Miliband's future 'in UK politics'
David Miliband has turned down the possibility of a new career as "Europe's foreign secretary" - the post formally called EU high representative.
A friend of the foreign secretary has told me that "David sees his future in British politics".
Mr Miliband's decision follows lobbying from colleagues who have urged him not to desert the Labour Party and who regard him as Gordon Brown's natural successor. Some friends have warned him that if he left British politics now he would be portrayed as "a rat leaving a sinking ship" and they have told him that it is possible, though unlikely, that Gordon Brown will step down as prime minister before the next election.
Mr Miliband has recently emerged as the favourite to become EU high representative. However, I have learned that he told the president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, that he was not interested in the job when the two men spoke yesterday.
Up until now Mr Miliband has publicly insisted that he's "not available" and "not running" for the job, although he has refused to rule out taking it if it's offered. This has led senior Labour figures to urge him privately to stick with a career in British politics and not be tempted by a career in Brussels. Labour colleagues have told me that his position has "hardened up" in recent days. One told me that "when he said he was not available, he meant it".
Tonight David Miliband and Gordon Brown are in Berlin for celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall. They've joined other European leaders for informal conversations about who should fill the top EU jobs. A final decision has to be made at a Brussels summit likely to be held next week.
Some will spin this news as Mr Miliband rejecting Brussels to challenge Mr Brown. I've no evidence to back this up.
David Miliband was urged and clearly considered challenging Gordon Brown for the Labour leadership in the summer of 2008.
A year later his friend James Purnell resigned from the cabinet calling for a change of leader, but Mr Miliband declined to follow his lead.
Since then the foreign secretary has publicly backed Mr Brown's continued leadership.
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~46~RS~)
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So we can now look forward to a second, unelected PM in a few weeks?
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it's quite a thought, isn't it?
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A very small part in the future of British polics no doubt.
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No quick safe seat for the dark lord to exploit then!
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Miliband clearly made his decision because he can sniff a chance of becoming PM before the next election.
He would not want to be the Labour leader immediately after the defeat of Gordon in 2010 - look at Hague, Foot, Kinnock and IDS. Post disaster elections are not a very good time to take over leadership.
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I'll sleep more soundly tonight knowing British politics hasn't lost Miliband.
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My guess is that the way is being cleared for a final tilt for the man Bliar, who cannot be upstaged by the Foreign Secretary. Anyone else have similar thoughts?
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oh nick,like most middleclass people you think milliband is a socialist?no member of the labour front benches would ever be or think of being a socialist!please learn labour party history before any more silly remarks!!if in doubt please contact me?
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"Some will spin this news as Mr Miliband rejecting Brussels to challenge Mr Brown. I've no evidence to back this up. "
ooh who is the "some" then, operation get rid of Gordon and start spinning all your loyal journos ,there's a knighthood in it for your, oh actually no because that is not cricket, how about some shares in a wee bank we own
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So, it is reported that David Miliband sees his future in British politics.
Maybe he should think again about that because British politics, via the devolution process, is unravelling fast.
In a relatively short period of time, British politics may simply become a redundant layer, if the peoples of the home nations of England, Scotland and Wales decide that they must fully reassert their own political identities.
As a professional politician, Miliband knows that the European Union is where all the significant political action will be over the coming decades, so flogging a nearly dead horse named Britain is a pretty strange decison to make.
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I would hope that an "EU High Representative" carried a bit of weight.
I don't really understand what a "High Representative" will actually do, except be fairly Highly Rewarded for being a mouth piece for a bunch of states that don't seem capable of agreeing how to fight a war...
Not much cop turning up in the USA and saying, "Well, I talk for the EU. But if you want a bit of fighting support, it's not down to me. The Germans have some legal restrictions. The French only really fight on their old colonial territories and aren't allowed out after dark. The Dutch get stuck in (as they always have in NATO exercises). And I'm not sure you'd want the Italians to do the front-line stuff."
Odd really. Campbell called Miliband Snr, "Brains". So he was supposed to be the really bright one inside the New Labour project?
