With the Coalition piling up more gaffes and policy cock-ups by the day, I reckon it's only a matter of time before one is either sacked or "leaves by mutual agreement" (I'm excluding David Laws), and I think these seven are the most likely candidates to go first - Osborne, because evidence is starting to point to his economic gamble not paying off; Cable, because it's pretty well-known he's the least-liked Cabinet Lib Dem by the Tories, and they now have an excuse to fire him thanks to the comments about "declaring war on Murdoch" before Xmas; Pickles, because more local councils get more pissed off by his smears by the day; Gove, as his sheer incompetence becomes more clear all the time thanks to the successful court challenge over Building Schools for Future; Clarke, for his proposed cut in prisoner numbers that is infuriating the Tory press; Lansley, for his gamble with the NHS, which has been criticised by virtually every health professional in the country; and Spelman, for the incomprehensibly bad idea of selling off forests while actually losing money.

 

My money's on Eric Pickles.

I've been surprised by just how incompetent Gove and Lansley have been. Spelman has also been pretty awful and it is difficult to find words to describe Pickles' performance. Cameron obviously wants to be seen to be delegating responsibility to his ministers. However, when he's questioned about what they're doing, he struggles to defend it. Delegation is all well and good but a manager should always have a reasonable idea what the people immediately below them are doing.

 

Ken Clarke is still popular with the electorate even if some of his current policies are not (although they are popular with me). Cable is more difficult to sack as was shown by the events just before Christmas. I think Pickles, Gove and Spelman may all go in the first reshuffle but, if I have to choose one, I'll go for Pickles.

Caroline Spelman is surely the favourite now, after being forced into a humiliating apology over the forests sell-off.

 

With that said, she's only of only two women in the government who has even a vaguely significant job, so maybe Cameron will want to hold onto her.

Caroline Spelman is surely the favourite now, after being forced into a humiliating apology over the forests sell-off.

 

With that said, she's only of only two women in the government who has even a vaguely significant job, so maybe Cameron will want to hold onto her.

That's how Tha***er got her first Cabinet job :cry: Heath needed a woman in his Cabinet and she was the one. There's a real lack of women ministers outside the Cabinet as well so she could hold on to her job by default. Of course, if she has any dignity or self-respect, she would at least offer to resign - even if she does so in the hope that Cameron will reject it.

Odds are now surely tumbling on William Hague, after the hilarious mess he's made of the Libya crisis.

I'll still plump for Fatty Pickles.... :lol:

Yeah, Pickled Tink to go....

OK, I had to edit the poll to add Hague, seeing as he's now the hot favourite...

If he had any sense of honour Hague would at least have offered to resign. Of course, if he does go, it will be particularly embarrassing for Cameron to lose one of only two people with previous Cabinet experience. The good news would be that that might make Ken Clarke's position safer.