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Does anyone want to follow Iain Gray as the SLAB leader – anyone?

Does anyone want to follow Iain Gray as the SLAB leader – anyone?

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Henry G Manson on Labour’s challenge in Scotland The bookmakers were quick to develop a market for the successor to Labour’s Iain Gray after he announced his resignation in May. Months on, Gray is still in place, there is no timetable for the contest and currently no eligible candidates declared. Earlier this summer I tipped Ken McIntosh and went reasonably big on him on the grounds he was the party’s best remaining communication. It now seems in there’s a chance…

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Will the other Ed be leader within the year?

Will the other Ed be leader within the year?

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Is it worth the 14/1 on offer?   Ed Miliband’s decision to publicly criticise and oppose the striking public sector workers this week was a brave and for him, a potentially dangerous one. It didn’t help that Miliband’s own advocacy of the line was less than convincing, as HenryG pointed out in yesterday’s thread. It’s true that the unions involved aren’t affiliated to the Labour Party but they do contain many Labour supporters (all the more with the Lib Dems involved in…

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… and Morus on Miliband

… and Morus on Miliband

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Is anyone satisfied with his leadership? With Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats receiving a pitiful 2.2% and losing their deposit in the Inverclyde by-election, and David Cameron’s government inspiring multi-union strikes and protests over pensions reform, it is simply astonishing that Ed Miliband is the major party leader under the most pressure at the moment. With many on the Left furious that he has taken the line that “the strikes are wrong”, he has not helped his case with the single…

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Was this worse than Paxman v Howard?

Was this worse than Paxman v Howard?

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Click to play Henry G on Friday In defence of Michael Howard it was rottweiler interviewer Jeremy Paxman who made him repeat himself 14 times. What is Ed Miliband’s excuse? This is a truly weak and bizarre spectacle and entirely self-inflicted. There is a growing feeling that ‘he’s not up to the job’. On a wider point I don’t think Ed Miliband appreciates how much damage he has done to himself over his weak folding over industrial action. If he…

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Are the LDs on the way to regaining Labour tactical votes?

Are the LDs on the way to regaining Labour tactical votes?

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The Friday column by Henry G Manson Yesterday Mike asked if the NHS changes are helping Nick Clegg’s party? They don’t appear to be in terms of substantially changing the opinion polls for the yellows which is scraping around 8-12% depending on which poll you look at. However I am increasingly of the view the NHS will bear fruit in future elections and that a fair few Labour people to consider tactically voting for them to hurt Conservatives again in…

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How Balls dealt with similar claims last year

How Balls dealt with similar claims last year

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A look again at his grilling by Andrew Neil This is from the BBC1 “This Week” programme during the 2010 Labour leadership election. Interestingly the lines he used with Andrew Neil are very similar to his reactions today. His problem is that so much has been written about the period and the revelations just seem to underpin what is already known. It’s hard to see how this won’t impinge on his leadership hopes. Mike Smithson

Can Labour win without David Miliband?

Can Labour win without David Miliband?

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The Henry G weekly column Labour has to do a hell of lot of work to get in fighting shape for contention at the next election. I’ll look at some of these issues in future columns. However it struck me straight after Ed Miliband’s election as Labour leader there were three seemingly ‘superficial’ things that had to be corrected before he really got a proper look-in at becoming Prime Minister. I know this makes me sound old-fashioned but the first…

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If Ken loses will it be Ed’s neck on the chopping block?

If Ken loses will it be Ed’s neck on the chopping block?

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HenryG on the challenges facing the Labour leader A significant article has just been published on the Tribune website – the journal of Labour’s heart and with longstanding union ties. It accurately sums up the frustrations many of us who supported Ed Miliband for Labour leadership have. It correctly identifies the importance of the London mayoral election and the growing unease at a tactical lack of unity behind Ken Livingstone’s campaign. It is my firm view that if Ken loses…

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