Just how bright do you have to be to ignore impending financial catastrophe?
I could find at least a hundred private company junior VPs with as much intellectrual clout as Miliband. And most of them stay at that level, because practicality is just a little bit too much of an ask for his sort of guy.
It seems possible that, because of the warped boundary system in UK constituencies, we could end up with a minority popularly-voted government, or a hung parliament.
Goodness help us. A potential Miliband primacy? And there's another one lurking around the back. Who doesn't understand the science, but spouts just as much as his big brother. When will we actually get a new power station?
I don't like politicians. But I accept they are a necessary evil. But I really dislike people with truly minimal experience of life outside the "Westminster/political" bubble. People who belive they are bright - ths destined for power - when, if they'd gone into private companies would have found huge numbers of equally, or sometimes more, talented people and had to fight tooth and nail to achieve something. Notjust "floating up" through a froth of garbage.
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So milliband thinks he has a chance of ousting the sad shadow in no10 has he got a death wish,Hope his handwriting is better.As for blair dont think hes got enough support in europe
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The only reason he sees his future in UK politics, is that he had no chance of getting the job he was going for.
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Nick Robinson.
"A friend of the foreign secretary has told me that 'David sees his future in British politics'."
clearly, D Miliband is a realist, he knows he wouldn't be able to hack it in amongst an educated, urbane set of multi-lingual EU politicians.
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I still haven't figured out how he got his present job. His parents live in Israel.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Oh dear - moderated for suggesting a biological connection between Milliband, Gordon and Tony.
Suitably humbled.
I agree with No 8, the way is paved for El presidente Blair now he has lost a sparkling rival to upstage him.
But has anyone thought how convenient it is that auspicious chains of office like these are being cast towards those who helped the most to make the transition from free country to shackled minor state?
I suspect the offer will be back his way sometime soon, maybe even the second president of Europe after Blair?
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16 Doctuer_Eiffel
I still haven't figured out how he got his present job. His parents live in Israel.
Good point.
On the other hand, my uncle lives in Oman and yet I have a job as a hairdresser. Funny old world, isn't it?
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So, Gordon might step down before the next election then?
Can't see it myself, just can't quite see him letting go
but, if he knows it's inevitable, that he is going to lose the job anyway
maybe being able to say he never lost an election would be enough
the man already belives he was a fantastic chancellor
maybe this way he could walk away head held high
truely beliving that the electorate never rejected him at all
(never considering it would be because they nevre got the chance)
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Damn!
Just when an opportunity came to ease one of the Westminster elite into the over-fertilized EU long-grass where almost all the traiterous front-benches of NuLab, Tory and LibDem belong Milliband dodges the blunt-bladed lawn-mower of Brussels oblivion!
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Mr Miliband will probably be out of a job soon so I expect he will take the EU job if offered?
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19#
I thought his parents were dead. His father certainly is. Anyway...
I heard a peice on Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago saying that you dont openly apply for roles like this; intimating publicly that you wish to be considered is enough to rule you out.
Roles like this are effectively by invitation. Its still early days yet and all Millipede is doing is playing the long game and its a bit of noise to take the heat off Gordon who, even by his own woeful standards is not having a particularly good week. Gives the lobby pack of hounds another tree stump to ferret around for a while whilst something else nasty seeps out somewhere else.
We shall see. I agree with the poster who says that whoever ends up holding the baby after Gordon gets kicked out/scarpers of his own accord is in for a rough ride... the Hague/IDS/Howard years prove that and the same will happen to them. Likely to be riven by years of infighting until someone comes along to sort them out.
But someone as clumsy as Milliband as EU Foreign Secretary? Hah. Oh dear. Talk about being promoted way above your level of competance. Never mind, it could be worse.
They could be looking at his little brother....
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Only one person has a chance of rescuing the Labour Party from ignominious defeat at the next election, and that is Mandelson.
