Icewoman uses flint to spark a fire

Can anyone keep up with the number of ministers leaving Gornless Gordon's Cabinet of their own free will?

Following on from James Purnell last night, today we had Geoff Hoon and John Hutton.

But one of the resignations has left us feeling somewhat confused dot 'con'.

Yup, the Icewoman who freezeth - New World Order Minister Caroline Flint - has told Gormless McBuffoon that he can stuff it.

But hang on a minute... isn't this the same Icewoman who we watched on Sky News last night giving a forceful freezing to questions about her future, pledging her undying loyalty to Incapability Brown?

So, what provoked such a fierce freezing to his Gormlessness in her 'stuff you' letter..?

She wrote:

"Dear Gordon

I believe the achievements of the Labour Government to date have been monumental and you have played an immense part in the creation of those achievements.

However, I am extremely disappointed at your failure to have an inclusive Government.

You have a two tier Government. Your inner circle and then the remainder of Cabinet.

I have the greatest respect for the women who have served as full members of Cabinet and for those who attend as and when required.

However, few are allowed into your inner circle.

Several of the women attending Cabinet – myself included – have been treated by you as little more than female window dressing.

I am not willing to attend Cabinet in a peripheral capacity any longer.

In my current role, you advised that I would attend Cabinet when Europe was on the agenda. I have only been invited once since October and not to a single political Cabinet – not even the one held a few weeks before the European elections.

Having worked hard during this campaign, I would not have been party to any plan to undermine you or the Labour Party in the run up to 4 June.

So I was extremely angry and disappointed to see newspapers briefed with invented stories of my involvement in a "Pugin Room plot".

Time and time again I have stepped before the cameras to sincerely defend your reputation in the interests of the Labour Party and the Government as a whole. I am a natural party loyalist. Yet you have strained every sinew of that loyalty.

It has been apparent for some time that you do not see me playing a more influential role in the Government. Therefore, I have respectfully declined your offer to continue in the Government as Minister for Europe attending Cabinet.

I served six years as a backbencher and, therefore, I am not unhappy to be able to devote myself to promoting my constituency's interests and to support the Labour Government from the backbenches.

This is a personal decision, which I have not discussed with colleagues.

Yours

Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP"

While we ponder what on earth provoked such an about turn from the Icewoman - global warming, perhaps? - we must take time to see in black and white what has got to the revolting WAGS... sorry, right words, wrong order. We meant 'got the WAGS revolting', obviously.

Yup, not only did Brown have his henchmen knife Blair, not only did he have everyone in ZaNuLiebour too terrified to run against him in a leadership challenge, not only did he bottle having a General Election because - so his explanation went - he was scared of winning it, not only has he stayed an unelected Prime Minister, not only has he stuffed up the economy... but he also uses woman as trophies for display and then he shuns them behind closed doors.

And still he keeps staying on and on in power. The Conservatives should pipe down. The longer he stays there, the more likely it is that the LibDems will join the Tories in a two party political system.

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More to follow - so much to catch up on from quite an eventful day.