Ray Collins did two things last week which politicians don’t usually do. First, he expressed an unfashionable view to a difficult audience because he thought it needed saying. Then – once he realised that he’d overdone it – he apologised even though he didn’t have to.
He might reply that he is not a politician. That he is foremost a trade unionist, and that as Labour’s General Secretary he is merely an appointed official; the servant of the party.
In fact, he is a skilfull politician who has wielded an influence as general secretary not seen since Tony Blair wrested it from Larry Whitty and never gave it back. (more…)
“Conventional wisdom holds that David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, is the favourite. But Kinnock’s intervention may change all that. He is convinced that it is David’s younger, less well known brother, Ed, who has the “special qualities” needed to inspire party and country.” – The Observer
“Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock came out in support of Ed Miliband in the race to succeed Gordon Brown. In an interview with The Observer, Lord Kinnock said that he believed that the former energy secretary had the qualities needed to bring voters back to Labour. “I would say he has got the X-factor, especially where X is the sign you put on the voting slip at election time,” he said.” – The Mail on Sunday
“TODAY The People announces its support for Ed Miliband as Labour’s next leader. We do so because the defeated and exhausted Labour Party desperately needs new blood at the top if it is to become an effective opposition. We do so because Mr Miliband the younger is untainted by the grievous errors of the past, particularly the unjustified invasion of Iraq.” – The People
Blunkett backs Burnham
“Mr Blunkett is understood to think that the other leading candidates – David and Ed Miliband and Ed Balls – are too obsessed with working out why Labour lost middle class voters. Last night he said: “It is absolutely crucial that we fight the next election and the one after that – not refight the 2005 and 2010 elections, which is always a danger in contests of this sort. “I’m also extremely keen that there should be the widest possible field and that this should include candidates with a vision of the future. “That’s why I’ve indicated that I’m prepared to nominate Andy Burnham, to widen the field and to provide a genuine debate which reflects the different elements not just of the Labour Party but, more crucially, of the electorate on which we will be reliant for a return to office.” – News of the World
Brotherly love
“The battle between the Milibands for the Labour leadership threatened to turn nasty last night as supporters of Ed, the younger brother, were accused of smearing David as an “android”. The Sunday Times has learnt that MPs acting for Ed Miliband have rung activists urging them not to back his brother as he lacks the “human touch”. “They are saying David is too geeky,” said one MP. In at least one instance a supporter of Ed Miliband claimed that David behaved like a “robotic android”.” – The Telegraph
Iraq haunts leadership battle
“David Miliband clashed yesterday with his brother Ed over the decision to invade Iraq… as they fought it out for the Labour leadership. Ed Miliband and rival candidate Ed Balls both criticised the 2003 assault on Saddam Hussein yesterday in the six-way battle for the top job. Mr Balls said the invasion had been a “mistake” for which Britain had paid a heavy price, while Ed Miliband said that it had resulted in a “catastrophic loss of trust” for Labour.” – The Sunday Mirror
David Miliband defends position on Iraq – ITN
“Ed Balls and Ed Miliband, both former aides of Gordon Brown, identified the Tony Blair-led war in Iraq as a mistake that led to a loss of trust. Meanwhile David Miliband, the front-runner and former foreign secretary, begged his party not to make Iraq a main issue and instead to focus on the future. His plea for old wounds not to be re-opened was backed by the former health secretary, Andy Burnham, who said he believed Iraq would not become an issue in the leadership contest.” – The Herald
“David Miliband attempted to shift the focus of the Labour leadership debate away from the Iraq conflict yesterday, after two of his main rivals criticised the decision to go to war in 2003.The former foreign secretary, who supported Tony Blair over the hugely controversial invasion, claimed that it was “time to move on” from the war, amid concerns that it would become a divisive issue during the leadership campaign.” – The Independent on Sunday
“The former foreign secretary admitted that the 2003 conflict had been a divisive issue within Labour in the past, but claimed it did not need to be a “source of division in the future”. He spoke out after two of his rivals in the race to succeed Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, both spoke out firmly against the war. Mr Balls, the former schools secretary, told The Daily Telegraph that the invasion had been a “mistake” for which Britain paid a heavy price while Ed Miliband, the former climate change secretary, said it had resulted in a “catastrophic loss of trust” for Labour.” – The Sunday Telegraph
Queens Speech leaked
“A late draft of the Queen’s Speech, obtained by this newspaper, reveals that the Government will spell out an ambitious programme of at least 21 Bills to be introduced in the next 18 months. Within days, the coalition Government intends to bring in key school reforms and scrap plans for ID cards. A radical programme of political reform will get under way in the following weeks. The speech has “freedom, fairness and responsibility” as its main themes and contains many key policies demanded by the Liberal Democrats as the price for their entry into the coalition government.” – The Sunday Telegraph
John McDonnell was always going to struggle to get on the ballot paper. With only one other candidate standing, he couldn’t manage it in 2007. Five other candidates this time made it almost impossible. Once Diane Abbott split the far left vote, it moved into miracle territory.