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Nick -- really don't think this post deserves comment. Aren't there more pressing issues facing the country than discussing what the little boy Milliband may or may not do when Labour lose office ?
PS Foir those interested more on Millband's heritage courtesy Wikipedia:
He is the son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband . . .who was forced to relocate from Belgium in 1940 as Hitler's army moved westwards through the country and he managed to catch a boat for London at Ostend. He and his father Samuel entered UK illegally on forged papers. Once in England he further changed his name to Ralph.
Interesting about the forged papers !
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On the day when Gordon Brown takes another battering, isn't it odd that Mandelson is on TV defending him inhis ususal sincere trustworthy manner, and David Milliband declares he's not interested in EU job.
The Lisbon Treaty has been signed, so Gordy is now surplus to requirements for Mandelson. Brown is now being painted as the victim with poor eyesight - see Nicks BBC news report - paving the way for a "dignified" exit.
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Why is it that whenever there is a 'top job' in Europe available, we always assume one of our people is up to get it and once we have deigned to turn it down, then it can go to one of the 'Europeans'?
Seems a bit far fetched to me that we have anyone in a position of power here who has what it takes. Apart from arrogance and aloofness I'm not sure we have much to offer
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All parties have some excellent people in parliament.
They also have people that make an absolute mess of much of what they do.
Milliband is not one of them. Neither for that matter are Vince Cable or Damien Green.
As I do not see any of the main parties as worth defending on every issue. Conversely why attack any party on every issue?
I can see Cameron getting in next year and sincerely wonder what two Bullingdon boys will get up to when actually in power.
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Hey Nick -- here's a much better topic for discussion:
ComRes research for the BBC One Politics Show 8/11/2009 - Afganistan Poll. Link http://www.comres.co.uk/page190127589.aspx
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His change of heart about the EU job, might have more to do with the discovery that Brown is now backing him and he remembers the effect of Browns official backing on Blair last week.
The day after Brown officially anounces his backing for Blair for President, after weeks of denying any support, Brown is told in on uncertain terms that Blair will NOT get the job.
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"David sees his future in British politics".
God help us!
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"1. At 10:18pm on 09 Nov 2009, ReardenSteel wrote:
So we can now look forward to a second, unelected PM in a few weeks?"
Actually IF Brown stands down he will HAVE to call an election. The electorate had two promises about the PM this parliment both from Blair and Brown during the last election campain.
1) Blair would be PM for the Majority of the next election and would stand down a few months before the next general election.
2) He would hand over to Brown who would be PM at the time of the next election.
These promises were repeated often and by other cabinat members, dispite the fact that the NuLabour rules did not allow for the PM to select his successor.
They have already broken promise 1 as Brown has been PM for the majority of this parliment. But then bottler Brown backed out of his November election after his poll rating died a death 3 months into becoming PM.
Will they break promise 2?
I susspect Brown has already commissioned a multi million pound report into it!
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Nicholas. Five years ago I could care less about anything political but whilst I find the world you and colleagues report on fascinating now - I fail to understand why after a week exposed to that world you do not check yourself into some sort of rest home. No offence but you report a decision made and reading down the piece - other factors like "it will be spun as actually meaning A, B or Z?" What does that mean and why cannot a decision not to run for European gig mean JUST that?
Wheels within wheels on another matter I refuse to commentate on too and there I wished I could climb up on a Hyde Park Corner soapbox. My wife - not from these parts - found that world - HPC - fascinating back in the day. The early Seventies - photograph somewhere but they - soap box opera-tors - didn't have endless "footnotes" as far as I could hear. Mad - allegedly - some perhaps - but straight talking! Is it a lost art?
Subject: closed justice
Anagram: US eject old CSI
Yup! Seems it is!
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As Miliband wasn't offered the job and his popularity was largely a figment his own, and Mandelson's, imagination it should come as no surprise that he has decided to save face by pretending he didn't want it anyway.
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#16 Doctuer_Eiffel
I didn't realise that it mattered (where your parents live).
Does that apply to party donors? Politics really would be bankrupt.
