Why David Miliband's article matters
Peter Hoskin 8:59am
The most curious thing about David Miliband's article for the latest New Statesman
— which is causing quite a stir this morning — is that it
should appear now. After all, the Roy Hattersley essay that it purports to be responding to was published, so far as I can tell, last September. That's five months ago. Which is fine, if it's really taken MiliMajor that long to get
around to it. But it certainly fuels the idea that he has chosen now, this moment, to make a political intervention — and Hattersley is just an excuse.
And the intervention itself? Basically, Miliband warns against what he calls 'Reassurance Labour', a strain within the party that has cosy ideas about a big, centralised state and its capacity to do good. That's wrong, he says: the party should own up to the mistakes of its past, keep on devolving power and keep on reforming. Which would also be fine, were it not for the fact that many disgruntled MiliD supporters regard Ed Miliband's leadership as a doomed exercise in Reassurance Labour. Could their master now be putting voice to these concerns?
David Miliband makes a point of praising his brother, with sentences such as, 'Ed Miliband has shown he understands this with the policy review now under way.' But it's like I said last month: the more the elder Miliband makes ambiguous interventions such as this, the more speculation there will be about his intentions, and the more difficult things will become for his brother. Surely David Miliband realises that, which is what makes this article more venomous than just the sum of its words.
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JP
February 2nd, 2012 9:39am Report this commentSo people say Ed Miliband is ugly. This picture reminds us that his brother is even more so.
Stepney
February 2nd, 2012 9:41am Report this commentUntil Labour face up to the fact that they've deserted the working man in favour of the overpaid/unproductive/overprotected public sector middle class, and the workshy, then they are on a hiding to nothing.
Significantly more lower paid workers operate in the private sector and are pig sick of handing over slabs of their income to those who are better off than they are. That's where the unfairness lies.
Labour's Pavlovian protection of outrageous public service pensions and their hostility to the benefits cap only hammer longer nails into the coffin which holds their dead relationship with the working class.
Working class - the clue is in the title...not that any of the Labour elite understand the concept.
toco
February 2nd, 2012 9:54am Report this commentCain and Abel springs to mind but which way will Balls and Cooper jump?A major revolution is brewing and even the participants don't know how to play their cards.
Holly ......
February 2nd, 2012 10:00am Report this commentOh dear me.
Can you tell me, apart from him not being Ed, what this brother has actually done to be so favoured?
When he makes his 'apology speech'for what Labour did during their time in government,
what is he going to say? 'I could have done something, but bottled it'? I was scared of
'the forces of hell' being unleashed?
Balls & Ed threatened me?
What has MiliD got that would make us think he would not be as big a failure than MiliE?
He can string a sentence together?
He is better at fooling you journo's?
He would get rid of Balls & all the other useless gobshites on the Labour front bench, only to replace them with different gobshites?
Only the public can rid us of Balls & Co.
MiliD would be undermined,schemed against and bought down by Balls, Coop & the left.
He is better off carping from the sidelines
like the rest of them. Highlighting just how wrong MiliE is on his quest to be PM.
The only up side to the present Labour lot is, they are too up themselves to change course,leader or rhetoric.
Long may it continue.
You lot will go away & come back with the next great Labour leader...Coop.
We will give you our take on her & you'll go off & find the next one, then the next one....Then....Before you know it...2020.
If Labour supporters want them back in govrernment they first HAVE to get a spine & rid the party of the one's keeping them from doing so..Balls,Coop,Byrne,Burnham etc,etc.
MilkSnatcher
February 2nd, 2012 10:01am Report this commentI wish Nick Clegg had an older brother in politics too.
JohnPage
February 2nd, 2012 10:11am Report this commentWe already knew DM wasn't a decisive leader. This just confirms it.
Hexhamgeezer
February 2nd, 2012 10:18am Report this comment'Ed Miliband has shown he understands this with the policy review now under way' is not exactly praise, more like 'he knows I'm right, he just doesn't (yet) know how right I am'.
