The Union Of Ministers Should Shut Up Or Resign

The National Union Of Ministers Should Shut Up Or Resign

The National Union of Ministers is the name the press has given a group of ministers who are trying to resist departmental spending cuts, it includes heavyweights such as Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond, Home Secretary Theresa May and Business Secretary Vince Cable.  The main aim of the group is to avert further spending cuts to their departments claiming they have already cut their departments to the bone.  The exception to the rule is Vince Cable who is just generally against cuts and wants greater spending.

The Ministers say rather than cutting their departments the government should cut welfare, Phillip Hammond claims a 0.5% cut in welfare would avert further cuts to the military.  This is a persuasive argument, as I am sure many people would rather see further cuts to welfare than job losses in are armed forces.  However, this is not the problem with the Union of ministers, the problem is that rather than keeping their argument within cabinet they are taking it to the press and openly undermining the government.  It is almost as if they are unaware of their responsibility as cabinet ministers.  They can fight their corner in cabinet and they can fight their corner in private with the Prime Minister or Chancellor.  They cannot however fight it in the press, it undermines the government, and makes the ministers themselves look like spoilt children who have thrown their toys out the pram because they have not got their own way.  I am not personally against their aims, but they are supposed to be cabinet ministers, so they should keep their arguments in cabinet or resign.