Then they came for Jackie Milburn

First they came for Frank Field. They appointed him "Poverty Czar" (because of his considerable experience of working in this area). I didn't jerk my knee.

Then they came for Will Hutton. They appointed him "Work Czar" (because of his considerable experience of working in this area). I didn't jerk my knee.

Then they came for John Hutton. They appointed him "Pensions Czar" (because of his considerable experience of working in this area). I didn't jerk my knee.

Then they came for Jackie Milburn. They appointed him "Geordie Football Czar (until they realised he was dead).

Today they came for Alan Milburn. They are about to appoint him "Social mobility Czar" (because of his considerable experience of working in this area). An ex-Labour MP advising the ruling elite on social mobility means we have truly reached the point of government by satire.

Ignoring for a moment whether Czar is an appropriate label in the first place what with its historical link to the rich suppressing the poor who then rise up and overthrow them and commence a long-term real life failed experiment in implementing a dangerous equality based but ultimately flawed doctrine, now, I'm going to jerk my knee.

I am going to retrench to my typical tribal instinct and say that it is far more important that the government seeks advice from Conservatives who will be loyal and tell them what they want to hear than from someone who has a dangerous amount of expertise on a subject that might undermine any pre-conceived party political standpoint.

In all seriousness, the implication of these appointments is that there are no Conservatives with the capability or talent to carry out these roles. Because their aren't. Where will it end? Next we'll be entering into some sort of coalition government with a party who hold different views on key policy and we'll try and muddle along and not fall out and pretend to form policy based on the best interests of the country rather than some deep rooted ideological whim.

A final thought? Perhaps they should go the whole hog and appoint me as a "Knee jerk blogging Czar"...or a Czar Czar to oversee all of these other Czars. They could call me Czar Czar Abhor.