Can she really beat Ken AND then Boris? I’ve been taken to task by a couple of people within London Labour for my contention in several recent posts that Ken Livingstone is a near certainty in this summer’s race for the party nomination to take on Boris in the next London mayoral election. This will be voted on by individual party members and trade union levy payers in September’s postal ballot that will run alongside the Labour leader ship election…
The shopworkers go with Mili-major At the end of September it will be the second anniversary of the famous picture of David Miliband with the banana which could coincide with his victory in Labour’s leadership election. For whatever you think of his unworldliness you cannot but admire the efficiency with which he has gone about his campaign. He roped in the most MPs to nominate him and now he’s opened the rush to get union support with a decision today…
Surely he should be saying something substantive? Listeners to Radio 5Live this morning were treated to a furious attack on Mr. David Miliband by former Lib Dem leader, Paddy Ashdown following his “dumb waiter” description of Nick Clegg. (Listen here after about 2 hours and 28 minutes) It provoked Ashdown to reveal for the first time how the elder Miliband failed to respond on that critical Tuesday when a LAB-LD deal looked possible. If DM had acted then maybe the…
Could there be dangers in ceding the centre ground? The Evening Standard political writer, Paul Waugh, has made an astute observation about the Labour leadership race – it is taking the party leftwards. He noted: “…..David Miliband came up with a string of policies that will gladden the hearts of party activists and trade unions. Axeing £100million tax breaks for private schools was an easy hit and one that – surely completely unintentionally – drew attention to Diane Abbott’s praise…
Could a Labour poll transform the betting? The big gap for punters on this race is a poll of those entitled to vote in September’s election. I was half expecting one for the Sunday Times last weekend and maybe we’ll see something tomorrow. I’ve had no indication that such a survey is taking place and if a Labour or a trade union member has been invited to take part in such a poll then it would be great if you…
Is EdM the one to be betting on? I had this email from one of PB’s best informed Labour posters, Henry G Manson, which I’m sure he won’t mind me making more public. “I think Ed Miliband is perfectly placed to win. I literally don’t know anybody who isn’t planning to vote for him in their top 3 and in most people’s top 2. He’s going to mop up lots and lots of transfers. The Blairite wing like him because…
Is the 15 week campaign really a good idea? Yesterday George Osborne announced massive changes in the way that the country financial institutions are regulated overturning much that Mr. Brown had put in place in his first few weeks as chancellor in 1997. Today we saw Danny Alexander making his big statement on which of Labour’s pet programmes of the pre-election period are going to be axed. Next week Osborne will take centre stage again for his first budget which…
Was Cam right to get on the band-wagon? Suddenly how the Mili-brothers, particularly David, look is becoming a leadership election issue. Ed Miliband supporters are said to have a sticker which says simply “Ed speaks human”. Iain Martin in the Wall Street Journal wrote: “David Miliband looks, in theory, like the grown-up but it is obvious that he is a man stuck on planet politics trying to do an impression of a leader who understands people (â€I’m realâ€). “ And…