Alan Johnson

[clashcityrocker]

Alan Johnson has stepped down for family reasons and will probably be replaced by Ed Balls.

[pants123]

really,,,,, thats a surprise,, politians are only interested in taking money from the tax payer to pay for the flambouant life style and support thier families off tax payers money............. corrupt, corrupt and corrupt comes to mind..

[noggin1969]

Whos family that is the question

[dvbuk55]

He made MP but when it comes to being questioned on matters of state requiring intellect, then he demonstrated his former background.

[clashcityrocker]

If he had been a proper postie he would have turned up for Question Time an hour early and instead of using a ministerial car he would have used his own.

[smokerjim]

He made MP but when it comes to being questioned on matters of state requiring intellect, then he demonstrated his former background.

OI, a lot of postmen are pretty intelligent ( on an academic / qualifications level, not just street wise ), but Neu Labour were & are so bloody desperate to shout their working class credentials ( while despising the likes of you & me for being manual, below average wage workers ), that the only surprise about Johnson's meteoric rise is he didn't go for the leadership gig ( he would have been a shoe in )

[savo]

He'll be back soon, only gone to look for a calculator....

[dvbuk55]

He made MP but when it comes to being questioned on matters of state requiring intellect, then he demonstrated his former background.

OI, a lot of postmen are pretty intelligent ( on an academic / qualifications level, not just street wise ), but Neu Labour were & are so bloody desperate to shout their working class credentials ( while despising the likes of you & me for being manual, below average wage workers ), that the only surprise about Johnson's meteoric rise is he didn't go for the leadership gig ( he would have been a shoe in )

Lets not get carried away here. There are academics, there are intelligent people but nothing in his background prepared him for Chancellor. He was a postman who rose to be an MP through union support........not because he was particularly able.......another one of his ilk was old two jags Prescott....both supported the right people at the right time.............both chatterers born of the union school of rhetoric. Can't wait to see Billy on his inaugural speech in the House.............lets see what position could he fulfil in the Cabinet probably something that involved PIE charts.

[fishtank]

I didn't even plan to be a Member of Parliament, let alone a government minister."

He was, in fact, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union when Tony Blair saw him in a documentary that Michael Cockerell made about his campaign against the privatisation of Royal Mail, and, the story goes, offered him a safe seat. Is that true? "Partly," he says. "Well, I was on the NEC of the Labour Party, so unfortunately he had to endure me every month at that stage, and we fought a really good campaign, which the documentary was all about. He was impressed by the way we did that, so he asked me if I had an ambition to be an MP, to which I said 'No'. To which he said, 'Oh, I'd like you to be an MP'. To which I said 'Oh, I'll have a think about it!'"

[hairyjack]

Alan Johnson's letter to Ed Miliband
"Dear Ed,

As we have discussed, I have decided to resign from the shadow cabinet for personal reasons to do with my family.

I have found it difficult to cope with these issues in my private life whilst carrying out an important frontbench role.

I am grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to serve as shadow chancellor of the exchequer and for showing me nothing but support and kindness.

You are proving to be a formidable leader of the Labour party and will take the party from strength to strength in the years to come.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Johnson"


Ed Miliband's response to Johnson's letter
"Dear Alan,

Thank you for your letter confirming your wish to resign from the shadow cabinet.

You have been an outstanding colleague and great friend for many years. In government you showed real leadership on issues that mattered to families across our country, promoting educational opportunity, introducing a constitution for the NHS and delivering neighbourhood policing.

"It has always been clear that you never lost sight of the reasons which first brought you into politics. As shadow chancellor you spoke clearly to the public, warning of the dangers posed by the gamble the government is taking with growth and jobs. I particularly want to thank you for the support and advice you have shown me during that period.

I wish you all the best at this difficult time. I know you will continue to make a major contribution to public life and the Labour party.

Yours ever,

Ed

[smokerjim]

He made MP but when it comes to being questioned on matters of state requiring intellect, then he demonstrated his former background.

OI, a lot of postmen are pretty intelligent ( on an academic / qualifications level, not just street wise ), but Neu Labour were & are so bloody desperate to shout their working class credentials ( while despising the likes of you & me for being manual, below average wage workers ), that the only surprise about Johnson's meteoric rise is he didn't go for the leadership gig ( he would have been a shoe in )

Lets not get carried away here. There are academics, there are intelligent people but nothing in his background prepared him for Chancellor. He was a postman who rose to be an MP through union support........not because he was particularly able.......another one of his ilk was old two jags Prescott....both supported the right people at the right time.............both chatterers born of the union school of rhetoric. Can't wait to see Billy on his inaugural speech in the House.............lets see what position could he fulfil in the Cabinet probably something that involved PIE charts.

Hey, let's be clear, I ain't defending his lack of education, his worn out right to be thick as mince, not even how he doesn't acknowledge his feral animal cunning and rampant ambition - I'm just saying just cos he comes across as a thickie, it don't mean ALL posties are that thick ( but I'll conceed that FT union officials might be that stupid ).

[jockstrapp]

Let's be honest out there...............most posties are'nt the brightest and most reps are not much better so what chance did he have as chancer of the exchequer when he was both

[dvbuk55]

Let's be honest out there...............most posties are'nt the brightest and most reps are not much better so what chance did he have as chancer of the exchequer when he was both

Well that says it all really

[swoosta]

Let's be honest out there...............most posties are'nt the brightest and most reps are not much better so what chance did he have as chancer of the exchequer when he was both

Most posties can spell though

[dvbuk55]

Let's be honest out there...............most posties are'nt the brightest and most reps are not much better so what chance did he have as chancer of the exchequer when he was both

Most posties can spell though

Anyone can spell with a spellchecker..............well, there is an exception that springs to mind........of course it could just be the same clumsy fingers hitting the same keys every time............it could be