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Family Squabble

by | 9th, September 2004

‘HAS Alan Milburn has had enough of the family he left frontline politics to spend more time with 15 months ago?

‘Bye, love. See you in 2011’

In a move that tabloid headline writers would term a snub, he’s decided to accept his friend Tony Blair’s offer of a central role in party policy making in the run-up to the next election at the expense of spending quality time with the wife and kids.

The new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster did deliberate about his re-emergence as a photogenic political player, demanding, or so the Independent says on its front page, a ‘proper job’.

No mention was made in his lengthy negotiations of allowing his wife to sit in on meetings and enabling his children to watch cartoons in his office.

However sad this is for the self-confessed family man’s family, it is far worse for Chancellor Gordon Brown, who is widely thought to both loathe and fear the slick Milburn.

The Guardian is of the opinion that the battle over the return of Milburn went to heart of Labour ideology, with Blairites seeing the Geordie as little less than Blair’s successor in waiting.

But Brown and his supporters seem to view Milburn’s more radical ideas as an obstacle to the Chancellor’s cautious approach to Government, to say nothing of the gulping Scot’s own bid for the top job.

Inside the paper, the pair are set head to head, their strengths and weaknesses addressed over such issues as choice and public service, citizenship, health, equality and child care.

Of course, come election time the real battle is over who has the nicer hair (Milburn), the better smile (Milburn), the more personable manner (Milburn) and the more youthful complexion (Milburn).

We the electorate will also be desperately keen to know which has the better looking wife and children.

But we shouldn’t bother asking the men themselves, since, such is the time-consuming nature of the job, they’ll soon have forgotten what them indoors look like…’



Posted: 9th, September 2004 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink