The coalition has suffered the first major blow to its credibility which, somewhat unfortunately for SMEs and UK citizens alike, has accounted for the loss of the most numerically astute member of the Treasury.
Whether the Telegraph’s ultimate aim was to unsheathe David Laws as an unscrupulous squanderer of taxpayers’ money or draw attention to his homosexuality is a debate within itself, but not one to be had here. Would it really be a surprise to learn the Telegraph’s readership judges an MP by their sexuality and not their ability?
However, it’s neither Laws nor his expenses claims that are the problem going forward. The real difficulty lies with the parachuting in of Danny Alexander as Laws’ replacement.
At this time of great fiscal uncertainty, the Chief Executive to the Treasury becomes a pivotal figure in maintaining the recovery while simultaneously slashing government borrowing.
Take a look at Alexander’s CV and he’s pitifully under-qualified for the role
Take a look at Alexander’s CV and he’s pitifully under-qualified for the role. Alexander is grounded in communications, and developed a pseudo-marketing skill set that was harnessed shadowing the Department of Work and Pensions. That’s really where the story begins and ends.
No wonder the markets took another almighty hit this morning.
Looking at the bigger picture, are we to accept that government is full to the gunnels of chameleon-like savants, who’re as capable of assessing which measles vaccine is the least dangerous as they are deciding on whether to declare war on troublesome Syrian dictators or which frontline service to decimate first?
It seems the cabinet really is the last establishment on earth where one can zigzag between wholly unconnected roles with reckless abandon.
I accept that strong project managers should be able to function within any operational sphere, but the principle of 18 months on defence, 6 months on schools and 12 months on energy doesn’t translate to any other organisation in the world, least of all a 30-employee private company. Alexander has been projected from, in essence, marcoms to chairman/COO/credit controller/loss adjuster, and it just doesn’t make sense.
“Expertise” reads like a word from a bygone era. I don’t think a Neurosciences lecturer at UCL would be commanded to switch to Russian Cinema Research and then Digital Humanities across a two-year period.
Danny Alexander may well succeed, and I could be worrying about nothing, but with each passing day it becomes apparent what a deadly accurate portrayal of political life The Thick of it was.
