Gordon Brown spent a lot of last week saying he'd form a 'Government of all the talents'. It seemed to me a pretty silly thing to say, but it did get me thinking - who would I have in the Cabinet if I could have any current MP from any party? Here's my attempt:

Prime Minister

* David Cameron (Cons)

Chancellor of the Exchequer

* David Miliband (Labour)

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

* William Hague (Cons)

Secretary of State for Justice

* Nick Clegg (Lib Dems)

Secretary of State for the Home Department

* David Davis (Cons)

Secretary of State for Defence

* Hilary Benn (Labour)

Secretary of State for Health

* Alan Johnson (Labour)

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

* Chris Huhne (Lib Dem)

Secretary of State for International Development

* George Osborne (Cons)

Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

* Alistair Darling (Labour)

Leader of the House of Commons

* Angus MacNeil (SNP)

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

* Frank Field (Labour)

Secretary of State for Transport

* Jack Straw (Labour)

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

* Caroline Spelman (Cons)

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

* David Willetts (Cons)

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

* Glenda Jackson (Labour)

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland

* Douglas Alexander (Labour)

Leader of the House of Lords

* Lord Strathclyde (Cons)

Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills

* Boris Johnson (Cons) - obviously!

Who would be in yours?

Larry,

Not up to providing a list as comprehensive as yours, but one observation, please suggest someone other than Glenda Jackson - the worst sort of chip-on-the-shoulder, cruel-minded socialist.

To be honest, I was just struggling for someone to go in there - and she's the only one I can think of who has worked in the arts!

After having given it a bit more thought, I'd put Boris in her job and maybe give Sarah Teather a run at the Universities job. After all, it's only been five minutes since she was a student herself ;)

Agree Tim, Give the department of utter Joy to Boris.. exile Glenda to the outer mongolia or somewhere.

I like a lot of Larry's choices, not to sure of the chancellor though.

Alistair Darling obviously has some talents I was unaware of.. or is it just an incredibly brown nose.?

The best practitioner isn't always the right person to promote to management. We have a habit in this country of promoting people until we find their level of incompetence.

I can understand the difficulty in choosing someone for the post, perhaps we should be questioning whether it is right for the government to be so involved in this area at all?

Not Sarah Teather please... she is the most awful self righteous and sactimonious MP.. gives me nearly as severe a case of hives as Hazel's grin gives me the Heebie Jeebies.

No dedicated stand-alone department of Energy then, Liz.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Got to be Kate Hoey (Lab) in my mind. TB removed her because she would not "toe the party line". Strong willed, free thinking and, unusal for a labour MP, honest.

Hugh Robertson (Con) for Home Secretary.

David Davis as Deputy Leader.

As its a fantasy government, a new post of minister for immigration with (I know not now possible) Enoch Powell (ex Con) in charge.

Still uncommited on a choice for PM though.
Perhaps Robert Kilroy-Silk (Veritas)

May I ask why you would move David Miliband to Chancellor? I think he's very talented but does he really have the experience for such a role?

Permatan Veritas for PM, Smokeless? I must have missed your LoL or emoticon.
I can't understand why the man hasn't been sectioned yet, he's clearly unhinged!

If you want the best of talent from outside, it has to be Gorgeous George for PM.

Timbill its a fantasy government, I have always considered RKS as a person who it prepared to tell it like it is. Guess I'm just fed up with the lies and spin.

Yorker, yes another one who is not afraid to speak up. Perhaps too pro a muslim world order for my liking though.

I think Richard Branson for Chacellor of the exchequer would be good as well.

Secretary of State for Defence General Jackson.

Smokie, I agree about Kilroy. I'd always find a place for him, probably as Minister for Shafting Europe.

Well Kilroy Silk is beyong the beyonds... you would pee off every minority in existence.... while despising pc I still dislike bigotry.

And Gorgeous George... Georgie porgy pudding pie.. no thanks.. He has the silver tongue which I suspect is very forked.

I hear his voice and I know I am being shafted, and I am not even bending over.

Fantasy Put Silk in a ring with Pudding Pie and only one gets out.

Yorker
If none of the potential candidates had the ability to pass the lie detector test there would be no one to chose from, and hence no department!

Have you heard a NIMBY turns into BANANA? (Build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone)

When this was mooted at an energy meeting I pointed out that I was neither yellow nor bent!

I once said referring to the deception on wind turbines
"It will all come out in the wash"
Then they announced the London Array

Yorkie:

More like Minister for self-publicity. He doesn't tell it like it is, he tells it like the bigot he is hoping to find enough people to follow him, or failing that, to shock enough people to further his own celebrity. Bit like Gorgeous George in many respects.

So RKS made a faux pas on a light hearted national tv progam. It does not make him a bigot or a racist. Do others not make gaffs? Mandleson came to mind there or Archer, both got a second chance.

Smokeless, if you remove the bigotry accusation from my previous comment, the rest of it still stands. I disliked and distrusted him before his faux pas. His daytime telly programme was the worst kind of "presenter more important than content" drivel. I don't like well-made reality telly, but his programme was simply exploitative of the half-wits that went to the studio to air their dirty washing in public. It was an unforgivably bad piece of television, presented by a man who talks far more than he listens. But hey - you like the man, no problem. Personally, I think he's a few tinnies short of a six-pack and failing that, a pernicious self-publicist.