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| If the reshuffle revealed David Cameron's assessment of his ministers, we must fear for his judgement. Out went Dominic Grieve, whose sincere and reliable legal advice served the prime minister well. Out went Ken Clarke who - although he had been side-lined since being moved from justice – offered the Tories some much-needed affable charm and name recognition. Out went David Willetts, one of the most well-liked and smart men in government, whose notions of civic Conservatism were part of early-era centrist Cameronism, if indeed such a thing ever existed. Out went Alan Duncan, who stood firm on Britain's international development obligations and had for some time been the only Tory MP with the bravery to announce his sexuality, back when doing so did not guarantee that one's bravery would be recognised. And look who stayed: Iain Duncan Smith, whose mismanagement of the universal credit system has cost the taxpayer millions, the details of which have been muddied over in countless misleading public appearances and expensive legal battles. Chris Grayling, the lord chancellor who this week was accused by the high court of actually trying to end equality under the law. Grant Shapps, a man so lacking in character it is possible to look through him even when one's eyes are directly upon him. Eric Pickles, who is not even taken seriously by his own colleagues, is still in charge of local government. It is as if the prime minister went searching for signs of intellectual rigour and swiftly ejected it from his government. But of course, the decisions were not made to punish the able-minded, even though that is how they appear. They were made to satisfy Lynton Crosby's idea of what will make a well-oiled Tory machine. Potential liabilities were dropped, the image of the party smartened up, and obstacles to a full-blooded right-wing election strategy have been removed. There was no effort to cover this up. Within hours the Tories were talking about taking Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights - a move Grieves had warned was illegal. It would put the UK on a similar footing to the thuggish governments we condemn around the world. The next day the party was promoting plans to radically tighten up strike laws. It was also developing a laser-like focus on tax increases for middle-Britain, the danger of which is supposedly very high under Labour. Harriet Harman spent much of the week apologising for believing in progressive taxation. Each of the measures are intended to seduce back Ukip supporters to the fold and keep Cameron's backbenchers in line at least until polling day. They will undoubtable succeed at least partially on both counts. And, as Crosby will have assured the prime minister, the measures also enjoy public support. The Tories should not rely too much on that last part. Yes, a recent YouGov poll showed 43% support Britain withdrawing from the European Convention, while 39% oppose it. But it's a slim difference which might not make up for the strength of feeling among those who will fight tooth-and-claw to stay in. The coalition are certain the public want fewer strikes because of the anger among service users when people do take industrial action. YouGov recently found people would support a minimum 50% turnout for strike votes by a margin of 56% to 24%. But the picture is complex. A recent Survation poll found people supported the last public sector strike by 61% to 31% and overwhelmingly wanted public sector workers to be paid more. Two thirds of tube users feel industrial action is justified as a last resort. One feels the Tories have concluded too much from the popularity of their welfare reforms. It's true that few sanctions against unemployed welfare users seem sufficient for the public. But many Conservatives have extrapolated from this a support for a broader right-wing economic programmewhich simply does not exist. The public are not opposed to trade unions, even though they may not wish to join one. They want well-funded, publicly-owned public services even though they think Labour made a mess of the economy. Apart from the complexities of the polling picture, the drastic move to the right showed once again how unreconstructed the Tory party is. Its concerns remain in the shires. Even the last traces of Cameron's modernisation process have been jettisoned. Any notion of appealing to young or centrist voters has been forgotten. The party is slinking back to its safe place, on issues which only a minority care about. For Ed Miliband it must be a bitterly ironic spectacle. Barely a week goes by without someone comparing his modest ideas to the election-losing socialism of Michael Foot. And yet Cameron has implemented a government programme which is arguably to the right of Thatcher and then stripped it of any remaining moderation. But barely anyone makes the claim that he is an outdated relic of the ideological past. The Tory hope is that the image of bright young women will blindside the public to the reactionary content of what they are saying. It is not a sound hope to base a general election campaign on, nor an appealing one. Best of newsFlushing out the truth: Here's how Michael Gove got stuck in the toilets on his first day as chief whip Michael Gove's reputation appears to have disappeared down the pan, after a chat with a Labour backbencher meant he got stuck in the toilet on his first day as chief whip. Emergency surveillance bill puts public at risk of cyber criminals Customers' personal information could be more vulnerable to cybercrime if the emergency surveillance law is passed, industry experts warn Truss sticks with badger cull plans Queen guitarist Brian May has declared his willingness to end the "polarisation" of debate over the badger cull, following the appointment of Liz Truss to Defra. PM faces peers' wrath over reshuffle 'crisis' Angry peers could summon David Cameron to give evidence before their constitution committee if he refuses to make the new leader of the Lords a full Cabinet member. Reshuffle: The inside story of how Hague's ego trumped the dignity of the Lords Peers have been left flabbergasted by the decision to demote the leader of the Lords' Cabinet status Speaking to an empty room: MPs skipped ethics class Why are MPs so sniffy about being trained in being good people? Best of Comment and AnalysisComment: Chris Grayling tried to undermine our democracy – and only the courts stopped him It was judges - not parliament - who saved equality under the law from the justice secretary's assault Chaos in prisons – but the minister goes part time We're facing a prison crisis - so why has the prisons minister position gone part time and unpaid? After shambles at MoJ, Twitter-gaffe MP gets prisons job Has Downing Street found someone who knows even less about prisons than his predecessor? PMQs verdict: Tories prefer cheers to 'annihilation' The Conservative backbenchers won PMQs this week Comment: Why bad metaphors are stopping you thinking clearly about the economy We'll never get over our need for growth until we stop using metaphors based on movement Roll of honour: Tiny band of MPs hold out against surveillance bill Their defeat was inevitable, but they held out regardless Liz Truss: A not-very-green environment secretary Liz Truss, the woman now charged with watching out for Britain's environment, used to spend her days working for Shell - and has been a vocal supporter of a third runway at Heathrow. So why has David Cameron made her the next environment secretary? | Major report outlines plan to defuse ‘ticking time bomb of myopic management’Commission on Management and Leadership issues rallying call for a Better Managed Britain. Prime Minister challenged on ballot announcementNASUWT comments on reports today that the Conservative Party will include in its manifesto a threshold of 50% member turnout in trade union ballots before they will be considered lawful. Sustained law enforcement investigations rather than internet blocks are the best way to tackle internet sex offenders“The arrest of 660 suspected paedophiles by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the safeguarding of hundreds of vulnerable children is welcome news”. Jail for Birmingham man who kept starving dogs in squalid kennelsBull breed dog and puppies left starving and dehydrated finally find their happy ending thanks to RSPCA. Twelve weeks on from MMR: what happens next?Subtle, but not dramatic – that was our verdict on the impact of the mortgage market review (MMR) when we published our lending data for May. Gymnasts under pressure at higher risk of eating disordersMany elite gymnasts are preoccupied with weight and body shape, with some scoring well above average for eating disorder symptoms, say researchers from Swansea University. |
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