The hardest job in Britain?

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Monday, October 17, 2011 - 6:43 AM Share

Q: What do these six people have in common?: Geoff Hoon, John Reid, Des Browne, John Hutton, Bob Ainsworth, Liam Fox.

A: Over the last six years, all have served as the British chief of defense.

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EXPLORE:BRITAIN, MILITARY
 

OTHER RANKS

12:03 PM ET

October 17, 2011

Doesn't look like it

Hoon- to Transport
Reid- to Home
Browne- reshuffle, left the Government
Hutton- resigned, didn't run for reelection
Ainsworth- Labor lost election
Fox- resigned over scandal

Seems like the usual parliamentary system at work. An election and a couple of cabinet reshuffles account for most of it.

In the same time, there have been 6 Work & Pension and Scotland secretaries, 5 Transport, Home, Culture, and Local Government secretaries, and 4 Business, Environment, Health, Wales, and Foreign Affairs secretaries.

 

OLDLOAD

2:36 PM ET

October 17, 2011

UK SECDEF?

Have to wonder if everyone is punching out of a "no-win" position with senior military leaders on one side trying to keep their services functional despite an unceasing assault and "death from a thousand cuts" versus MPs and senior civil servants who need to keep funding bloated jobs programs and unempoyment benefits from a public that now expects thems as god-given rights? Watch carefully as I fear we are headed down the same path.

 

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post from 2000 through 2008.

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