More telling was that left-wing MPs like Linda Riordan and David Hamilton have, at the outset, come out for Ed Miliband, while Davey Anderson has backed Balls.
David Hamilton is a proper, no-nonsense left-winger from Middlothian. He grew up in the National Union of Mineworkers when that meant something. He went to prison during the 1984-5 miners’ strike. Dick Gaughan’s song about the miners’ strike salutes Davey Hamilton. If you were looking for a totally straightforward, implacably left-wing, tell-it-like-is, bow-his-head-to-no-man Labour MP like they used to make ’em, you couldn’t find a more impressive one than Davey Hamilton. He is the only man in the Parliamentary Labour Party who might beat Eric Joyce in a physical fight.
It is significant, in which case, that Hamilton is backing Ed Miliband. It gives the lie to the notion that the far left will eat the Labour party now that we have lost. In truth, there is less point to the Campaign Group now than there has ever been. Which is saying a lot.
McDonnell is mounting a valiant rearguard. He is an impressive campaigner and an excellent Member of Parliament. Sadly for him, though, neither that nor old friends in small unions will likely be enough.
Yesterday I announced my intention to seek enough support to be able to go forward as a candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party.
It is a big step but one I am ready to take. I have been a proud member of the Party for 25 years. In that time, I have served it at every level. In the last five years, I have held demanding Ministerial briefs, including Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Throughout all the ups and downs of Government, I always put loyalty to the Party and both leaders first and foremost.
My reason for standing is because I have a clear vision of how I think we need to rebuild our Party for new times. We must become a more modern, open and campaigning force for good.
We must reconnect with our own members and grassroots, bringing the wider Labour family back together.
We must reconnect with young people. I want it always to be the case that Labour is where all young people look first if they want to change the world.
And, above all, we must reconnect with the people who have lost confidence in Labour in recent years. I believe I can reach those people and ensure that their concerns are always our concerns. (more…)
Now, with the Lib Con alliance established, Mr Balls can pursue his own ideas. Though he will not say so, there is a sense of relief that his closest ties with Mr Brown are finally severed. “I had more blazing rows with him than anyone. You had to do that sometimes to shut Gordon up.” The leadership fight is, he says, long overdue. “History will show it would have been better if Gordon stood [against Tony Blair] in 1994 and there had been a contest in 2007.” – The Telegraph
“Look, I went through the Brown-Blair deal of 1994. I think it’s much better for the party that we have this contest. The one thing I am certain about is that David and I being in this contest will ensure this is a contest of comrades and not people trying to do each other in.” – Ed Miliband, The Guardian
“Ed Balls is struggling to gain enough support to challenge for the Labour leadership, it was claimed last night. A well-placed Labour source said Mr Balls was having difficulty in winning the backing of the 33 MPs needed to secure his nomination.” – The Daily Mail
