge.
May is much like Merkel — cold, steely and ruthless. Hopefully she has more sense than Merkel. She wasn’t a bad Bundeskanzlerin until she utterly lost the plot.
Haw Christopher.
Looking forward to seeing you in August so that we can chew over the bones of recent events. There is a strong possibility that we might have to take time to reach agreement.
I am. of course, forever Amber as she is a fellow graduate of the Uni of Embra. Agree Davis, Would still dispute Fox who has, in my opinion, too much of the idealogue about him. Recanted elsewhere on the Chariot about BoJo and look forward to watching his future career with interest. Fascinated to learn that Hammond was a proto Goth and that he may have hidden depths.
I like Michael Fallon despite the Uni of St Andrews provenance which he shares with Liam. Think Stephen Crabbe is worth another go. Andrea Leadsom is a lightweight who will be gone before we know it.
For Janus, I still believe in Michael Gove. He was, in my opinion, the best Justice Secretary in years and utterly principled in his choice of ‘Leave’. I hope that he will return to Government sooner rather than later.
The best bit of all this is the fact that she seems to have hugely annoyed all the firm Remainiacs who thought they had a puppet in Number 10. I think she deserves some time now to make a bit more of an impression than she did in the Home Office.
I see that BoJo’s arrival has put the Frog and Kraut noses out of foreign joint – 30 love to Boris.
The NSW and I are more or less content with the announcements being both delighted that the odious Osborne was shown the door and that the equally unpleasant Anna Soubry got the hoof. Neither of us believes that the removal of Michael Gove was ‘a good thing’ and as for the fate of Nicky Morgan, we care not a jot.
We are, however, at loggerheads over Boris. I think he’s much more astute than he appears – after all, you don’t get elected Mayor of London twice by being a buffoon, but he now needs to calm down and start showing some gravitas. The NSW remains convinced he is a clown and a loose cannon. The fact that his appointment hacked off the Hun and the Frog establishment pleased us both immensely.
OZ
It is also interesting to see that in addition to being a Balliol classicist, Boris spent time at an international school in Brussels. So he’s familiar with foreigners!
His book On Churchill is garbage.
OK JW, so he ain’t a Weegie! 😎
JM: BoJo has spent his career playing the bombast and the fool. Now, he has to show his serious side and prove himself. I suspect that he will do better than many expect and that can’t only be put down to low expectations. Rudd’s hysterical and nasty manner during the campaign turned me off her. Leadsom has had her 5 minutes of fame. She’ll do reasonably well, but not be awe-inspiring, and will become a mere footnote in parliamentary history. Fox is an ideologue, but he isn’t a fool and in dealing with Eurocretins the UK needs someone like him. They need to be forced to fight and bleed profusely for every minor concession. Otherwise, they’d run roughshod over the UK.
Oz: Gove will come back in time. He’s too bright a parliamentarian to stay in the wilderness forever. At the same time, this might not be an ideal moment to have Gove and Johnson holding high cabinet positions are wounds are still fresh and egos are still very much bruised. London was better for Johnson and I strongly suspect that after a year or two of Khan he’ll be much missed!
You’re right about Amber Rudd she came across pretty badly during th referendum campaign, I recall her stupid remark about not taking a taxi ride home with Boris after a party, although judging by his past indiscretions he has better taste.