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#32 icewombat
Bottler Brown? You guys really hate him don't you, have you lost your home in the recession or something?
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30#
What Guido has come to term as "The Curse Of Jonah Brown"... :-)
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I can't stand that man.
His brother Steve Milliband's okay though...some people call him the space cowboy!
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25 Me-thinks wrote:
He and his father Samuel entered UK illegally on forged papers. Once in England he further changed his name to Ralph. Interesting about the forged papers !
Interesting in what sense, exactly?
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So Miliband flew to meet various EU countries' foreign ministers. Was that to tell them he wasn't interested in being a High Representative or check out how he was positioned for the job?
I an't believe Blair's style of back-of-a-fag-packet policy (even constitutional changes) would work in the EU forum. He never seemed to bother about detail. Does Mili really think that he can ease Brown out before March next year? And does he believe that, should Labour lose the election, it's worth spending at least 5 years in opposition?
Meanwhile, back in the House of Commons, Labour have pushed through the bill which will allow the Justice Secretary to set aside an inquest, to be replaced by a secret inquiry into some deaths.
Hmmmm. Justice for all?
Poor Dr David Kelly never received a proper inquest because the Lord Chancellor instructed the coroner to accept the "decision" of the Hutton Inquiry, despite it being nothing like a rigorous inquest.
How many other families will now be simply told, "This is the answer, but we won't tell you what questions were asked?".
An ideal way to shroud official cock-ups in secrecy..
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How many of us can accurately guess the ending and the twists and turns of a book after reading chapter two?
He is ambitious, presentable and talks well, just like someone 12 years ago. He seem like a nice enough guy but so was this other guy 12 years ago. But in his heart and mind, is he for us or just using us? Who's directing the lights, pulling the strings and give quite discrete instructions? Will it be too late when it becomes clear there may be hidden agenda?
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"36. At 09:03am on 10 Nov 2009, Culverin wrote:
#32 icewombat
Bottler Brown? You guys really hate him don't you, have you lost your home in the recession or something?"
I have had direct dealings with him on two projects:-
1) that needed a one off 2million per site capital investment, which would have reduced running costs my 4million per year. There were between 10 and 20 sites that the system would work on each saving 10million in the first 3 years. He instead the project could only go ahead under PHI, the cheapest PFI tender would have cut the 3 year saving to 375k!
2) in 1998, a privetly funded, highspeed link from Birnigham via Heathrow to redhill and onto the channel tunnel, allowing for lorries and pasangers to board the train in france and exit in the midlands, park and ride for gatwick and heathrow etc. He was involved in turning it down.
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Strikes me that he is the natural successor to Gordon Brown - inept with no understanding of how the real world operates. Another career politician. What I can't understand is why everyone bangs on about how intelligent he is - just look at the total shambles he made of the carbon trading scheme for energy companies. I guess it's a bit liker Gordo - there's academic smarts and shrewd intelligence - the gap is very wide.
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I was not aware that Miliband had been offered this job in the EU, I thought he was merely a candidate. If this is the case it seems likely he is turning down a job he was never offered in the first place. Therefore it is just spin from the Labour Party to cover the fact that he would probably not get the job in the frist place.
If I were the Labour Party I would see the possible losing of Miliband to the EU as a positive. He is in exactly the same mould as Brown. Recent events have proved this, when he used his Jewish background as spin against the Conservatives. Labour, once Brown has gone should find themselves a candidate for leader who is not tainted by association with either Brown or Blair.
The only worse decision Labour could make if they decide to make Miliband leader, is to make the dreadful Balls leader.
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A strange topic for a blog this one when there are plenty of other issues bubbling away. Anyway - I am sure that if any of us were in David Milliband's shoes we would not be tempted by the Euro job. That being so, what else is there but to concentrate on domestic politics? Gordon Brown will take Labour into the next election as Peter Mandelson will continue to pull the strings.
