Miliband’s Oldham dilemma

DZ

Seriously off-topic: the sliding adverts on either side of the screen page are a SERIOUS dis-incentive to reading the on-line Speccie. Not to mention distracting, although I have no idea what the garbage is advertising.

Sally Chatterjee

Good news that locals can get a quick replacement. I remember Labour toying with by-election dates in the past to ensure the dates suited them, ie delaying for as long as possible.

During the campaign Miliband will have to watch out, if Balls is a more effective opposition figure then plenty can change.

stepney

Methinks it won't be the last time we'll need to question Ed's judgement:

The latest Survation poll shows that the student demonstrations cost students support. The change in support since the demonstrations has been negative, down 13%:

The public don't like it. Good call Ed.

Del

Maybe he can remind his student friends that it was his Government that introduced fees in the first place wilst having run an election campaign arguing that Labour would not introduce fees. He might also like to remind those same student friends that his Labour Government then increased fees having said they would not do so. Labour new that once fees were introduced that they would be increased like every other to suit the day, they will increase in the future and one day it will be Labour who increase it - the genie is out of the bottle and Labour made the arguement.

TrevorsDen

Well Balls knows all about getting economies wrong.

Something in his remarks hints to me that Mr Ed Balls is nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is.

AlanL

Ed has a "blank sheet of paper" on policy because he has now crossed out every policy in the manifesto he wrote that involved spending borrowed money.

Now that the public have wised up, every spending commitment will be countered with "how will you pay for this: borrow, tax or cut?".

I can see why he would rather be silent.

wise ol' sage

I agree with DZ completely. It's not so much the adverts themselves, more the way they slide. Other sites make adverts that stay in the same place as you move the page, but these ones move fractions afterwards, making them highly irritating.

TomTom

Be nice if low turnout and disillusionment among voters produce a wildcard result

JGS

"The permanently outraged Chris Bryant": what a splendid description!

Simon Stephenson

"Balls told the Daily Politics yesterday:

‘The issue is can we persuade the country the conservatives have got the economy wrong. We have not succeeded in doing that yet, that is our challenge in the coming years. Personally I’d rather he had done a second question on the economy. I think it’s really important that we get this message out there.’"

What this poisonous piece of dog poo must be made to confront is, after Labour spent 13 years deliberately and purposefully undermining the structure of an economy based on private ownership of income and wealth, that of course a non-socialist government is, by his definition, going to "get the economy wrong". It's no good allowing socialists like Balls to pass themselves off as people with better ideas about re-kindling private sector growth - because nothing they have ever done has been about making the private sector more healthy, and neither will anything they might be planning to do in the future.

Don't allow them to fight in camouflage. Every contest, every speech, every announcement, every statement - make sure that they contain a clear message that Labour are socialists, and that everything they plan to do will be hostile to privare prosperity. Socialists - hostile to YOU!

JohnOfEnfield

Yes - I too am seriously annoyed by the sliding adverts.

I'm now on a "viewing strike" until it's fixed!

DavidDP

"'Friend of the students’ is an effective pose for the opportunist"

Until someone asks him to commit to getting rid of fees, which, having said he would, now he won't.

Terry Needham

I agree with DZ

Liz Brown

both Ed's talk utter balls - am not sure which is the most odious

Chris lancashire

Milliband is steering clear of the economy because the memory of the mess Labour made is too fresh in the mind. His personal contribution was also overwhelming. Both inconvenient facts when he stands up to deliver his words of wisdom.

yank

Well, it would seem this "by-election" will work out sorta like the "off-year" elections hereabouts, which are generally a mini-referendum on an incumbent party, in part if not in whole. The fractional change from historical performance of that district is the measure of referendum. If it swings significantly, we have an (the?) answer as to the incumbent party's status.

Yow Min Lye

So New Labour in opposition have now discovered a love of Christianity and its 'festivals'. Glory Be!

Baron

Labour will take the seat, I reckon, easily.

Rabyrover

The forthcoming bye election has had much coverage on North West TV. Most of it has focused on Labour and the Lib Dems. Tonight was typical: Miliband with many Labour supporters, Cable with many Lib Dem supporters. The conservative candidate was shown alone in an empty street. BBC bias, or Conservative apathy? You tell me.