Pointless - Neil Hamilton

[horseshoes]

Title is not a statement!!!

On Pointless, a couple were asked to name cabinet ministers of the 1990s. They said Neil Hamilton and it was incorrect. When I looked him up, I found this:

"TV personality and former cabinet minister Neil Hamilton is to be guest of honour when Evercreech hosts a Christmas dinner party for the Somerton and Frome branch of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) for the first time".

So was he ever a cabinet minister or is the above report incorrect? Thank you.

[Zeuhl]

according to wiki:

//From April 1992 to October 1994, Hamilton was the "minister for deregulation and corporate affairs" in John Major's government.//

maybe those '2nd tier' jobs don't count as a seat in the cabinet?

[horseshoes]

Thanks Zeuhl. That's interesting. Surely a minister in the cabinet is a minister the cabinet and the young couple were correct. The prize was at £7250 so a shame if they lost it.

[jno]

only about 20 ministers are in the cabinet. There are dozens who aren't.

List here

http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/government-and-opposition1/her-majestys-government/

then filter it by Ministers A-Z

[Jomlett]

https://twitter.com/PointlessPlay/status/403945557112406016/photo/1

[horseshoes]

Thanks jno. I think they're the present ones. The question was about the cabinets in the 1990s.

[horseshoes]

Jomlett, there were lots more pointless answers in that category. Unfortunately, Neil Hamilton wasn't one of them, but my question concerns the fact that perhaps he should have been.

[Hopkirk]

I very much doubt that minister for deregulation and corporate affairs was a cabinet post.

[New Judge]

Yes, jno is quite correct.

The post that Mr Hamilton held was not a cabinet post. You will note, for example, that Rt Hon Mr Mark Francois MP (Con) is billed as "Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)". The Cabinet Minister in his department is Rt Hon Mr Philip Hammond MP (Con) (Secretary of State for Defence).

[jno]

no, then as now lots of ministers weren't in the cabinet, and Hamilton was one of them.

[Zeuhl]

I think jno's point stands

as the current list shows there are many government ministers who may attend Cabinet but aren't members of it; the Cabinet consists of Secretary of State roles plus Chancellor of Exchequer, PM etc

[horseshoes]

Ok. Thank you. So in actual fact, it's that article which is wrong. I'm glad, because I'd have been disappointed if the programme had been incorrect.

[Zeuhl]

Indeed horse

He could be described as an ex 'government minister'

but not an ex 'cabinet minister'

[jno]

the report you quote seems to have come from a Ukip pess release. As Hamilton is now in Ukip, it's possible they exaggerated his CV a little. It certainly omits the more discreditable parts of his career.

[horseshoes]

Jno, you've probably hit the nail on the head there!

[sandyRoe]

Hamilton, he of the brown envelopes? Is he in UKIP now?

[Jomlett]

From wiki.."In September 2011, Hamilton attended the annual conference of the United Kingdom Independence Party and let it be known that he was available to assist it. The party's leader Nigel Farage pledged to support him in the election for the National Executive Committee. Hamilton was elected to the committee on 1 November 2011."

[sandyRoe]

You can tell a man who boozes by the company he chooses. At that the pig got up and slowly walked away.
why did UKIP and Hamilton bring bring that lyric to mind?

[needawin]

This is pointless!