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Does Dave need to replace Lansley with Anna Soubry quick?

February 23rd, 2012

Is she the most effective advocate of the NHS changes?

Anybody who watched this morning’s Daily Politics will have been impressed by the hugely effective way 2010 newbie, Anna Soubry dealt with the NHS changes.

If you didn’t see it check it out when it comes out on BBC IPlayer in the next hour or so.

In terms of communication skills Soubry is the equal of or even better than anybody in the entire cabinet or shadow cabinet which, admittedly, is not saying a lot.

She knows how to mix it in discussions and has got just the right tone to deal with this increasingly thorny issue.

Soubry, a former TV presenter and barrister, beat Nick Palmer for the Broxtowe seat at the general election. She is currently a parliamentary private secretary at the Department of Health.

@MikeSmithsonOGH
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  • Socrates

    The Santorum campaign claims Paul has never attacked Romney in any debate, even when Romney was the front runner. If that’s true, you have to wonder if a deal was done. It’s not much of a conspiracy that two politicians running for office make a kept-quiet tactical agreement – it happens all the time.

  • Nick Palmer

    It’s rare for ex-MPs to try. The pension scheme is good (and penalises you if you delay taking it – there is no inflation adjustment until you do). Many simply call it a day for full-time work and do something that interest them, e.g. a local charity.

    Other things being equal, you’d expect an ex-MP to retain some personal vote compared to a newcomer, though over time it would decline as people die/move/forget.

  • Anonymous

    But you will be 65 – surely you should make way for a younger person.
    Preferably someone with nice legs and breasts if Labour follow the BBC example.

  • G!

    I think anyone describing the protests against the Iraq war as a non issue can be safely described as an idiot. So the comparisons terrible. 

    I also object to the idea that Labour supporters don’t care about ‘a thousand dead muslims’ especially as many labour supporters were on those marches. That kind of thing is beneath you.

  • Anonymous

    In fairness to Romney, if that is the criteria one considers most important, he is closer to those two than Newt and Santorum by some distance on that chart.

  • Anonymous

    Not guilty I opposed war and didnt vote for Blair at next GE.

    Tory herd were cheering him on if my memory serves.

    NHS Bill much more of a bloodbath IMHO.

    Roll on 2015

  • Anonymous

    Sorry SO..Not making anything up .. you told me that I could not be patriotic because I lived overseas, that I was Scot baiting little Englander.
    Little Englander, mainly someone who is xenophobic..Dislikes foreigners…I live in Italy.I have also lived in America, and visited every state…I have lived in Australia..and travelled to every corner of the country..spent a long time in INDIA..Over sixty visits to Singapore /Malaysia..similar number to HK….fortunate to have seen most of the rest of the world .. have international business interests, employ a number of foreign staff..have a company based in the UK where I work most of the time..  and might just settle in Scotland when I return to the uk..That is some little Englander’
    What a t**l you are..

  • Anonymous

    using terms like bloodbath when comparing the health bill and Iraq is a bit silly, but I forgive you
    I think Robin Cook resigned and no doubt had he lived would have been quite a problem for Blair. As it is Brown had no one to run against.

    For the record I think invading Iraq was the right thing to do. its a pity (and thats the politest word I can use) that our occupation of Basra was under resourced.

  • Anonymous

    Nope – you’re making things up. I have never said you can’t be patriotic if you live abroad.

    There’s no law against Little Englanders travelling around the world.

  • Anonymous

    thanks, and thanks to Plato, tim & Dr Spyn for their warm welcomes. Not fully over everything yet (suffering a bit from a DVT that hit me just as I finished chemo and need another op or two) but feel good. NHS has been great (so far!) – much to do with the people rather than the organisation. Interesting to see the variances in process and virtual autonomy of different specialisms. 

  • Anonymous

    What a silly comment

  • http://scottish-independence.blogspot.com/ Stuart Dickson

    “I think Robin Cook resigned and no doubt had he lived would have been quite a problem for Blair.”

    If he’d lived he’d have been quite a problem for Salmond too.

    One of the lesser-observed causes of the Unionist decline has been the premature deaths of Smith, Dewar and Cook. Especially Smith.

    Too much credit for the SNP rise has been given to Thatcher, Blair and Brown, when just as much is down to three acts of God.

  • http://twitter.com/comfyseat comfyseat

    @ITVLauraK: Watch Stephen Hester tell me he created a a ‘bad precedent’ by turning down his bonus – our interview on @itvnews at 10 tonight

    @ITVLauraK: And tomorrow, (with apols to those who don’t care about the banks), Lloyds results – losses could be as much as 4 billion

  • Anonymous

    You need to post more!  Someone who talks sense about US politics.

