Putting the cabinet together

Über-blogger Iain Dale is obviously finding it hard to fill his Saturdays in the absence of football, as he's gone post-crazy today. Most interesting is his predictions as to who Mr Gordon will put in his cabinet once he's been rejected by everybody else and has to resort to using MPs from the Labour benches.

A couple of interesting lines from a Welsh perspective. Iain hasn't included a Welsh Secretary. Probably this is simply because it will be lumped in with another, higher-profile portfolio (as with Two Jobs Peter Hain at the moment), but he might actually be more prescient than he knows.

It is entirely possible the Cabinet will not contain a Welsh Secretary. Brown is apparently warm on the idea of a Department of the Nations and Regions which would encompass the current roles of Wales and Scotland Secretaries as well as the local government responsibilities currently held by the Communities ministry. Devolution has made the jobs as they are increasingly superfluous (although Northern Ireland, being different, would retain a Secretary of State) and the move would, it's thought, play well both in Wales and Scotland along with the increasing tranche of Middle England tired of the "special treatment" apparently given to the Celts. This option is certainly being actively discussed in Ruth Kelly's Communities department - in workshops examining what the incoming Prime Minister was likely to do, an assumption was a restructuring of the way Whitehall interacts with the devolved nations.

It's just a theory. I do think there will be a Welsh Secretary, as it happens - and I wouldn't discount Kim Howells.

What to do with Two Jobs is also an interesting one. Iain suggests he will become Chairman of the Labour Party, which is probably the best he can hope for. Hain didn't exactly cover himself with glory in the deputy leadership election - and the role will allow him to reconnect with the grassroots, which is what he so longs to do. Everybody's happy!

The suggestion of Neil Kinnock as Leader of the House of Lords has raised its head before. The last time I spoke to Kinnock he rubbished it - but then he rubbished the whole notion of the Lords for much of his career before coming around to it. So it's not impossible.

For what it's worth, here are my suggestions:

Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Deputy Leader and Leader of the House of Commons Alan Johnson
Chancellor Jack Straw
Foreign Office Alistair Darling
Home Office David Miliband
Justice Liam Byrne
Party Chairman Peter Hain
Scotland Douglas Alexander
Trade and Industry Ed Balls
Health Harriet Harman
Environment Hilary Benn
International Development Caroline Flint
Northern Ireland Ed Miliband
Wales Kim Howells
Leader of the Lords Lord Kinnock
Education Yvette Cooper
Communities Dawn Primarolo
Work and Pensions John Denham
Defence Stephen Timms
Transport Ruth Kelly
Culture James Purnell
Cabinet Office Andy Burnham
Chief Whip Nick Brown
Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Healey