Ed Miliband.
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Has David been edited out of that picture? Or is he just staring into space, "What the *bleep* have I let myself in for?"
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There has been a lot of media comment on the levels of support that the Millibands had in the different Sections of the Labour leadership vote. The impression is given that Ed Milliband had little support amongst MPs and MEPs but had massive support in the affiliate/union section. The actual figures tell a quite different story.
On first preferences David Milliband had the support of 41.7% of MPs/MEPs with Ed Milliband getting the votes of 31.6%. After 3 rounds of elimination and the transfer of preferences, the gap narrowed to David M with 53.4% and Ed with 46.6%. On any judgement that is substantial support in a very close fought contest.
In the affiliate/union section Ed Milliband received much less than half of the first preferences – 41.46%. After the elimination of three candidates and the transfer of their preferences this support increased to 59.8%. David Milliband was supported by the other 40.2%
It would be awful though to let the facts spoil a good story, wouldn't it?
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2. The Intermittent Horse
"The actual figures tell a quite different story. "
You really don't get how this works, do you?
:-)
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At least he is not a quiet man getting louder, and Sid he's a AV supporter too.
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Sid, to be honest, no. I'm trying to figure out if I'm too intelligent or too thick to understand why they do it.
...wibble...
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Well Ed has pitched for the new generation, which seems a rather narrow section of the electorate to seek to represent.
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A Miliband Moment As seen from Scotland
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"What do you mean I'm the leader?"
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NDA (7) - Thanks for that. An interesting viewpoint and extremely well-written.
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Aye...we're all doomed I tell ye.....DOOOOOOMED!
;-)
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He'd want to rethink the colour of that tie with those walls.
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For someone so keen on the new generation it seems odd that he hasn't bothered to register himself as the father on his child’s birth certificate.
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IM 12, I suggest a DNA test
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Optimism is a good thing to lay claim to. It will mark Ed M out against the abject negativity of Cleggeron. Yet he still sounds so young. Or I sound old. The Jimmy Reid funeral story was interesting, Noisette@7, thank you. Revealing of Brown too of course. I am surprised at Ed M's presence. Perhaps I underestimate him.
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I'm no Worcester Man - it's to early to say: things could change before the General Election. It's important to get the right policies for voters.
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Now, I must put you right PM on the music that was played directly before Ed Miliband's speech today. First, Peter Donaldson referred to the music as being played by "an American punk band". Then later Ed was said to have walked on stage to "the sounds of American punk" ! Dear oh dear PM, new music is clearly not your forte.
The band that played Ed on stage was called "Vampire Weekend" and they are an American "indie" band. The track that was played was called "A Punk" so maybe that's what caused the confusion.
You should really get these details right. Punk music is very, very different from indie music. I can see why Labour would choose indie music but PUNK???!!! No, no, no. :)
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Newlach@15 - do you think there is any evidence of voters choosing on the basis of policy? My experience is that many voters cannot be ashed to understand the policy differences and go with personality and simple narrative as portrayed by the Daily Wail et al.
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#12 and 13
I read your posts and had a vision of Ed being grilled on the Jeremy Kyle show.
'The DNA test shows that...'
Ed responds, 'come off it', it was Gromit that done it'.
(in the candy coated way like the kid in the playground from the posh side of town telling the council estate Ferrels to not spoil his game of foota). We had one or two kids like that at school. its as if they had never heard of swear words.
Kyle, says, 'so Ed, when are you going to get off your lazy back side and get a proper job and do the decent thing by this young lady eh?
Ed comes back, 'well I have been looking, but its not that easy, I went up the job center and got elected'. What else do you expect me to do'?
Kyle, 'well for a start you might quit that anti social habit you've got of bullying your brother, thats apart from all the stress you've been putting your mother through. 'do you think you really deserve hard working tax payers money to fund your your lifestyle while you just bicker and destroy yourselves and your family'? - go on get off my stage...you that way...you that way'.
Next time on the show...
See if Magnolia Ed, managed to get a life...Watch as Ed offers his brother a spangle from his own pocket to prove that families can be put back together...
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This morning on the Today programme, your presenters were interviewing the speach writers of forma party leaders conference speaches. This evening you are discussing the merits of Ed Millibands speach as if he had written it himself. We are all aware that he was reading a speach writers words from an autocue.
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His father and grandfather left in a boat out of Belgium. Many were dispossessed by the Nazis.
Much has been restored to the families, much not.
Clegg's family were dispossessed by the communists in the Russian revolution. Expropriated lands were never returned.
Palestine was expropriated in the late 1940s. No part of it has been returned.
Inheritance taxes here have dispossessed family friends of the Camerons of estate land.