  • Anonymous

    Syria: Waiting for the White House

    So the Syrian military have clearly concluded on a successful strategy. Shell a place for days if not weeks then roll in with tanks.

    In terms of global norms this isn’t the way to crush domestic opposition (unless you are Russian) yet some kind of decisive western and/or Arab intervention seems still rather vague and uncommitted.

    The reason for the delay?  Barack Obama who is busy spending time analysing the situation, talking to advisers and considering options much as he has done for the last few months.

    The military options have already been drawn up but he’s sent them back to look at them, again. The Turks presented a plan some two weeks ago for a humanitarian zone (which would have required fairly hefty military cover) and the White House sat on it 

    With the Friends of Syria meeting due tomorrow we might just might see the basic agreement that intervention of a more overt way is going to happen, most likely under the humanitarian banner. Certainly the language is changing.

    There is no doubt that one of the problems that the third party potential supporters of the Syrian rebels have is that there is yet no real sense of a unified structure to throw their weight behind. But then the Libyan rebels were not hugely more advanced in this regards.

    In hesitating the US and the West in general, however, have allowed Islamic extremists to be pulled in by those parties who have taken a more pro-active stance. 

    As of this time the potential major supporters of the insurgency divide into the following:

    Actively assisting (covert active military material, training advice and intelligence support): France, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraqi Sunnis, Lebanese elements

    Talking tough, previously ambivalent with no active military material support but now getting off the fence: Turkey
     
    Talking but minimal practical assistance limited to audits, reportedly comms gear and some general advice:  US

    The UK? Involved and for once it hasnt been plastered over the press

  • Charles

     More than 500,000 turned up on the Countryside March – a much bigger commitment than just signing an online petition, and were till ignored.

  • Socrates

     The Syrian opposition has not yet called for foreign military intervention. I wonder how much it will change the dynamic when it does.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/VGEDM47IXSDSJV2G7CNMMV2HTE Iain

    I didnt know that Frank Warren managed cage fighters as well!

  • Anonymous

    ‘Lloyds results – losses could be as much as 4 billion’
    Since this is the awards season as well perhaps we should have special Brown-Blank Award for the least successful takeover. 

  • tim

    But the polls showed that only around 20% of people supported the Countryside Alliance position on fox hunting.
    There was a roughly even split on Iraq, and the Health Bill has a big majority against.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrea-Parma/578831001 Andrea Parma

    Why is Labour not fielding a candidate in the upcoming Nottinghamshire by-election?

  • Anonymous

    SO ..I have just read your comments..you said I coud not be patriotic if I lived overseas.. bunkum..If I hate foreigners so much why do I choose to freely live among them in many parts of the world and employ a number..do you not see how stupid your comments are ..personally I do not give a feck .. but it amuses me to see you display your stupidity in this public fashion..well done

  • Anonymous

    ‘There’s no law against Little Englanders travelling around the world’

    Yes but I think people who embrace the world in terms of travel leisure and business do not match the phrase.

  • http://www.youtube.com/ajs41#p/p Andy JS
  • http://profile.yahoo.com/VGEDM47IXSDSJV2G7CNMMV2HTE Iain

    Whats wrong with that? That has been the cornerstone of Brit Govt Foreign policy for eons!

  • Charles

    The only point I was making was that the 155,000 or so who have signed the online petition isn’t that great.

    I personally think the polls aren’t much use in terms of making decisions on Health because of the nature of the emotional reaction that the majority of people have to proposed changes and the view that “doctors and nurses” know best how to run the system as a result of their expertise in medicine.  The NHS is a hugely complex organisation that most people don’t really understand the details about.

  • Anonymous

    It is bizarre that you insist on propagating this falsehood. My guess is that you are not deliberately lying, you are just not bright enough to understand my posts. Just as there is no law against Little Englanders travelling, there is no law against them employing foreigners either. Indeed, the Empire grew on the backs of the non-British.

    I enjoy the idea you do not care what I say. You do not care so much you dwell on things I have never said. Bless you in your not caring.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/VGEDM47IXSDSJV2G7CNMMV2HTE Iain

    0% Football talent is no bar either in the Galaxy occupied by Craig Levein!

  • Angus McLellan

    re candidates:

    Well, no disrespect to the SNP candidate in 2010, but if it was up to me I’d be on the phone to Dennis Canavan.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/36Z7YBCTJRSOMAIP2BHM7OOTNA joeri

    The only conversation I have ever had with Anna Soubry was about her right to smoke herself to death and she was proper miserable about it – sounds like a great Health Secretary to me!

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