David Cameron’s cabinet reshuffle has been hailed by the Conservative Party as move to create a team ‘fresh with ideas and ready to lead the country forward.’ In reality it’s the st
David Cameron’s cabinet reshuffle has been hailed by the Conservative Party as move to create a team ‘fresh with ideas and ready to lead the country forward.’ In reality it’s the start of the election campaign after all the dirty work has been done.
The biggest casualties of Mr Cameron’s cull, by choice if the party line is believed, William Hague and Michael Gove – the latter being particularly significant.
While Mr Hague, the ultimate Tory to many, had become somewhat of a backward figure of late, Mr Gove as Education Secretary had quickly risen to public enemy number one. His policies rubbed most of the country up the wrong way to make him the most despised Tory since Margaret Thatcher but his policies have undoubtedly done as they were supposed to—win back the floating Tory voter.
A matter of trust
His hard line policies on education has pushed the not so sure Tory supporters back into blue with the party willing to sacrifice Mr Gove to do so. His policies made many angry but most importantly those who felt aggrieved were those partial to Labour or the Liberal Democrats, votes that the Tories were never likely to secure in May 2015 anyway.
Pushing Gove out now is a shrewd tactical move—the Conservatives’ dirty work on education has begun, the damage felt and the anger somewhat handed out by the voters that Tories aren’t all that bothered about.
Gove has been replaced by Nicky Morgan and what are the odds that the new Education Secretary’s policies are so moderate few will bat an eye lid, she simply has to watch the seeds of destruction planted by Gove grow while the Tories try shamefully to use her as a tool to win those floating voters and as an example of a new direction the party is taking.
The Euro elections saw many Tory voters back UKIP after becoming dissatisfied with Mr Cameron and the coalition.
The rise of UKIP had undoubtedly forced Mr Cameron to act and while in truth Mr Farage and his cronies offer no threat to any one of the major three parties, the PM has shifted into election mode.
The reshuffle has seen the number of women in the cabinet go up from three to five with ten women being promoted across the government. That’s great if Mr Cameron has done this based on ability, which no one doubts these women have, but the sceptic can’t help but question why it’s taken the PM four years to address the inequality in his cabinet.
A Labour reshuffle?
In what is an insulting move by the PM the sceptic can’t help but further wonder if the new women ministers are a shameful attempt to repaint the party image. More of a ‘look at the Tory party, we let woman in the cabinet and we’re not just privately educated middle aged men, vote for us’ than Mr Cameron picking them to do anything drastic.
Again, no one doubts the ability of the women appointed but it all seems to be an attempt to win votes and repair the damage of the previous Tory cabinet – of course from policies that the PM backed.
Of course maybe the biggest reshuffle needed didn’t occur much to the benefit of the Conservatives. It’s somewhat amazing that Mr Cameron has felt the need to repair his cabinet and yet the polls are neck and neck between Labour and The Conservatives – maybe Ed Miliband needs reshuffling.
If anything the cabinet reshuffle shows the effects of Mr Miliband’s leadership is having, his inactivity is allowing Mr Cameron off lightly. The PM has acted to fix any problems he feels were in his cabinet and whether you buy it or not is irrelevant, he’s been decisive.
Is it too late for the Labour Party to act? Probably but then that’s a whole other story.
As it stands Mr Cameron didn’t need to make such drastic changes because the floating voters undoubtedly will be pushed to blue thanks to hands of Ed Miliband, but as it is Cameron has culled those who don’t sit well with the public and replaced them with friendly faces.
Shameful? Of course, but then that’s politics.
What do you think? Will the latest reshuffle help the Conservatives chances ahead of the election? Or are they doomed to fail? Have your say in the comments section below.
