Blunkett resigns from the Cabinet

[cal04]

Work and Pensions Secretary David Blunkett has resigned after a meeting with Tony Blair in Downing Street. Mr Blunkett had been under pressure after breaking the ministerial code of conduct over paid work he took while he was out of Cabinet.

Downing Street had been standing by Mr Blunkett's ability to continue in his job, despite making a "mistake". It is the second time Mr Blunkett has had to quit the Cabinet, resigning as home secretary in December 2004. At the centre of the controversy was Mr Blunkett's two-week directorship of DNA Bioscience before May's election, while he was out of the Cabinet.

Meeting cancelled
Mr Blunkett broke ministerial rules by taking that job without consulting an independent committee which advises former ministers on whether they should take up jobs. A defiant Mr Blunkett had told his local Sheffield newspaper on Tuesday that he was not prepared to quit. Mr Blunkett stepped down as home secretary last year over claims his office had fast-tracked a visa application for his lover's former nanny.

He had been due to appear before the Commons work and pensions committee on Wednesday morning.But with the MPs gathered and the hearing due to begin, Mr Blunkett was seen heading towards Downing Street and the chairman announced that the meeting had been cancelled. Liberal Democrat member Greg Mulholland said he was glad to hear Mr Blunkett had quit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4398004.stm

[Englander]

1. Result!!

Today's Steve Bell cartoon -

[beingthere]

2. lol. i thought it was a fake name!

[non sociopath skin]

3. For an excellent account of Blunkett's rise and fall ...

... see this Guardian Op-Ed article published this morning (before the resignation was announced).

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,1606529,00.html

It would be nice to think that the much-deserved demise of a "Big Beast" with degree of arrogance comparable to Blair's might be a warning to the Dear Leader to review where exactly he's at. Unfortunately, I fear that his hubris is too far advanced for that.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

5. The lesson should have been learned from Mandleson

Mandleson had to resign once, got brought back in and then had to resign again. Blair made the same mistake with Blunkett. Kinda worrying really as it would appear to suggest that Blair hasn't learned from previous mistakes.

[non sociopath skin]

6. The Greeks had a word for it.

Hubris. And the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

The Skin

[UKCynic]

4. I wish it was because of his policies

. . . however, this will have to do. He has no support in the cabinet because he dissed them all in his book. And the public saw the TV drama of his affair and believed every word. Some brilliant performances and very funny.

I would say that this is no way to run a country, except that it is the only way any country has ever been run.

[Taxloss]

7. Ding, dong, the witch is dead.

Rejoice, Rejoice!