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Nick
Iain Dale states that Miliband's desire to stay in UK politics is more prosaic. He apparently already feels very guilty about being away from his family and especially his young sons as it is, becoming the EU Representative for Foreign Affairs would mean he would hardly see them at all.
It's a no brainer really.
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38. At 09:09am on 10 Nov 2009, tengearbatbike wrote:
I can't stand that man.
His brother Steve Milliband's okay though...some people call him the space cowboy!
Question for you. Do you know either of them? If you do, what would you say are the differences that caused you to dislike one and like the other?
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#44 susan croft.
I imagine that you are not the Labour Party and so your comments are worthless. It would be more profitable for you, to consider who you will choose for your party, when they decide to change their leader. That is, if you are a member of a political party and not just one of those who speak out but take no actice role in the process.
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Could it be that Milliband is about to step in as Prime Minister in this country for the upcoming General Election?
No smoke without fire.
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Just heard that Ben Elton that strong leftie is leaving this country to live abroad because he is so disillusioned with the present Labour government. Amen to that.
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Seems pretty clear to me that Browm needs to shuffle off pretty quickly. With him at the helm, Labour stand no chance at all of winning the next election. So what is left for them? Would Miliband want to lead a party to defeat? I doubt it. So if Browm quit before the election to minimise Labour losses, our next unelected PM might be Lord Meddlesome. He'd love that I'm sure. He could lead Labour into a lesser defeat than Browm, then hold a Labour leadership election where Miliband becomes an acceptable and elected leader of the opposition, ready to strike at the Tories after the next 5 years in the wilderness. At least, that's what I would do if I were them. Does Browm have the vision to quit though?
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Both Millibands were parachuted into safe seats by the party higher executive without the local party members being consulted, now one of them turns down the chance of being parachuted into a safe european position probably only due to the prospect of being handed the party leadership on a plate (and the possibility of PM at a later election)
How democratic is that ?
Fair enough the Tories have never supported the working class, that is accepted by the working class themselves.
How can the working classes be expected to respect and support a Labour party that is behaving in the same manner, parachuting posh boys into leadership positions.
It is no wonder that fringe parties like the BNP are gaining support, who else is there ?
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I think that it is unlikely that Brown will be forced to resign before the election. Indeed there are signs that he may be turning the corner as far as popularity is concerned. The sheer virulence of the attack on him by the popular press, may be counter productive. There are many who see an advantage in having a PM who no longer has anything to gain by obeying the whims of right wing press barons.
Mr Milliband, and any other contenders, will wait until after the election. If Brown loses then they will have their chance. If, against the odds, he wins they will not have burnt their boats, and will be able to console themselves by continuing to have a seat in cabinet.
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#47
Ouch.
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#47
Ask him about the other brother Glen!
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#49 flamethrower
Oooh! No there's an original thought. What a devious political mind you must have.
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flame T @ 49
"Could it be that Milliband is about to step in as Prime Minister in this country for the upcoming General Election?"
no way; Gordon is going the distance
only an alien invasion (or similar) can prevent that
June
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The Milliband brothers remind me of two other brothers who used to appear on tele nearly as much as they do; Mike and Bernie Winters. Sadly however the Winters brothers were more believeable, talented and good at their job. That Britain's interests should be represented by a man like Milliband is to say the least a disaster; like his mentors, Blair and Brown his object in life is not the welfare of his country but the furtherance of his own career path.In terms of political stature he comes somewhere towards the bottom of the European league , and if as suggested he has been offered the European job, then those offering the job must be doing so knowing that he can be easily manipulated to their will.
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Does one presume here that the EU decided that a propos their newly created position of 'High Representative', it was 'no time for a novice'?
Quite obvious to anyone who has listened to any of David Miliband's speeches that the man is a lightweight.
He falls straight into the Harriet Harman trap of bang an agenda drum and hope it sounds like action. All harrumphing and no action.
Call an election.
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#55 poprishchin
Nobody's interested in anything or anyone that hasn't been served up to them by the dear old media, on a plate. It is possible that tengear is a long-standing family friend and will enlighten us as to the brother's merits.
