Jobs for the Boys

The Cabinet was announced today, to non ones surprise the Conservatives have taken most of the key posts. Clegg might be deputy prime minister but something tells me this is as important as being Vice President in the USA. Actually less so because Biden would become President in the event that Obama was incapitated, not so sure Clegg would be so lucky.

The media lapped up the "love fest" between Cameron & Clegg in the Downing Street Garden. Of course what no one knows is what policies will be dropped and cobbled together along the way. The term "New Politics" is being thrown around, but the enthusiasm of day one may soon tarnish.

Lib Dem, Chris Huhne becomes Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Today announcements that planned new runways at Heathrow and Stansted have been scrapped. I'm convinced the acid test for the Lib Dems will be the issue of nuclear power, an area where compromise is not possible. However the Lib Dems have dropped their opposition to Trident replacement, so I wouldn't rule out a conversation to nuclear power.

The Cabinet has a distinctly male feel. The only woman in a key position is the illiberal Theresa May as Home Secretary. I suppose the fact that Brentwood's MP Eric Pickles has been give a cabinet position in charge of local communities is worthy of recording.

The first candidate for the Labour leadership came forward today, former foreign secretary, David Milliband was the first to declare his candidature. Milliband has somethings going for him, he attended a North London Comprehensive School and supports the Arsenal. Sadly he is rigidly Blairite and an apostle of New Labour. I wonder what his father, Marxist social scientist, Ralph Milliband would have made of his two sons politics. The reality is all the front running candidates are near clones of each other, they all served loyally under Brown and sme under Blair. I doubt whether their plicy priorities will have more than a cigarette paper dividing them. However the contest is likely to meander throughout the summer months until Labour Party conference in September.

Away from political developments, Fulham played in the final of the Europa Cup and lost 2-1 . The right result based on th game, but Fulham's achievement is highly creditable. Roy Hodgson has got on with the job and put together an effective team with a limited budget. Zamora played injured and as a rsult the attack was blunt, but they lost after extra time. For years Fulham yoyod around the lower reaches of the Football League, the public enthusiasm for their achievement is perhaps also a response to the fact that Europa Cup games have been regularly shown free to view on Thursday evenings and the Club has priced the tickets so that casual fans have made their way to Craven Cottage for a cheap night out.