“Ed Miliband’s supporters do not like comparing him to his brother and there is a noticeable absence of war (and major policy differences). When pressed, they say David offers brains without charisma while Ed offers both and can therefore reconnect with Labour’s lost supporters while uniting the party. Ed Miliband’s critics claim he lacks the experience or instant judgement to handle unexpected events and would offer compromises rather than strong leadership – more Neil Kinnock (one of his main sponsors) than Mr Blair. Mr Brown is said to have described Ed Miliband as “a cross between an academic and a preacher”.” – The Independent
“The party’s ruling National Executive Committee wants to bar union bosses from writing to individual members to tell them how to vote in the contest. It has also imposed a £156,000 cap on spending by each candidate to limit any advantage for contenders whose campaigns are financed by unions. MPs were today speculating that the big loser under the reforms could be shadow education secretary Ed Balls, who is expected to win the backing of Unite general secretary Derek Simpson and other union leaders.” – The Evening Standard
“ED BALLS has been pushed out to 10/1 with Ladbrokes to be the next Labour leader as punters have deserted the ex Cabinet minister. Andy Burnham has replaced him as the shortest priced alternative to the Miliband brothers – at 8/1 – as support for the former Health Secretary continues. Diane Abbott has also shortened to 20/1 (from 25/1). David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “We’ve barely seen a penny for Balls in the past few days. Of the big players he seems to have the least momentum. Burnham is on the charge.”” – Live Odds
Iraq
“Ed Balls, the former education secretary, on Friday night became the first Labour leadership contender to condemn the invasion of Iraq by unequivocally saying it had been “wrong”. The comments, which were partially echoed by Ed Miliband, suggest a determination of the new generation of Labour high-fliers to distance themselves from the Brown-Blair years.” – Jim Pickard, The FT
“Two of the candidates attempting to become the next Labour leader have criticised the decision to invade Iraq. Ed Balls, the former children’s secretary, told the Daily Telegraph the war was “wrong” and “a mistake”. And in an interview with the Guardian former energy secretary Ed Miliband said the way the decision to go to war was taken “led to a catastrophic loss of trust in Labour”.” – The BBC
“Mr Balls said: “On the information we had we shouldn’t have prosecuted the war. We shouldn’t have changed our argument from international law to regime change in a non-transparent way. Saddam Hussein was a horrible man. I’m pleased he is no longer running Iraq. But the war was wrong.”” – The Mirror
Few expect Andy Burnham to become the next Labour Leader.
Too northern, too nice, too normal, seems to be the verdict of the metropolitan chattering classes. And maybe too Labour?
Burnham is certainly not an intellectual like the Brothers Miliband. Nor a bruiser like Balls. Nor on the margins like McDonnell and Abbott.
He is mainstream, hard-working, unspectacular. Neither left nor right, neither Blairite nor Brownite. But most certainly Labourite. And maybe these are just the qualities the party now needs to re-build and refocus? (more…)
On the Today programme this morning, Diane Abbott explained her surprise candidacy for the leadership of the Labour party thus:
“If not now, when? And if not me, who?”
This was a very Abbottian remark. She is better read and has a better ear for language than most MPs. Politics is all about ideas and communication, so it is bizarre that so few British MPs read books or respect words. Abbott does both, which is as much to her credit as it is to the rest of their shame.
