Surviving the reshuffle!
| 18:25 UK time, Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Hallowe'en can be a spooky time of year - especially if you are an Ulster Unionist MLA waiting to hear what your new leader has in mind for your future.
Tom Elliott made his decisions public at a news conference today but hinted there were a few changes still to be announced by the end of the week.
Mr Elliott's changes were not much of a surprise. It was widely known he would not move Michael McGimpsey from health (because it's a complex department and there's no time for a new person to settle in before an election - the official line). And it's also not a surprise that Sir Reg Empey, the former leader, lost his post, as this small department was easier to fill and all new leaders want to be able to show they have some power of patronage. Sir Reg was able to go to Washington last week for the US-NI Investment Conference, and was still a minister yesterday for his 63rd birthday (Happy belated Birthday Sir Reg - you know you share a birthday with Hillary Clinton and yours truly.)
His one consolation - besides his impeccable manners, and the fact he seems to be able to keep his head when all around him are losing theirs - is his future elevation. Yes, he could be wearing ermine soon. Word has it Sir Reg is heading for the Lords, while intending to stand again in East Belfast. And he is going to join the Justice and Education committees.
Basil McCrea didn't get a big job - but he got to keep his post on the Policing Board (so far.) Well, he has been good as gold since the leadership contest, and quiet as a mouse. (Basil - Ring me!) And while he has few friends in the assembly team - he did practically call some of them lazy during the leadership campaign - his best friend at Stormont, John McCallister, MLA for South Down, has been promoted to deputy leader. That's Danny Kennedy's old job but he's not crying over it. He's got the Executive job at last. Danny Kennedy joked as he arrived at the Department of Employment and Learning that he was an "overnight success after 25 years." He was clearly delighted and raced right in to shake hands with the security staff, before getting down to business. That is trying to replace the 30,000 jobs about to go in the public sector with private sector ones.
Speaking of jobs, Basil McCrea has also been given a position on the UUP election committee alongside the leader. There had been whispers at Stormont that bruiser Basil would be given the chairmanship of the First and Deputy First Minister's committee - taking on Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness. Basil McCrea might be able to find out what happened to the Single Equality Bill. Instead, Mr Elliott has decided to take that post himself. It is high profile and he did keep his promise not to take a ministerial post ahead of the election.
So that leaves David McNarry not one bit frightened over Hallowe'en. He's still vice-chairman of the Finance Committee, putting the fear of God into the Department of Finance with his talk of black holes. They hate that expression in Finance! He's also the justice spokesman.
Anyway, you can log onto the Ulster Unionist website for the rest of the changes, in case you are going to a pub quiz and you're asked who the Agriculture or Environment spokesman is.
As for me, I'm going home now to rest my voice which got wonderfully deeper when I crossed the Atlantic into Washington last week, but my throat hurts like heck!
In the meantime, we can all try to guess what new title Sir Reg might adopt.
I'm 
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