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BobRocket @ 52
You mentioned that both Milibands were parachuted into safe seats by the party higher executive without the local party members being consulted.
One can hardly blame the Milibands for grabbing the opportunity with both hands because the people of South Shields and Notinmgham North have made these constituencies 'safe seats' by voting in an unthinking tribal way, as sadly they do in many other areas of England.
To such a predictable extent that our English democracy is massively distorted such that political analysts can confidently inform us English people that the General Election result will be decided by roughly 60,000 'floating' voters spread across just a handful of constituencies.
You go on to say it is no wonder that fringe parties like the BNP are gaining support and ask who else is there?
There are actually plenty of alternatives for English people to vote for other than the BNP or the three mostly discredited 'mainstream' parties.
For example, in no particular order - the Greens, English Democrats, UKIP, Respect, independents and so on.
All that is required to give the English political system the very big kick it so richly deserves (acknowledgements to the excellent George Walden in todays Times) is for the English people to think outside of the conventional political box for once.
Just once will be enough to set the political course for the next few decades and then we English can return singing to that metaphorical green and pleasant land.
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sagamix 57
"no way; Gordon is going the distance only an alien invasion (or similar) can prevent that June"
Once again, a confusion of what you hope will happen with what may very well actually happen - the last resort of the fantasist. I assume your reference to June is some effort to invoke support from the living goddess that is June Whitfield - it makes no sense otherwise.
The theory that Brown will go on for as long as is legally possible completely depends on Brown being entirely in control of his own destiny. But he is not. Mandelson is the one who is in control; he is the one who has prevented the parliamentary party from imploding. When he did that, he had a motivation - getting Lisbon into law before the Tories could be elected and therefore could stop that from happening. Now, with that "achievement" more-or-less in place, Mandelson's motivation no longer exists. I suspect the next time there is a rumpus on the Labour benches, which could be quite soon, Mandelson will simply let it happen.
As I have argued with you before, the budget is the other obstacle to Brown's longevity in the PM's job. If Labour go for the expenditure cuts that we all know that they will have to, then that will finally blow out of the water the Tory Cuts/Labour Investment lie (original copyright Lord M) and Labour will be toast. On the other hand, if they maintain or even increase expenditure, the Conservatives will nail them for fiscal incontinence and irresponsibility, and Labour will be toast.
The only way out of that quagmire is to have the election before the budget, and that is what I think they will do.
Not that I have a problem with them going out to the last possible minute - the longer this government lasts, the more firmly their electoral defeat is cast.
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jr @ 63
yes yes yes - but Gordon doesn't care about any of that; he knows he can't win, regardless of the timing, and so he will maximise his time as Prime Minister - nobody can force him to step down, not even "Him" ... it's June
(JW is not really my type, btw ... she's an obvious Conservative)
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rr @ 59
"He falls straight into the Harriet Harman trap of bang an agenda drum and hope it sounds like action. All harrumphing and no action"
that's an absolute travesty of a comment, Robin ... you should be ashamed of yourself
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rats leaving a sinking ship comes to mind, they have ruined this country now they want higher jobs within the eu, this can only look like payment received for a job well done.
if it were the case then the term traitor should be applied and the penalties issued.
under this current government many of our rights have been handed freely over to europe without giving the voting public of this country a vote on it, we were promised a refferendum on it but the powers that be think they know better and have weakened this countries position within the eu to the also ran group that makes us a second class citizen within europe.
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So my Harriet Harman/David Miliband 'bang the agenda drum and hope someone believes it's action' comment hit the spot...
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62#
Well said JC, well said.
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38#
I hear some people call him Maurice...
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48#
"I imagine that you are not the Labour Party and so your comments are worthless."
There you go Susie, thats you told, eh? So much for Labour being inclusive.
Eyewash, you have just appositely proved my point from yesterday. Thank you.
You are John Prescott in disguise and I hereby claim my five pounds.
