Tooting MP Sadiq Khan named first Muslim cabinet minister in Gordon Brown's reshuffle
Tooting MP Sadiq Khan said his bus driver father would be proud today after he became the first ever Muslim to join the cabinet, as the minister of state for transport.
Mr Khan, whose late father drove buses around Wandsworth for 25 years, was given the huge promotion in the Labour party reshuffle following the expenses scandal.
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He also attacked the untimely resignation of his former boss, Hazel Blears, who quit her post as communities secretary at the most demoralising time for the party - the day before the European elections.
He said: “I’m fed up with Labour MPs moaning and groaning when there are people loosing their jobs and homes. We are seen to be like bickering children.”
Read more @ Wandsworth Guardian
Out of all the 3 Muslim Labour MPs Sadiq Khan is the most competent.
But he isn't quite a full minister of state yet:
Got a dossier on him? From what I have read he was publicly against the Iraq war, so that is a few points in his favour. (the iraq war itself is no longer an issue, but it shows he stood up on matters of principle.)
Shame he never got his ex boss's job instead. Hazel Blears was a terrible social cohesion minister. I do hear though he did some good things while in that department. (I am basing my opinion on this blog - no idea how accurate it is.)
(another interesting blog post on there... should we have an aggregator section tracking individual blogs too?)
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/sadiq_khan/tooting
When the Iraq War was voted on he wasn't yet an MP. His opposition to the war may well have helped him to get elected.
Whislt an MP he voted for all of Tony Blair's anti-terror laws except for 90-day detention. He has voted against an inquiry into the Iraq War and he's voted for ID cards. And he used to be a director of Liberty.
He is loyal to the gov and that explains why he managed to get a foot in the cabinet.
He is far from ideal.
Good idea about the blogs. There are some good ones out there. I'd suggest Indigo Jo Blogs for starters.
Added the two blogs. Things may get a bit crowded over there though, so if needs be, they can be divided into categories.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.