What is the young Labour Party's position on these matters - is it a matter of PRINICPLE or POLITICS?
Our position, deep entryists into the Labour Party and worm hole to deep Lib Dem entryist Cable faction, is clear on this matter of course.
We are optimistic about optimism.
We are now very clear who wrote Gordon Brown's jokes when he was Shadow Chancellor.
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Just thought that I would
leave a few lines between my thoughts in this message as mac (SunandRain) does and see if it has
a dramatic impact.
No?
Thought not.
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Mr. Horse,
you
aren't
leaving enough
space
between lines
let alone
t
h
o
u
g
h
t
s
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You're also not trying to be too clever
by
h a l f
or trying to sound REALLY intelligent
by
being
ob
tuse
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The point that has marked Ed Miliband out, for me, has been his willingness to accept responsibility for past mistakes, yet press the case for the need to move on. I am impressed at his focus on this aim and wish him luck in his endeavour. I also hope that his colleagues will allow themselves to be imbued by his sense of optimism and purpose and not spend their time in coffee bars plotting his demise.
I am struck by the fact that his brother seems unwilling to serve in his Cabinet (although this isn't entirely clear yet). I am also surprised. I would be interested to know whether this is down to David's unwillingness to accept his brother's superiority within the party or whether it is due to other family tensions, since I understand David's wife is very upset that the younger brother has won the leadership election. At the end of the day, I would hope that both brothers can put the welfare of the Labour Party ahead of sibling rivalry.
Ed was right to stand. He has a different message to that of his brother, and the support shown to him throughout his campaign demonstrates that he is more in touch with younger voters and with disaffected Labour voters who have found disagreement with some of the actions of the Blair/Brown years.
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It's hardly going to do D. Milliband's career much good if the story that does the rounds is that he backed out because his wife was upset!
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I agree, Anne. However, they are a very close couple, and her feelings cannot help but influence him, I think you'll agree.
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For "and her feelings cannot help but "
read: "and her feelings are bound to"
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I think it better for Labour if David M does step back from the frontline. If he doesn't 'the media' will spend the next years debating whether the Party made the right choice and comparing the performances of the brothers. Better to resolve that problem before it starts. Brutal but necessary, I think.
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Horse, that's certainly a consideration.
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Well, that was about as boring as most political speeches. He sounded a bit like Tony Blair with an adenoid problem.
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Jen 16, Ain't Google wunnerful?!
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30: So you listened to it? Well, that's a start (for a LibDem supporter, I mean). I admired his stamina.
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BS 32, I taped it and listened to it this morning. I was wanting to see if the cameras focused in on good looking young women like they do on QT. The best they could do was Caroline 'Window Dressing' Flint.
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And still SaR claims not to be mac/pm-leader/EtE (now renamed as GttE I see). Poor deluded fellow....
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Here's an example from the Bible, Genesis 48 of God giving the younger brother precedence over the elder brother:
17And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of
Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from
Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the
firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall
become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall
be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
That begs the question why God decides Ephraim is the greater of the two. The answer is amazing.
Later, we discover that Ephraim is greater because his tribe is given the living throne of David to keep.
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The point that has marked out Ed Miliband for me is that he has spent the last 13 years at the heart of the New Labour project. He was an adviser in Gordon Brown’s Treasury from 1997 and went on to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, responsible for long-term economic planning, in 2004.
He was then parachuted into a safe seat and quickly appointed as a minister in Brown’s cabinet before writing his 2010 election manifesto. He was an integral part of the Labour Government that left the economy in tatters, faced allegations of complicity in torture, stole our freedoms, left our political system in disgrace and failed to close the huge gap between the richest and the poorest.
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The Intermittent Horse 28.
"If he doesn't 'the media' will spend the next years debating whether the Party made the right choice and comparing the performances of the brothers."
Baaaaaa to that!
" Better to resolve that problem before it starts. Brutal but necessary, I think. "
Probably the best for the medium term. Good luck to them both and their family and friends.
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Sid 36.
"He was an integral part of the Labour Government that left the economy in tatters, faced allegations of complicity in torture, stole our freedoms, left our political system in disgrace and failed to close the huge gap between the richest and the poorest."
Worth bearing in mind, to be sure, but nobody's perfect...;-)
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36: "He was an integral part of the Labour Government that left the economy in tatters, faced allegations of complicity in torture, stole our freedoms, left our political system in disgrace and failed to close the huge gap between the richest and the poorest."
The same is true of three of the other contenders. Unfortunately, I don't see Diane Abbott as a figure who could retain unity within the Labour Party. Ed Miliband doesn't deny his involvement in the previous government, but is strong enough to admit that mistakes were made. That does mark him out from the others.
