G.O.A.T

I do find it amusing that the media have dubbed the Government Of All Talents, an idea that has seen Fiona Phillips of GMTV offered a cabinet post has been given the acronym of GOAT. But I do worry about this, Peter Mandelson is returning, that in itself does not worry me, but what does is that some of these 'talents' are clearly unelected. Now it would seem a great idea to have the best people having a seat in decision making, but who do they represent. In theory members of the cabinet should be accountable to parliament and ultimately the people but when you have more than the couple of peers in Cabinet, all dependent on the PM for a job, surely this means they are only accountable to the PM and have not allegiance to anyone else particularly not parliament. Is this just me??

A good day for... soundbites

Whenever there is a crisis it is time for representatives of each party to respond and offer the quote that will make the news headlines and newspaper columns. The soundbite can be as indicative of the individual as their position on the topic and how they stand on the party political divide (context depending).

Brown's quote on Hain's failure to declare £103,000 does not inspire confidence him him of the man he is defending: what does "It was a mistake that was made. It was an incompetence" tell us? Conservative leader David Cameron's response is a little lacklustre, or at least the bit quoted is: "He can get out there and explain himself or I think he will have to leave the cabinet"; perhaps it reflects a man who is metaphorically worried about throwing stones when in his own glass house.

Congratulations go to new Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg though, so far there are no claims of Liberal Democrat funding improprieties, thus he can happily say that Hain's credibility is in tatters (which surely it must be) and get in the dig that anyone should be proud of an perhaps half of parliament wish they had thought of: ""When Gordon Brown said he wanted a government of all the talents, no-one realised that incompetence was going to be one of them". I love that line!

Celebrity Politics - or will Lord Forsythe please not say 'nice to see you' to the North Koreans

It is perhaps true that politicians need to be able to translate complex ideas and policies to allow them to be understood by the masses. Currently this role is largely fulfilled by journalists who mediate ideas in a way that appeals to their audiences; despite the range if communication experts who colonise politics and the number of MPs with public relations backgrounds there still seems to be a communication gap. Gordon Brown had an alternative way of getting the public to engage with politics, give a high profile role to someone they already liked and listened to; not a great expert but GMTV host and long-time foil for Eamon Hughes jokes Fiona Phillips.

It is claimed by the News of the World that a Downing Street aide argued that "People say she is just a ditzy blonde, but Fiona Phillips manages to communicate complex issues which are of massive public importance to millions of people every morning." This was the justification for offering her a Baronetcy and the public health brief currently head by Dawn Primarolo within Brown's 'government of all talents'. Phillips is a long-standing supporter of Labour, conducted some highly cringe-worthy interviews with the Blairs and has an interest in politics and is quoted as saying "I'd like to change people's perception of politics... I'd love to do a big PR bit for the Government" but did not want to take the £400,000 per annum pay cut. Hence we are to be spared Baroness Phillips of obesity, binge drinking and safe sex.

But is Gordon out of line with the idea? Politicians are the least trusted profession while it is true that Fiona Phillips has a clear connection with her audience. While her expertise can be questioned, so can that of many cabinet ministers, and her ditzy persona may be her public face as opposed to her real personality. There is the perception of credibility issue, but is it the case that her role as a journalist and her perceived authenticity may well make her seem as on the side of the public as opposed to the negative perception of the politician out for themselves? Gordon Brown has hit on an important truism, that politicians fail to get the public engaged in their ideas; celebrities have that ability, but should they play an active role in politics is a big question. Could Fiona Phillips be Britain's Arnie? Do we need one?