The Labour leadership battle: tribalism vs anti-tribalism
Peter Hoskin 4:52pm
While we're on the subject of the Labour leadership, it's worth reading James Purnell's article
in the Times today. I know, I know – he's left Parliament now. But Purnell
is close to Team Miliband (the Elder), so I imagine some of his thinking might show up in the campaign. In which case...
One thing that jumped out at me was Purnell's attitude to the coalition government. Sure, he attacks it as "only symbolically progressive," but he doesn't dismiss it out of hand. Indeed, he even suggests that coalition might be a good thing:
Compare and contrast, if you will, with Ed Balls's diatribe in the Independent today. In the space of 1,000 words, the former Schools Secretary refers to the coalition as "deeply unprincipled," as "putting power before principle," and as the "deeply flawed and unprincipled Tory-Liberal collaboration". He even mentions Lord Ashcroft for good measure."Gently, too — we should give credit to Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg for the way they formed this coalition. I thought that they would find it hard to get anywhere beyond a grudging minority agreement. I don’t know whether it will turn out to be the right call for the Lib Dems in the medium term, but we should recognise the boldness of going for a real coalition .... So, although I feel sore at being jilted by the Lib Dems, I also recognise that the coalition is a new type of politics..."
After David Miliband's speech earlier – in which he devoted an entire section, perhaps in vain, to avoiding Labour's internecine past – it's becoming clearer that the leadership contest could reduce to anti-tribalism versus tribalism. The question Ed Balls has to ask himself is whether his approach will cut it, at a time when people seem to want a little more co-operation.
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John Adlington
May 17th, 2010 5:07pm Report this commentPlease let it be Balls as leader.
emil
May 17th, 2010 5:18pm Report this commentMy biggest disappointment from this election was that 1200 of the 1500 who wanted to give the Tories a bloody nose by wasting their vote on UKIP in Morley and Outwood didn't look at the bigger picture and save that protest vote for Euro elections when it might have counted, rather than keep the vile Balls in parliament. It wasn't as if the world and his dog didn't know this was a marginal seat. D'OH !
shorpe
May 17th, 2010 5:46pm Report this commentI actually basically agree with this analysis - Miliband hardly excites me, but a bullying mediocrity like Balls needs to be kept well away from the reins of any major political party (as we've learned the hard way these last three years).
I am, however, slightly suspicious of how Miliband Major suddenly seems to have become the Spectator candidate - feels like this blog has said more nice things about him in the last week than during his entire tenure in government. Do you know something we don't? Is there some appalling skeleton in Miliband's closet that would destroy the party forever if he became leader? I don't know why you'd bother backing a horse in this race otherwise, given as you presumably hope they'll never be in government again.
James
May 17th, 2010 5:52pm Report this commentTrue, imagine three intelligent, non-tribal leaders wiling to compromise and co-operate.
Ed Balls please.
Pete Hoskin
May 17th, 2010 6:05pm Report this commentshorpe: let me assure you, D Miliband is nothing like the "Spectator candidate". And, even if he was, then he wouldn't be my candidate. Not that I really have one, either way - although I think Cruddas is probably the best of the bunch (even if I don't agree with his politics, natch).
wrinkled weasel
May 17th, 2010 6:10pm Report this commentIt's even simpler than that; After the toxic Brown, whose public interface was nothing short of a disaster, the last thing Labour want in a leader is another obvious sociopath like Balls - especially Balls, and especially since he has such a slender majority and especially since he is too close to Brown and too close to Charlie Whelan.
Holly ......
May 17th, 2010 6:27pm Report this commentDuring the election campaign,many folk gabbed on about how super duper lemon trooper coalition governments were and how zillions of other countries were governed this way.....now they are saying something completely different.
Wonder why?????
Polly Gamma
May 17th, 2010 7:02pm Report this commentI agree emil. There was something decidedly odd about the kerfuffle around the late arrival of postal vote boxes to that counting station. Ball's victory speech was totally cringe-making and ungracious too.
Rhoda Klapp
May 17th, 2010 7:02pm Report this commentIs Mister Balls to lecture the nation on principles? Blimey.
Publius
May 17th, 2010 7:11pm Report this commentMr Hoskin writes:
"although I think Cruddas is probably the best of the bunch"
-- Good heavens! We agree on something.
Sue Jennings
May 17th, 2010 7:25pm Report this commentDavid Miliband marked himself as a change from New Labour in his election launch speech today, when he said: “I am part of a modern generation. Idealistic not dogmatic” Interestingly, he is not the only person to speak of his generation like this. It has long been argued by sociologists that those born between the mid 1950s and late 1960s, known as Generation Jones, have this distinct trait of idealism without ideology.
The rise of Generation Jones has received a lot of attention recently in the UK. Dods?the main Parliament researchers-- just released this press release: http://www.pressport.co.uk/pressrelease/Dods-Research-reveals-new-Parliament-dominated-by-primarily-one-generation-Generation-Jones-9958.aspx
about how the new parliament is dominated by Jonesers. There?s loads more information about it here: http://www.generationjones.org.uk/
Frances De La Tour
May 17th, 2010 7:45pm Report this commentWhat’s going on with all this Jones stuff? Is that you Mr Rigsby?
JohnPage
May 17th, 2010 8:36pm Report this commentAre two Ed's better than one? Or is it Balls?
Old Slaughter
May 18th, 2010 3:56pm Report this commentI like others am joining Labour to vote for Mr Balls
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