I think Margaret Beckett MP summed it up best with her word – Interesting.

The new Shadow Cabinet offers a fresh start for Labour, which members of the Party, like me, should feel very proud about, I would humbly submit. Instead of paid-for members like Warsi, we have a wide-ranging Shadow Cabinet to be revealed of many talents. You wouldn’t expect Ed Miliband MP, the Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition, to pick a lot of randoms from his nearest primary school (in fact, in Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, where I attended his hustings). He has clearly described that he wants a new generation of ideas, which, as a full member of the Fabian Society, Progress and Compass, I can say we are fully developing at the moment. These are critical times for the Labour Party. We cannot rely on the unpopularity of the cuts; they are bound to be unpopular. However, we shouldn’t let the Tories and Liberal Democrats steal our clothes of ‘fairness’, especially when there is considerable objective evidence that their economic policies are not fair.

The actual choice was very much not to my liking. OK, the top jobs went to Ed Balls MP or Ed Balls supporters, but the placing of Alan Johnson MPas Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, and, let’s face it, a daft choice and a gift to the Tories. I like him enormously as a person, but, on the basis of meritocracy rather than ill-founded egalitarianism, one of the principal favourites with outstanding degrees actually in economics should have awarded this crucial post. However, the fact that he is in this post is important for the David Miliband MP supporters, given how many of David’s preferred cabinets appear to have emerged in the Shadow Cabinet elections. I have no doubt, however, that Alan Johnson will be able to put in a combative performance on the 21st October 2010 for the comprehensive spending review.

I sincerely hope that John Healey MP makes some mark in health, because he was virtually non-existent in housing, his previous post. I am hoping that his many supporters know something that I don’t know; and, yes, housing was one of those issues (like immigration) that helped Labour to lose the election. Moving Andy Burnham MP to education, however, is a sensible move for him, as he will not wish to be compartmentalised as a one-agenda band (i.e. health), should he (and many people hope that he) decide to stand for Leader again. Personally, I would have liked to see Hillary Benn MP awarded with a much more senior position, but the one that he has been given may be one entirely of his own volition. Finally, Yvette Cooper MP as the Shadow Foreign Secretary is no less than she deserves, as we all know she is a likely future leader of our Party possibly.

I think the reshuffle works, but only just.