"Hi, Margaret? Hi, it's Gordon."

For a little bit of light relief you must read this Sunday Times story.  One day before the last General Election Rory Bremner rang Margaret Beckett - pretending to be Gordon Brown.  He tricked her into discussing the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle.  A fooled Beckett was less than
complimentary about John Prescott and Patricia Hewitt...

Comments

[Yet Another Anon]

Not the first time this has happened, someone successfully impersonated the Canadian PM not so long ago, when Mrs Thatcher rang up the Today Programme one time the switchboard thought she was a hoax caller, sure it's only a matter of time before it happens to a Conservative frontbencher - Margaret Beckett apparently is very annoyed and Rory Bremner is very embarrassed because this had been a private joke on his part and not intended for publication although why they recorded it is beyond me, that Margaret Beckett and John Prescott don't get on is not surprising - she is something of a bra burner and sees herself as an intellectual, he is a man who reacts based on his gut and doesn't pull his punches, Patricia Hewitt on the other hand while clever is very sychophantic - an ageing Blair babe and more sort of dainty; John Prescott seems to have become extremley lazy in his dotage, Margaret Beckett still holds very similar views to Michael Meacher and resents the position she is in supporting many policies she hates. Patricia Hewitt is still on the up whereas Margaret Beckett is on her way out as a frontbencher.

[Yet Another Anon]

And Alan Milburn certainly can't hack it - he's been in and out of the government like a Jack in the Box, he's eager to help Tony Blair, he's obviously well meaning and clever but he obviously doesn't want to be a frontbencher.

As for Stephen Byers, he has probably risen a lot in the eyes of many Labour activists especially with his actions as Secretary of State for Transport, Margaret Beckett doesn't like him because he's less tolerant of the Trade Unions and Trots.

[Curly]

I suppose we should be glad that it wasn't Helen Mirren on the phone then!

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

Will she hang up when Gordon next calls her?

[Phil Whittington]

Spectacularly funny of course - I'm a great fan of Bremner's as I'm sure are most people who go to this site.

However, nobody seems to be talking about the security implications of ministers taking calls from numbers that have not been verified as belonging supposed caller.

Suppose Bremner had phoned the Defence Secretary and asked him even quite trivial things about Trident?

Personally I would favour phoning the Trade and Industry Secretary and finding out something that allows you to trade profitably on the markets, since information like this might be easier to extract from someone over the phone.

Just remember these are the ministers who ask us to trust them on security!

PW

[Editor]

Good points Phil!