Week in Westminster - 23/01/2010

Steve Richards looks behind the scenes at Westminster this week. Much has been said about the conduct of Tony Blair's cabinet, particularly in relation to the war in Iraq. Margaret Beckett was foreign secretary from 2006 to 2007 and before that secretary of state for the environment. She talks of her own experience in cabinet. A new group, Charter 2010, has launched a website arguing that a hung parliament could be beneficial in the current financial circumstances, if properly planned for. Lord Owen and Labour peer Lord Chandos, founding members of this group, make the case for stable power sharing. This week the left-wing Compass group held a conference in London on the future of the centre-left in Europe. Neal Lawson of Compass and Thorben Albrecht of Germany's SPD analyse the problems they face. It seems many of the posts for parliamentary private secretaries are not being filled at the moment. Former MP Gyles Brandeth reveals the secrets of this particular path to power.