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Fubar_Saunders 70
Yes I had to laugh when I read that. The obvious flaw in the post, that you are not entitled to an opinion unless you are a Labour slave, seemed to be lost on the writer.
It seems Labour including its supporters have come to the stage where they will seek to close down any argument, by whatever means, to further their own politics.
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#70 fs
Take the holiday now, you're comments are meaningless drivel.
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I assume he isn't going for the EU job because he knows that not even an organisation as corrupt and incompetent as the EU could possibly contemplate the total annihilation of its street cred that would result from appointing such a ludicrously inept lightweight as its representative on the world stage.
He therefore avoids looking like a twerp when he is rejected for the post.
As for his future career in British politics, well, he can maybe think about that in a couple of parliaments in the future after he's grown up.
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72#
Touche dear boy, I'm the ying to your yang.
Found out any more about Steve Milliband yet? He plays his music in The Sun, dont you know?
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If these stories are the best Nick Robinson can come up with, then you have to question the reasons for having a political correspondent. Spending so much time in the Westminster village, ought to give him some sense of more important issues.
It is possible of course, that experience has told him that the he dosen't need to work too hard, to satisfy the bloodlust of the handful of posters on this sight. It is of no importance as who are the contributors trying to convince? Hardly anyone. Are they involved at all in the political process? No.
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@ 72
"Take the holiday now, your comments are meaningless drivel"
stop going easy on him
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76#
Hey, who rattled your cage? :-o
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#75 hog-wish
It is of no importance as who are the contributors trying to convince? Hardly anyone. Are they involved at all in the political process? No.
blah de blah de blah… things can only get better.. Heard it all before, many times, worn the Red T shirt with the monkey on it.
By the way I presume all the posters, on this and other political blogs are all involved in the political process. We all have an X. Mine, along with millions of others will be used for - anybody but the NuLabour Numpties.
Roll On 2010
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#78 roll on
Well done! The X is the extent of your activity, brilliant. And who tells you where to put it. Murdock, Nick Robinson, some shock jock on talk radio?
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#79 eye-wish
Naw, after 40 years as an active supporter of the Labour movement and the Labour Party I walked away in 2003. I can make up my own mind.
My question for you is how much of a wreckage will the NuLabour Project leave for the Labour Party?
Like I said in my previous post - been there, worn the T-shirt.
Rock On 2010 - Not long to go!
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I suppose it couldn't be linked to the meeting with the foreign minister of Russia last week who looked none too pleased as they left.
One of the most important parts of the job will be relations between Europe and Russia. Not a job for a young novice still learning.
Was there a statement after the meeting 'cos if there was I must have missed it?
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#81 roll on
What are you waiting for, in 2010. You claim to have been an active member for forty years. During those forty years you will have seen one with Sir Alex Douglas-Hume as Tory PM, four with Ted Heath as Tory PM and eighteen with Thatcher and Major. Twenty-four of the years you worked as an opposition party. What were you waiting for? The first time you will have experienced a second term with security, you walk away! It was New Labour that delivered it. What's the comment, "Red t-shirt with the monkey on it" all about?
No doubt there are arguments about the future but what is it with power that frightens you? There are arguments within the party, of that there is no doubt, there always has been, and we have generally done them in public. Unlike the Tories who are having their arguments over Europe in private, where they have traditionally had theirs.
Do you think that the cause you claim to have fought for is best served by people like yourself leaving and sniping from the sidelines. Get back in there and fight for what you wanted, it's pretty clear that whatever it was that made you give forty years for will not be served by allowing the Tories in next year.
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38. At 09:09am on 10 Nov 2009, tengearbatbike wrote:
"I can't stand that man.
His brother Steve Milliband's okay though...some people call him the space cowboy!
Question for you. Do you know either of them? If you do, what would you say are the differences that caused you to dislike one and like the other?"
One is a careerist politician, and the other is a musical group responsible for such hits as The Joker and Abracadabra.
