Labour leadership: Spare a thought for David Miliband
Spare a thought for David Miliband.
Those times his brother Ed urged him not to challenge Gordon Brown.
Until recently David would have told himself it would all be OK, after all he was the favourite. Run a good election and he would be leader.
Family dynamics being what they are David is likely to be feeling pretty sore at losing out to his younger brother.
Ed was straight on the back foot, trying to ditch the "Red Ed" moniker. He promises to be his own man after he won only with the trade union vote as part of the Labour party's electoral college system.
His leadership already being compared to that of William Hague.
Not exactly a perfect start.
Despite the imperfect voting system, those were the rules and Ed won fair and square so he should be given a chance.
The best thing Ed could do now is persuade his brother to be his shadow chancellor.
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David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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David,
I'm in shock at this result.
I voted for David Miliband as my number one choice, Burnham was my 2nd choice, Abbott at three, Ed at four and Balls at five.
I also voted for Prescott as Treasurer.
I'm afraid it's all gone wrong for Labour. And everything has gone wrong for David Miliband. His time has now gone. I'll be astonished if he serves in the shadow cabinet. It makes no sense. Best quietly step aside and let his brother get on with it. In time David will pick up a big international job, and retire from front-line politics. Meanwhile we will rue losing one of the most capable and honest public servants from our national affairs. And it was all so unnecessary. What exactly has this election clarified? Nothing really. Meanwhile Ed Balls bides his time, waiting for Ed Miliband to stumble. Dear me, no wonder Balls looked smug as the results were announced.
David Miliband had 3 windows of opportunity to stand against Gordon Brown. It is my view that Labour would have fared better in the Midlands and the South East if he had replaced Brown (or beaten him in a 2007 contest). Even a slight shift in the electoral maths in the Commons would have made a Lab-Lib coalition more likely. I think the vast majority of people in Liverpool would have preferred that option, with genuine voting reform as part of the package, instead of the AV referendum being the only option.
I'm sure Ed would have been urging David not to run then, but David clearly didn't want Ed to run this time. We don't really do dynastic politics in the UK (compared to the US at least), so one brother was always going to miss out.
We'll need to see how Ed Miliband does with some of the big political calls in the next few months on services, the deficit and voting reform. At least some Labour supporters think that they should back a genuine Proportional Representation system, as being proposed by Green MP Caroline Lucas http://www.nextleft.org/2010/09/labour-case-for-lucas-amendment.html
Poor lad
Yes, thought so.... it's possible to comment on this post, but not on the LDL one following it. Why would that be?
Yes, thought so.... it's possible to comment on this post, but not on the LDL one following it. Why would that be?
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