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November 07, 2003
Exit tragic hero, stage left
The announced departure of Michael Portillo from the political stage, a mere 72 hours before Michael Howard announces the make-up of his shadow Cabinet, is most intriguing. The gossip in the last few days has been about mounting concern within the upper reaches of the party that Howard has allowed himself to be taken captive by the Portillistas. Indeed, there have been dark mutterings that a deal has been done with Francis Maude to put key Portillistas into the shadow Cabinet in return for a smooth accession. Now, though, the eponymous hero himself has fallen on his sword after Howard offered him a job. So what does this mean? At least five explanations suggest themselves. 1) Howard offered Portillo something (arts, media and sport?) which was an insult to his dignity; 2) Portillo thinks Howard will be impossible to shift and he might as well cut his losses now; 3) Portillo thinks he personally has blown it for ever with the public and has therefore passed the libertine baton onto Maude; 4) Maude has done a Blairite Granita swindle on Portillo's Brown and got a plum post; 5) Portillo has simply said 'Stuff this for a game of soldiers, I'm off to star in a sitcom as a single mother'. It's a moot point whether we will learn the real answer to this mystery sooner than we learn precisely what the Prince of Wales is supposed to have done with Michael Fawcett. Posted by melanie at November 7, 2003
Comments
I'll go for No 5 Is there no explanation number 6 then? (= Portillo stages a "surprise" comeback in about 5 years' time?) Posted by: s at November 7, 2003 10:37 PMThe reasons are as likely to be about his personal makeup rather than anything else. Even when he was a right wing firebrand, there was something to me about Portillo that somehow didnt ring true. Immensely ambitious he always struck me as a likely Vicar of Bray in some ways. There was something weak about him. This dovetails with the observation of many who find him very quick to take offence - a rather high maintenance and histrionic character who demands unconditional love. If you value love over respect in politics then you are sunk, as fellow needy men Hohn Major and Tony Blair have discovered. Thanks goodness we discovered Portillos true character without him becoming Prime Minister! Posted by: Andrew Cadman at November 8, 2003 03:26 PMMelanie, I'm with Mr. Cadman. As a dual national, what strikes me most about Sr. Portillo was how un-British he is. I realise there's been "Dianafication", but it's something else. He has always seemed to me a bit like an American actor playing a British part. 6. Posted by: Theodopoulos Pherecydes at November 9, 2003 06:38 AM"...is how un-British he is." [Preview is my friend...preview is my friend...etc.] Posted by: Theodopoulos Pherecydes at November 9, 2003 06:41 AMHmm, seriously folks, I wouldn't get too excited - the Tory party is going through its triassic period. Howard will rely on the quality of the people around him but Portillo wont make much difference - they are all yesterdays men. Compare it to Thatcher's team ; Parkinson, Howe, Joseph, Whitelaw etc etc - each one a serious player in his own right - she had breadth and depth in her team - Howard will struggle. Shame, we're in a new labour nose-dive and the Tories just havent got the collective brainpower required to save the day. Posted by: Jimmy at November 9, 2003 01:06 PMI'm relieved Mr Portillo has finally decided to leave Parliament. It's a pity he doesn't take some of the other petulant plotters with him. At least his constituents will have a chance of electing someone to represent them in Parliament, rather than having to watch Mr Portillo represent himself on every available TV show. Posted by: Rita at November 10, 2003 02:14 AMDon't be too despondent about the Tory front bench. Our Liberal (actually conservative) Party in Australia had similar things said about its front bench before taking power in 1996; today it is a received truth that the front bench has great depth of talent. You may be surprised by how many shadow front-benchers can grow in government. And as for Portillo, I don't care why he left; I'm too busy saying "Good riddance!" Posted by: Alan Anderson at November 10, 2003 06:51 AM |
