Well, I agree with you that Labour's front bench is starting to get a little frayed - but that's almost to be expected after almost 10 years in power. Admittedly, Blair's last cabinet shuffle left me with a lot of question marks... I agree that Beckett as Foreign Secretary seems like a bad move - I thought Straw was doing a good job there, Beckett just seems like she's out of her league. I figured moving her there was a sign that Blair wanted to handle foreign policy more directly from No. 10 - taking a firmer hand on foreign affairs always seems to be the last refuge of leaders in trouble at home.

As for Reid, I was impressed by his performance as Defence Secretary, and by his handling of the terrorist cell as Home Secretary, which I've got to figure has to be the hardest job in the cabinet - but he seems to be excelling at it. He just strike me as this gruff, take no foolishness from anyone bulldog, which appeals to the Churchillian in me *L*... not that I think Reid is another Churchill... but then again, who is?

It's probably academic anyway - Brown has been the heir apparent for so long that it's pretty much obligatory that Labour gives him his shot. To me, Straw is the Foreign Secretary from central casting. I don't know Des Browne all that well, but he seems to be doing a credible job at Defence. You're right that Prescott has out-lived his political usefulness and is pretty much a liability... probably Reid will take his spot. I could see some of the second-tier cabinet like Peter Hain (Home?) or Hilary Benn (Chancellor?) or Alan Johnson (Health) moving up as well... so all-in-all, it seems to me like Labour still has a solid core of talent, and even if it is a little timeworn, it'll still probably be enough to see them through 2009, especially with Labour's seat lead.

As far as the Conservative front bench goes, aside from a few stars like Theresa May, I can't say I'm as familiar with them as you are (Government naturally gets more overseas attention), but wasn't Hague ousted as leader because "he didn't play well with others"? Or am I getting him confused with Iain Duncan Smith? (Lately it's been hard to keep track of Conservative leaders as they go by )