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Sid - I'm prety much in agreement with Nutty and Big Sister above.
And no single person writes a Party manifesto. Somebody is ultimately responsible for pulling it together, but they are expressing the collective thoughts, aspirations and policies of a good number of people.
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39. Big Sister
I didn't follow his election campaign that closely - but I have the impression that although he has admitted mistakes now (after being elected) he wasn't actually trumpeting his apologies during the campaign. (I'm happy to be enlightened, as usual.)
Now that he has been elected, of course, it would surely have been impossible/foolish for him not to have tried to draw some kind of line under the disasters of the last few years - wouldn't it?
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40. The Intermittent Horse
Whoever is responsible for any party's manifesto has considerable responsibility and influence. He can't really say 'Nothing to do with me, guv,' can he?
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Sid - Agreed, and he didn't.
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OMG....I have just realised I cast my GMB Union vote for the wrong one!
I meant to pick the good looking one.
:-p
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41: I did follow his campaign, and he has been consistent throughout. I think it was this candour that drew support.
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43. The Intermittent Horse
My point being that if he didn't have much choice, that doesn't make him strong. Does it? He just did what he had to do.
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An interesting take on the 2010 manifesto here:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/davidhughes/100032082/ed-milibands-manifesto-car-crash/
“The criticism of Mr Miliband has bemused the energy secretary and may stem from a suspicion by colleagues that he is trying to turn Labour’s manifesto into a personal manifesto for a future leadership bid.”
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Sid - You've been involved in party politics long enough to know that it's a mixture of ideals, principles and convictions, tempered by pragmatism and a drive for consensus. I think "He just did what he had to do." is a bit simplistic. Collective responsibility isn't just applicable to the cabinet in government.
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The manifesto is a red herring, Sid. I doubt many voters were aware of the issues it contained.
Interestingly, most of the items highlighted in that article have been carried forward by Ed Miliband into his leadership election campaign.
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If you want to see what Ed Miliband has said throughout his campaign, Sid, I suggest you consult his website. It's all there.
http://edmiliband.org/
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48. The Intermittent Horse
"Collective responsibility isn't just applicable to the cabinet in government."
Yes indeed. But when I say 'He just did what he had to do', I'm referring to his speech, not the manifesto. Big Sister says his willingness to accept responsibility for past mistakes marks him out as strong. I'm saying he didn't really have much choice.
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Well, Sid, three others chose not to do so.
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Sid (51) - Well, I'll let Big Sister answer for herself, although I wouldn't disagree with her point.
But Ed Milliband did have a choice. His speech could have been of quite a different nature. I have only heard snippets of the speech on the news, but from what I've heard he tackled some difficult subjects head on.
I don't think that many could have had any great expectations of that address to conference given that there were only a few days to prepare it. Most party leaders have the thing in preparation months before.
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53. The Intermittent Horse
Well. I listened to the whole thing - anything on difficult subjects must have gone over my head!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/28/ed-miliband-conference-speech-verdict
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Sid - To be honest I'd think that Ed Milliband would be reasonably happy with those reviews. OK, I know they are Guardian-based, but they are pretty analytical compared with what passes for comment in the Mail and other tabloids.
All-in-all I'd say he did pretty well for someone who had been party leader for three days.
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I heard some of Ed Milliband on the Today Programme this morning, specifically the apology moments. I haven't followed his campaign at all, but for a casual listener turning on at 8 in the morning, he sounded a bit obsequious and it just sounded as if he was trying to win back votes from those who opposed the invasion of Iraq. I was unconvinced!
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Obsequious? In which of these senses, GM? In the modern meaning ofshowing too great a willingness to serve or obey, or fawning; or the archaic meaning of compliant, or dutiful?
He is extremely polite - perhaps that was what gave you that impression.
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TIH 55, But the coalition has to get everything right immediately.
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Sid 54, Mine too.
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PN 44, Caroline Flint wasn't a candidate.
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NM 35, A bit like where making a mess of pottage worked out fine for Jacob.
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Did I just hear David Milipede say that he is going to sell the Big Issue?
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David Minicab: waffle, waffle, waffle.
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Nick Robinson asked David Miliband if they're going to have a nice family Christmas?
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Yes, I noticed that!
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I wonder if Ed will come to regret saying he wanted to 'eliminate the Liberal Democrats from British politics' and that he would not work with Nick Clegg.
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Sid 66, Nothing like being progressive.
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Sid@66 - I very much doubt it. The first statement will appeal to his followers, though it is unlikely to happen. The second is a perfectly reasonable comment: I wouldn't give Clegg a job as a junior manager.
