Cue the jokes.

The kids are off. MPs are off. Gordon is on holiday and Harriet's 'minding the shop'. Mandy's on the roam and Cameron's being a twat, on twitter of course. (Radio 4's The Now Show has an awesome take on twitter-gate, highly recommended!)

Yeap, it's silly season alright.

But before turning to the take on Mandy's surge for power or Harriet Harperson's latest ramblings, I'd like to point towards one of Skipper's excellent posts. Briefly paraphrasing, Oxford's Professor Vernon Bogdanor puts forward the view that, since 1997, Britain has undergone whole-sale constitutional reform effectively turning Britain into a quasi federal state. Personally, I can see a great deal of merit in this argument, something which seems an increasingly important factor ahead of the impending general election.

Anyway, well worth a read and something I'd recommend.

From the serious to the stupid now. Harriet Harman's seized the opportunity of setting up her tent in Downing St. this week. Gordon has popped off and we seemingly face a problem: who's now in charge. Analysing British Politics has a good take on these events. In essence though it seems a question of one thing: who'll lead Labour after Gordon has gone?

We've also seen more ministers take their own line this week. The Ministry of Defence has again faced charges of 'undercutting' service personnel and being driven by the wrong ambitions. This time by one of its own ministers, Eric Joyce. He coined current thinking as 'profoundly unfair', relating to the decision to appeal against compensation awards for injured personnel.

I see no reason why ministers can't take such a line, critiquing policy which obviously proves widely unpopular. Indeed, the decision to keep Joyce should be welcomed in an age of keeping ministers 'on message'. Of course recognizing the need for party unity (and thus ensuring the smooth running of government) I do share a great deal of empathy with ministers effectively forced to defend policies they themselves clearly object to.

And finally, staying with silly season, anyone remember those calls that the days of big bonuses should end? Someone ought to try telling this lot. Oh, wait...

Sorry for the rather short update. WiFi connection is a bit of a problem and am currently surrounded by boxes and bags. Hope you're all having a good summer so far.

Johnson announces ID Card u-turn.

Chris Huhne, Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman, summed it up quite nicely,

"This is another nail in the coffin for the government's illiberal ID cards policy"

So, it looks as though ID cards are slowly being shown the door, asked to sit down and slowly forgotten about.

Make no mistake, removing the compulsory element of these cards signals the death nail for ID cards, with continuous polls revealing their unpopularity - particularly when the cost of the proposal, estimated to be near £100, was factored in.

However, the announcement today is an interesting one for several reasons. Leaving aside the obvious issue of appearing 'tough on terror', Alan Johnson appears to have made a distinctive move towards, pardon the pun, burying the hatchet that the Home Office is a graveyard.

When Johnson was shuffled across in the recent botched reshuffle considered opinion held the view that it was an attempt to 'neutralise' the former Postie. Reports however suggest the u-turn was not at the behest of the Prime Minister, rather a clear and vocal reminder that Mr Johnson remains very much aware for his own political career.

But, like so much of the government's current strategy, what remains crucial is where Mr Mandelson's hands lie.

+++ Smith to stand down +++

I suppose the top line to emerge from today's political summaries is this: Gordon's imminent reshuffle shall be wide-ranging.

Jacqui Smith, who has faced questions to her authority from a very early stage as Home Secretary. announced she is to leave at the next reshuffle of Cabinet. One question though, in the midst the news of Smith's departure, really demonstrates the current fault lines running deep under Number 10 at the moment - that question? Who leaked the news of Smith's exit?

Undoutedly such a move has taken some of Gordon's much needed 'authority', appearing to fire Smith as a radical and bold move. Simularly, changing Darling and Miliband would have sent a further signal of Gordon's 'authorative' leadership.

It also however demonstrates that Gordon's adminstration is looking to after Gordon. If Smith leaked the details she will have done so to protect her own interests, jumping before she was pushed. If Mandelson is behind the leak it shall, again, demonstrate his considerable abilities within the 'dark arts' - sending a warning signal to both Brown and Balls. The final suspect, Balls, could equally have seen this as a perfect moment to signal Darling's move (presumably to the Home Office) thus clearing the way for his own move to No. 11. Gordon has always faced charges of 'delaying' and being in-decisive. Today's news shall undoutedly further support such a claim.

Add to this the news that the following MPs shall be leaving Parliament, Margaret Moran, Ben Chapman, David Chaytor, Ian McCartney, John Smith, Patricia Hewitt, Beverley Hughes and Michael Martin and what do you get? A very bleak picture for the Parliamentary party.

So, with the daggers well and truly being sharpened Gordon's handling of the EU elections could, perhaps, prove a key moment. Sink or swim if you like.

Drawing the battle lines

Well, she seems completely out of the loop.

I refer, of course, to Jeremy Paxman's interview with Harriet Harman. His news summary of the incident, 'Well, that was interesting' seemed suitably apt.

Interesting indeed. Take a look. (about 20mins in). Try not to laugh too much.

The hustings seemed to have kicked off last weekend with Hoon and Purnell both staking claims, much to the annoyance of Downing Street. Both, apparently, took to the new tactic of 'ducking'. Avoiding Gordon's calls until after the interviews were recorded.

It looks increasingly likely that Darling is to leave No. 11. He shall be replaced with Ed Balls. This isn't just for Ball's own greater sense of long term strategy but also I suspect an attempt to firm up Gordon's own base. Following the departure of McBride and shortly Tom Watson he shall face a difficult time without strong support.

Being Children's Secretary just isn't a strong enough position.

I also suspect it shall be an attempt to stave off the likes of Johnston and Miliband. So, in the game of fantasy cabinet re-shuffles who'll be going where? Well, Michael Crick of BBC Newsnight alluded to a number of rumours doing the rounds.

• Peter Mandelson shall move to the Foreign Office.
• David Miliband shall move to the Home Office. (Keep him sweet).
• Jacqui Smith shall return to the benchs.
• Alaister Darling shall then either go to Buisness and Enterprise or Childrens.
• James Purnell is also tipped to move across from his current responsibilies.

It shall be interesting to see whether Hazel Blears leaves Cabinet, it would certainly be seen as a provokative move - as she herself has already demonstrated.

We're off to button moon...

So, you're falling in the polls, you've found the builders in No. 11 and that summer (remember that summer?) seems to be coming to an end.

Where in the world would you want go?

Rolling Welsh hills, although a lifebouy is this summers must have accessory for Wales... or perhaps the Cornish coast? No? Then how about a city break to... Birmingham.

That's right, the organ master and his monkeys decended on Brum today to 'listen and learn'. Cabinet wondering around the streets of the second city looking for a KFC to crash in more like.

Perhaps what this better demonstrates (other than being a shameless publicity stunt from the man who vowed an end to the 'gimicks of politics') is that Gordon and Co. and keen to be different.

And very different they need to be today. Charged with delaying and lacking the gusto to make decisions the Cabinet as a whole (and particular the leader) seem to have lost the agenda - one of those all time great political cliches. But it holds a ring; whilst that golden carrot of the economy seems to have pulled the ladder up on Gordon and doesn't seem to want to come back down anytime soon he seems ineffectively and powerless to do anything.

But by being back in the heart of Labour territory (importantly also one of the keys of New Labour's grand success) it goes some way to showing a greater engagement and perhaps control with those who'll ultimately sign, or not sign, Gordon's P45...

But it is worth remembering the last time cabinet was held outside of Downing Street or Chequers was at Lloyd George's retreat... during a war. But we should never look to the past, right?