No surprise, in which case, that her Soundbite for the Day was a literary reference. Slightly more dissonant, though, were the sources. (more…)
“Labour’s acting boss Harriet Harman must be tearing her posh hair out. The party leadership battle is turning into Mad Hattie’s tea party. Six hats are in the ring: David and Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, left-winger John McDonnell and Diane Abbott. This is becoming a Whitehall farce, with insufficient room on the stage for all the competing egos.” – The Mirror
“This contest has been anticipated for years. The line-up is roughly as predicted. But there is an unexpected context: in ways that many in the Labour Party are yet to appreciate, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has redefined the demands and prospects of opposition, as well as the shape of government.” – The Economist
“So we must be both a responsible Opposition and a strong and effective fighting force in Parliament. Because if we do not speak up for working people when their public services are threatened and their children’s futures are put at risk, then no
one will. So we must stand together and stand up to the Tories and the Lib Dems. I believe Labour’s secret weapon will be our ability and willingness to listen.” – Ed Balls, The Mirror
“Brothers David Miliband, 44, and Ed Miliband, 40, have shared almost everything in life, including a dark, serious appearance that often causes them to be mistaken for one another. First, they were classmates at Oxford, then Labour Party activists and writers, then fellow members of Parliament, then senior cabinet ministers in Gordon Brown’s government.Only now, as these political celebrities are running against each other to replace Mr. Brown as leader of the Labour Party, is it becoming apparent to casual observers that there are actual differences between the Miliband boys.” – Globe and Mail
Diane Abbott leadership bid
“The Labour leadership election gained a new lease of life today as parliament’s first black female MP, Diane Abbott, entered the race and the party extended the deadline for nominations, giving extra time for new candidates to emerge. Declaring her surprise decision to run, Abbott said all the other candidates “looked the same” and promised to fight to recapture the civil liberties agenda from the coalition of Tories and Liberal Democrats. “I looked at the field and said: ‘If not now, when? And if not me, who?'” she told Radio 4’s Today programme.” – The Guardian
“The first step would be to revive internal party democracy. If we had had genuine party democracy and a real voice for members, then the Labour government would have avoided some of its more obvious blunders, like raising pensions by a provocatively tiny eight pence, doing away with the 10p tax rate and (above all) the illegal war in Iraq. Furthermore, the reason we now have such a narrow choice of candidates to choose from is that the internal democratic structures of the party, which once provided a ladder for talent from all its wings, have been allowed to wither away.” – Diane Abbott, The Independent
“The field of candidates expanded to six after Andy Burnham, the former Health Secretary, and then Ms Abbott joined the race. Ms Abbott, a left-winger and Britain’s first black woman MP, is gatecrashing a leadership election that appeared to be a battle between five white men.” – The Times
Change is everywhere. And what could be better than change? It makes people wealthier, more free, more educated, enhances our status and opens boundless opportunities for all. Time for a change? It’s always time for a change.
The problem is that for a good portion of people ‘change’ is not something to celebrate. It is rather something to be anxious about. It makes you work harder. It means that a family needs two incomes rather than one. It generates insecurity and consumer demands that become increasingly impossible to meet. Not without maxing out on credit anyway. And suddenly not only your work but the entire financial structure of your life is at risk. Global financial crises tend to be local in their impact.
Change or change fatigue? Well, actually this election was a mixture of both. One Britain – change and comfort Britain – largely stuck with Labour. AB support for the party declined by a relatively modest 6% according to Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner and by 2% amongst C1s. Amongst C2s it fell by 13% and by 11% amongst DEs. The country was divided in two. (more…)
The election for Labour leader is not just about the future of the Labour Party. It’s about the future of our country. This contest has to be about the public first.
That’s why yesterday I launched my campaign to lead our party at a public meeting in Gedling, a marginal seat we held against the odds. On the way, I visited a pre-school playgroup in Basildon with our former colleague Angela Smith – a seat we must win to get back in to government.
Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll be meeting not just party members, but the public too, in town halls, community centres and homes right across the country. A debate which takes place only in Westminster – just in party meetings or think tank seminars so we can then present the public with what we have decided – cannot produce the ideas or forge the coalition needed to win power again.
Leadership is about being strong, about taking tough decisions, about taking people with you and building a consensus for change based on your values and what you stand for. But it must also be about genuinely listening and hearing first before you decide. (more…)
“Conventional wisdom holds that 
obsessed with working out why Labour lost middle class voters. Last night he said: “It is absolutely crucial that we fight the next election and the one after that – not refight the 2005 and 2010 elections, which is always a danger in contests of this sort. “I’m also extremely keen that there should be the widest possible field and that this should include candidates with a vision of the future. “That’s why I’ve indicated that I’m prepared to nominate Andy Burnham, to widen the field and to provide a genuine debate which reflects the different elements not just of the Labour Party but, more crucially, of the electorate on which we will be reliant for a return to office.” – 
“The battle between the Milibands for the Labour leadership threatened to turn nasty last night as supporters of Ed, the younger brother, were accused of smearing David as an “android”. The Sunday Times has learnt that MPs acting for Ed Miliband have rung activists urging them not to back his brother as he lacks the “human touch”. “They are saying David is too geeky,” said one MP. In at least one instance a supporter of Ed Miliband claimed that David behaved like a “robotic android”.” – 
