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Chloe Smith new economics secretary

F

ferrelhadley

There is no love between us anymore.
Hmmmm now I am not sure how true this is but......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rongly-thinking-accountant.html#ixzz1bUfmtyLT

At the age of 29 years, four months and 27 days, she became the youngest minister in government, marking an unparalleled ascent to the political frontline.
However, according to an account of the phone call giving her the good news, the Prime Minister was under the misapprehension that she had been a chartered accountant and would therefore be well suited to the post.
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After Mr Cameron told Miss Smith he would like to offer her the post, she is said to have replied: ‘Well, thank you Prime Minister. . .It would be an honour, but the Treasury…it’s a little daunting…’
The Prime Minister allegedly responded: ‘Not daunting surely for someone who was a chartered accountant?’
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The Norwich North MP is then said to have admitted: ‘Er, well, actually Prime Minister, I wasn’t an accountant. I was a management consultant in an accountancy firm.’
Mr Cameron apparently then said ‘never mind’ and welcomed Miss Smith aboard.
The confusion may have arisen because the MP, an English literature graduate, worked for accountancy firm Deloitte before entering politics, but as a consultant not an accountant.
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But it kind of rings true, he has form on assuming anyone with a posh background will be competent at any task assinged.
 
It's not so much that 'assuming anyone with a posh background will be competent' is the primary issue for me (although it is a fair point - see Osborne), but that it represents the continued ruling class divide - that those in power, making decisions, presiding over economic policy enjoy some degree of privileged class backgrounds, have come from a very narrow working background prior to politics (e.g. management consultant, accountant, etc), and have benefited from and believe in neo-liberalism.

For the same reason, I don't really have much more faith in an MP doing an economics job just because they have a background/degree in Economics, an MBA, etc. Cable has that career background might and is much lauded by liberals too for it (as well as having a privileged background too) but ultimately is an aggressive cheerleader for neo-liberalism which will always preserve classist interests.

The days of working class people coming into politics, and working their way through the ranks of say factory floor union rep through local politics and into the national arena (and therefore being more able to further working class interests) are a rare breed now and replaced by mostly middle class people who see politics as a career choice.
 
this is about sex. Cameron is polling terribly with women. apparently at conference women mps were told to wait on standby for his walks from conference to his hotel etc. hence also his apology over "calm down dear" etc a fortnight ago. he felt he needed to promote women to his male dominated cabinet.

this makes it no less scandalous, moreso in fact.
 
stephj said:
The days of working class people coming into politics, and working their way through the ranks of say factory floor union rep through local politics and into the national arena (and therefore being more able to further working class interests) are a rare breed now and replaced by mostly middle class people who see politics as a career choice.
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It's the same for all sides. They're professional politicians ab initio, more's the pity. That said, you only have to turn to America and look at the pathetic lot from whom the Republicans are having to choose to see the problems with non-professional politicians. Business leaders like Romney and Cain. Never mind demagogues like Palin and Bachmann.

I suppose it's our own fault: the rise to the top takes such a long time that they have to start right away; it's a full-life career.
 
where to said:
this is about sex. Cameron is polling terribly with women. apparently at conference women mps were told to wait on standby for his walks from conference to his hotel etc. hence also his apology over "calm down dear" etc a fortnight ago. he felt he needed to promote women to his male dominated cabinet.

this makes it no less scandalous, moreso in fact.
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Exactly, patronising as fuck.... Oooh look, a woman who worked at Deloitte, gotta be a place for her, ticks the boxes ie woman and pro-business and she'll be great with economics... That'll do for me says Dave.... Whoops....
 
Quartz said:
It's the same for all sides. They're professional politicians ab initio, more's the pity. That said, you only have to turn to America and look at the pathetic lot from whom the Republicans are having to choose to see the problems with non-professional politicians. Business leaders like Romney and Cain. Never mind demagogues like Palin and Bachmann.

I suppose it's our own fault: the rise to the top takes such a long time that they have to start right away; it's a full-life career.
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Politics is about kissing ass, and keeping your nose so clean it renders you pretty much useless in any issue which have genuine social impacts.

Do not defend the total lack of genuine knowledge, and experience, hidden under a veneer of spin doctoring and bullshit social theory that masks the ineptitude of our economic system, politics and government. The way private schooling, Oxbridge, universities, and some academics are used to perpetuate the myth we live in a timocracy is either just disturbing, and/or an indication of the level of dillusion endemic in contemporary upper-classes.
 
where to said:
he felt he needed to promote women to his male dominated cabinet..
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Chloe's new job is not a Cabinet post. It's about as far from the Cabinet as you can get and still be in government. Anyway, if you have about a hundred jobs to give out it's useful for some of them to be occupied by youngsters who will get on with what you want them to do without scheming their next move upwards.
 
If it means he'll get re-elected, Cameron will saw Osbourne's bollocks off and put a wig on him - live on the next set of Leaders Debates.
 
belboid said:
This woman has just been on Newsnight attempting to justify the fuel duty u-turn.

Truly, i have never seen anyone so mind-bogglingly incompetent. No, not even Clegg.
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Have seen various journos in Twitter ripping her apart, and ripping Osborne a new one for running away to leave her to it.....
 
belboid said:
This woman has just been on Newsnight attempting to justify the fuel duty u-turn.

Truly, i have never seen anyone so mind-bogglingly incompetent. No, not even Clegg.
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i saw it. was incredible really. worse than sarah teather on question time
 
Delighted to see a Tory/politician getting destroyed, though it just seems like lazy, formulaic aggression from Paxman. Indicated a little bit of the chaos there's been in the govt over tax, fuel and the like - which is fair enough - but it's little more than a kind of Jeremy Kyle for posh people moment.

Edit: well... I suppose in the macho world of westminster shite it did illustrate she hadn't got the 'the balls', but little else. At least the manufacturers of bottled water saw their product being gulped in vast quantities.:D
 
Reminiscent of Blinky Ben Swain getting a roasting on TTOI.

justin-edwards-newsjack.jpg


"You looked like a sweaty teenage octopus trying to unhook a bra!"
 
watched the interview - jeez - she was awful - basically a buffer stopping Gideon from getting a grilling and looking bad - typical posh boy - get one of the underlings to take the stick
 
Mensch defending Smith as a capable person, good in cabinet and the house on twitter.

Despite not actually watching the interview :D
 
mrs quoad said:
btw, this is not my world, but a management consultant. At before the age of 29?

Really?
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A lad I had the misfortune to live with in halls graduated and got a management consultant job straight away at the age of 21 thanks to daddy. He didn't look a day over 15, what clients must have thought of him I don't know.
 
Most people aren't criticising Smith - she's just a human shield who got coated in petrol and shoved into the Paxo dragon's path.
 
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