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68. MadnessOfCrowds
"I wouldn't give Clegg a job as a junior manager."
But you're not likely to be the leader of a minority party looking for a coalition, are you?
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Sid @ 69 - not since I retired from front-line politics ;)
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68. MadnessOfClowns
1. I think you're being a bit daft. Your political ideals are clouding your judgement. You might not like his political beliefs but Clegg is certainly a capable politician and the kind of guy that gets things done. More upper management than junior management.
2. I think you need to get used to the idea of balanced (aka coalition) governments. I much prefer the idea of politicians from all parties working together for the good of the country rather than the "your party is not mine so all your policies smell of poo poo"
3. You have claimed before that your have "have retired from front line politics". I think you need to substantiate that statement in order to gain credibility ..... otherwise I might just claim to be some almighty omnipotent entity. Substantiate or stop claiming it!!!
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ej 71, Isn't Frontline a brand of flea medication for pets?
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Goodness, this is worse than the GBs ever knew how to be.
Four of the persistent bloggers above are putting advocacy above enquiry. And it isa dvocacy for views which are thoroughly mainstream - Young Labour and Lib Dem.
It is party hackery, droning on about the extraordinarily dull positions your party has taken in an extraordinarily dull way.
Where is the Philo critique of Miliband's cuts policy?
Where is the Union's reaction to his cuts and his anti-strike stuff?
Where is what Ralph would have thought of his pro-War stance?
Where is the assessment of Justine? Should she be on the Mrs Clegg and Cameron list to get a proper job?
The dreadful re-processed second hand press reports and party hand outs which the Gang of Four Posters have hashed up to us, above, are worse than soap boxing. The boxes would be piles of slats broken under the weight of their heavyweight hand-me-down heaviness.
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73. SunandRain
"Where is the assessment of Justine?"
And where are the arrogant snobs whose job it is to assess other people? Ah, there's one ...
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73. SunandRain
Hey, I thought you were off to Chernobyl ?
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I will be very interested to see what Ed M has to say at this year's Conference. Will he announce the preliminary results of his policy review, I wonder?
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http://ukpollingreport.co.uk
and
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/3624
He might do well to keep it v. short.
Goodness, how can anyone from a background so disconnected from working people lead our party siccessfully?
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Ooh, I see another mac ID has bitten the dust! I wonder if anyone will ever notice the remaining dozen or so abandoned IDs that are still active...
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I see Ed Miliband says he'll cap tuition fees at £6000 (though that won't, of course, be in the next Labour manifesto).
Last December, Ed M was saying that the rise in tuition fees was an act of vandalism, and could be kept to 'a few hundred pounds'. Ho hum ...
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Sindy, for clarification, Mr. Miliband has said that the new policy is designed to form the centrepiece of a manifesto if an early election were held. Indications have been given of how that target would be funded.
It is still Labour's ambition to move towards endorsing a graduate tax by the time of the next general election if the present parliament lasts until 2015. As has also been said, it is difficult to predict here in 2011 what will be the state of the economy, etc., if the present parliament lasts until 2015, hence the need not to overpromise.
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Miliband's approach is altogether more honest than making signed unequivocal pre-election commitments to students that turn out to not be worth the paper they're written on.
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81. lucien desgai
If the Lib Dems had won the election, tuition would now be free. We didn't. So it isn't.
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82: Nick Clegg and other Lib Dem ministers had the option to abstain on the vote to increase tuition fees: they chose instead to vote in favour. It is therefore reasonable to doubt that the pledge to scrap tuition fees would have been put into effect. And, to underline the point, one of your own commented as follows:
http://www.libdemvoice.org/opinion-a-broken-pledge-but-we-knew-how-bad-it-was-back-in-march-21614.html
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83. Big Sister
Hywel thinks the economic situation at the time of the last election was back and white. I recall it as a time of extreme greyness, with constant change and uncertainty.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2010/09/carolyn_at_the_conferenceon_ou.shtml#P110359412
Good to have a Leader coming round to my way of thinking (point 3).
But, Obama - like, he ignores WORK redistribution. Still, it gets votes among the work shy chattering classes, eh! But then he comes from academic stock and Obama's ancestors weren't slaves. Obama's childrens' were. Maybe Ed is leaving it to his or his brother's to pay the manual work debt
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Mr. Miliband's speech provided much food for thought, and it is interesting to see the reactions in the Press. I think the results of the Policy Review are going to provide even more brain food. Meanwhile, I am entirely with him in the thought that provoked him to say that "only David Cameron thinks you make the rich work harder by making richer and poor work harder by making poorer". It is good to have such a strong champion for a fairer society.
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