Another Armed Forces Minister with no service experience!

[PingDit]

Robert William 'Bob' Ainsworth (b. 19 June (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_19) 1952 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952)) is the British (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) Member of Parliament (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_Parliament) for Coventry North East (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_North_East_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29). He is a member of the Labour Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_%28UK%29). He is a the Minister of State (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_State) at the Ministry of Defence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence).
Born in Coventry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry) and attended the local Foxford Comprehensive School, he first became active in politics as a trade unionist at the Jaguar Cars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Cars) plant in Coventry, where he worked from 1971. He had served in many capacities within the Manufacturing, Science and Finance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing%2C_Science_and_Finance) Union there, including four years as the Branch President. During 1982 and 1983 he was a candidate member of the International Marxist Group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Marxist_Group), but he was never a full member of that organisation. In 1984 he was elected to the Coventry City Council (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_City_Council), and was its deputy leader from 1989–1992. He became MP for Coventry North East in 1992 after the sitting MP, John Hughes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hughes_%28English_politician%29), was de-selected by the Constituency Labour Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constituency_Labour_Party). He stepped down from the city council the following year.
He has been an ever present member of Tony Blair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair)'s government. From 1997–2001 he served as a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whip_%28politics%29). In January 2001 the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_for_Northern_Ireland), Peter Mandelson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mandelson) resigned from government over what had become known as the Hinduja Scandal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduja_brothers), in the reshuffle which followed, Ainsworth was promoted as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_Under_Secretary_of_State) at the former Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_for_Environment%2C_Transport_and_the_Regi ons). Following the 2001 General Election (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election%2C_2001) he was moved sideways to the Home Office (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Office) where he remained until 2003 when he became the Deputy Chief Whip also known as the Treasurer of the Household (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurer_of_the_Household). On 29 June (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_29) 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007) he was replaced by Nick Brown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Brown) and moved to become the new Minister of State (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_State) for Defence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence), replacing Adam Ingram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Ingram).

Bugga! :{
PingDit

[tablet_eraser]

When was the last time an ex-policeman became Home Secretary?

When was the last time an ex-doctor or -nurse became Health Secretary?

The last ex-teacher who became Education Secretary?

The last ex-diplomat who became Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary?

Come on. There is a hell of a lot to criticise this Government for, but I don't think that putting an ex-military person into an MOD ministerial appointment will make a blind bit of difference. Labour politicians will still introduce and maintain Labour party policy, regardless of their previous careers. When they buck the trend, they get sacked. Broon hates the military and if someone stood up to him he's reshuffle them out of the way.

While it might be nice to have someone who has seen life on our side of the fence, I don't think it will help to solve problems. As I said, there are FAR bigger things to criticise this government for. You can't put experts into all of the political jobs; Broon has picked the man he considers to be best for the job, no matter how warped, sinister, destructive, callous and short-sighted his reasons may be.

[PingDit]

Your points are well taken and I stand corrected. A committed Marxist is obviously the best choice in securing the defence of the realm.

:}

[airborne_artist]

Read this about Michael (now Lord) Heseltine, who was a popular DefSec:

"After graduating he built up a property business in partnership with his Oxford friend Ian Josephs; with financial support from the families of both men they started with a boarding house in Clanricarde Gardens and progressed to various other properties in the Bayswater area. He also attempted to train as an accountant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accountant) but did not qualify, and after failing his accountancy exams could no longer postpone National Service (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service). He was called up in January 1959 and became a Second Lieutenant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lieutenant) in the Welsh Guards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Guards). He left the Guards to contest the General Election that year and on business grounds was exempted from the remaining sixteen months of [his twenty-four months] service. During the 1980s his habit of wearing a Guards tie, sometimes incorrectly tied with red showing on the knot, was the subject of much acerbic comment from military figures and older MPs with extensive war records. Michael Crick estimates that he must have worn the tie on more days than he actually served in the Guards."

Does a Chancellor need an accountancy qualification?

[PingDit]

Airborne,
Apparently not, but wouldn't it be a great idea!

Mr Eraser,
Unable to answer all of your previous questions due time constraints but;

CURRENT MP's:

Foreign & Commonwealth Sec. David Miliband - 1st in politics & economics, Masters in political science.

Sec of State for Justice & Lord Chancellor, Jack Straw - QC.

Sec of State for Children, Schools & Families, Ed Balls - Teaching fellow, Department of Economics, Harvard.

oh.. and how about;

Home Sec. Sir Robert Peel, Founder of our current police force.

Not having a go, but it's very much a square peg in a round hole when our guys need only the very BEST political support.

PingDit;)

[Maple 01]

Your points are well taken and I stand corrected. A committed Marxist is obviously the best choice in securing the defence of the realm.

worked for Dennis Healy!

[Union Jack]

"Your points are well taken and I stand corrected"

You need not stand wholly corrected - whilst Tablet is correct in principle in saying that none of his "Exs" has held the posts with which he links them, a corollary is that any or all of them could have had time in the Services prior to taking up the careers he mentions, bringing us back neatly to the point you make. Indeed, at least three of them could even have been carrying out the duties mentioned in the Services.

Whether that Service experience would make them any the better a minister in the MOD remains, however, a moot point!

Jack

PS Back to Mr Jobsworth - sorry, Mr Ainsworth - not too many real jobs in 36 years?:)

[Archimedes]

The last former school teacher to be Sec of State for Education was Estelle Morris

Last ex-diplomat to be Foreign Sec was Douglas Hurd

We've not had, as far as I can remember, and ex-policemen as Home Secretary, nor any doctors as Health Secretary (in any of the various titles the post has had since WW2).

There is a case for saying (possibly unkindly) that given the Morris and Hurd examples, the very last person you want as a minister is someone who's once worked in the field...

[covec]

Lets give the guy a chance, guys?

PS As an SNCO could I please ask - amidst all this bullsh1t - why don't the Officer Corps DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!! Eg Like straight talking at an O Group?