Dear Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
I'm afraid to tell you there's no money left.
Signed, Liam Byrne

(Outgoing Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury. May 2010)
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Friday 11 June 2010

Labour leadership #6

Andy Burnham
Born 7 January, 1970

Researcher to Tessa Jowell 1994-1997 election.
Parliamentary Officer for the NHS Confederation from August to December 1997, before taking up the post as an administrator with the Football Task Force for a year. (wikipedia)
Special Adviser to the then-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 1998-2001.
Elected MP for Leigh 2001.
Health Select Committee from 2001 - 2003
Parliamentary Private Secretary to then-Home Secretary David Blunkett 2003 - 2004. PPS to then-Education Secretary Ruth Kelly 2004-2005.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State 2005 - 2006 (with responsibility for implementing the Identity Cards Act 2006.)
Minister of State at the Department of Health 2006-2007.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2007 - 2008.

Working Class Tory quotes Mary Riddell:-
In some respects, Mr Burnham is the most Right-wing of the four candidates. A Roman Catholic, he is the most enthusiastic about promoting marriage and likely to be firm on law and order. On the Iraq War, he is neither regretful – like the two Eds – or as reflective as David Miliband. To him, regime change and weapons of mass destruction were inter-connected reasons for the invasion.
Working Class Tory goes on to and suggest that ...
Burnham would appear to be the least worst option if Labour were to win the next election. However, a Labour win would be the worst possible future outcome, and if Burnham is more likely to achieve it, I hope he does not become leader.
Mrs Rigby would tend to agree.
....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ugh, Mrs R. Burnham turns my stomach! Could be the mascara he uses.

What gets me about the current batch is that they were all in the Cabinet (apart from Abbott) and yet they are distancing themselves from decisions which they had within their power to challenge.

Abbott, at least, has principles, even though I don't agree with her stance on many issues.

Mrs Rigby said...

"they are distancing themselves from decisions which they had within their power to challenge."

... and continuing to distance themselves from those they claim to represent.