The fact i prefer his 'brother' Steve Milliband is the same reason I like bad puns :-)
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#79 eye-wish
The well-connected Jackie Ashley reveals the following sensational fact in her Sunday Guardian column:
Some Labour people may think I'm sounding too gloomy, but those who have been privy to recent private polling are a lot more than gloomy. This suggests that Labour could return to the Commons with just 120 MPs or thereabouts, taking the party back to 1930s territory.
By the way the wreckage described above is not from Murdoch but Jackie Ashley normally regarded as a NuLabour insider in a newspaper many people regard as supportive of NuLabour.
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Nick Robinson:
I honestly wished for a presporous future for Mr. Miliband
and his future in U.K. Politics but, I would think that he
should not rejected the opportunity of the posting if it was
offered to him.
=Dennis Junior=
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#84 tengear
Question for you, do you know either of them?
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#85 roll on
Great so you've told us what someone else thinks, but what about you. Forty years commitment then, secure power at last and you walk away! Why? What do you think will happen if Labour loose. Do you imagine that the Tories will bring about the world you wanted during those forty years of activism?
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#83 eye-wish
You just don’t get it!
2003 = Iraq
By the way it looks as though I will get my dearest wish when, next year, Teflon Tony, Duff Gordon, Meddlesome and Ali will be sat on the front seat when the NuLabour Project will hit the buffers.
Roll On 2010
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Milliband wouldn't go near that job in the EU with a barge pole.
Could you imagine him sitting in the oval office in a meeting with Obama and Mrs.Clinton when he is asked to explain why brave British soldiers and standing shoulder to shoulder fighting the Taliban with the Americans while the French,Germans et al are avoiding the fighting at all costs.
He might be a silver tongued individual but even he wouldn't like to try and explain this as the Foreign Minister of the EU.
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84#
Aw, TenG, we could have strung that out for weeks!!!!!!
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#88 eye-wish
By the way the Labour Party is brassic. I also note that CLP’s are starting to merge in order to sell of property to prop up the PLP.
Many would say that this is analogous to the country as a whole. ie. people’s money being used to prop up profligate banks. In this instance a profligate and morally bankrupt government.
So I will repeat my question - How much of a wreckage will the NuLabour Project leave for the Labour Party?
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92 roll on
But how do you propose to change it? Iraq was and still is very devisive there is no doubt about that, but how do we know that it was not the right thing to do.
If you take the view that war is wrong, then there is nothing can be done for you, but the Labour Party has never sold itself as a passivist party, even though many are passivists.
What I say to you is abandoning the party on one issue is counter-productive, the Labour Party, both in and out of power over one hundred years, has done a great service to those with no influence. Even over the twelve years of this government moves to help the lower paid have worked, but the influnces in this country are strong and we have to keep fighting. The one thing you can't possibly believe is that dumping the Labour Party, and watching the Tories take over, will improve the lot of the less well off.
The Tories are not going to pull out of Afghanistan, they will keep the troops there because it has to be done.
There is no doubt the party is short of funds, that's not new. The only time there was lots of small doner money was in the post war period until the late fifties. The influence of television saw the decline in personal involvement in politics, so maybe a reduction in television coverage would be a step in the right direction.
I say again to you, get involved again and change the party to the one you want.
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Pity as we could have got rid of the spineless so and so.
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I hope Milliband will not allow himself to be sidelined for Europe by the Blair Mandelson Brown axis which has already done so much damage to Britain during the past decade.However,I fear that he will, thus revealing either his immaturity or the selfishness of his career preferences over duty to the people he represents or might represent. Long gone are the days when duty was regarded above personal gain in British politics and it is that selfishness which will eventually be the deciding factor as to whether Milliband goes to Europe or stays in Britain.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
My indifference towards Miliband is only exceeded by my contempt for his lack of intellect, arrogance and immaturity.
He symbolises everything that is shallow and weak about British politics.
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i realy think that mr no good brown should be kicked out of no 10 he is putting lives at risk by cutting equipment and is making u tunn after u turn carnt they be a protest to get him out he is no good i no all mps are the same but come on we need someone who nows what they are doing
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