Whatever the results of the review are, you can be sure that they will restrict themselves to the tiny corner of the playground that the Lib/Lab/Con consensus have agreed to operate in.
colin taylor
February 2nd, 2012 10:40am Report this commentHow can David Milliband ,pompous ppe,who TOLD
Putin to change the Russian constitution
when foreign secretary, possibly be taken seriously as a possible PM.His arrogance and naivity is unbelievable.He should retire to an academic professorship somewhere along with Balls .
Sir Everard Digby
February 2nd, 2012 10:47am Report this comment1. He was part of the New Stasi administration
2. Tony Blair believed Milliwit(D) would be a worthy successor
3. He has some questions to answer about his on the record responses to our involvement in torture/rendition.
4. He could not beat the excuse for an opposition leader now in place at a ballot.
Please explain why this individual is being given any airtime?
Axstane
February 2nd, 2012 10:54am Report this commentThe only plausible Labour leader when the Great Brown quit was Alistair Darling. At least he understood that the nation was overspent.
Chris lancashire
February 2nd, 2012 10:55am Report this commentBoth Milibands bottled it so many times in government that they might as well have been milkmen.
Georgina Moles
February 2nd, 2012 10:57am Report this commentIt is all a side show we have 3 right wing political parties all vying for the same constituency - not the working class of course. Until Labour cleans it augean stables of its right wing tendency, disowns the mandelson comment “very comfortable with some people becoming filthy rich” and the philosophy behind the statement the Labour Party will never seriously be in contention for political power for a long time to come. Why vote Labour when you can have the real thing. That is how far Labour have moved to the right.
Mike
February 2nd, 2012 11:22am Report this commentLets keep milliband in his position as it can only keep labour out of power.When ever he appears on tv I turn the set off.Mike
TrevorsDen
February 2nd, 2012 11:31am Report this commentDidn't Blair say all this 20 years ago?
Wily Trout
February 2nd, 2012 12:02pm Report this commentNo, Dave Milliband's article does not matter except for those in the Westmister bubble. Nothing Labour does matters. They are a busted flush who have run out of ideals and ideas. What a shame the Spectator clings to these has-beens and does not spend more time trawling round to find some new policital talent.
Austin Barry
February 2nd, 2012 12:39pm Report this commentThe Brothers Grim.
Frank P
February 2nd, 2012 12:56pm Report this commentAustin Barry
Think I've now sussed what MiliMinor's nose job was all about. It was inflicted with the jaw bone of an ass, but less successfully, sadly, than the biblical precedent.
Holly ......
February 2nd, 2012 1:31pm Report this commentWily Trout.12.02.
Agreed. Why don't the likes of Mr Fraser give us post after post about UKIP & Farage?
Why don't the UKIPers stop moaning about Cameron & give us some info on their choice for NO 10.
IF UKIP wants my vote why don't they come out & work for it?
They are still not even in a position to field a candidate in every constituency, how do they ever expect to gain more seats?
They may increase their % of votes in seats they already contest, but that will never get them into office.
Personally I am bored to death having to read the same cr@p every day...Labour are great..MiliE is the bestest ever opposition leader,(WOW TO THAT)MiliD COULD be a BIT better than MiliE,and Cameron/Coalition/
government is 'weak'/split/cracking etc etc.
Get off your bottoms and do some work.
Percy
February 2nd, 2012 1:46pm Report this commentAnything that he writes or says can't disguise the fact that David Miliband is a twat. Period.
Frank P
February 2nd, 2012 2:39pm Report this commentHolly (1.31pm)
A fine clarion call - let's see if there is a response.
Pettros
February 2nd, 2012 3:51pm Report this comment"Nothing Labour does matters. They are a busted flush who have run out of ideals and ideas."
Except they poll 40%.
Dimoto
February 2nd, 2012 4:05pm Report this commentGeorgina Moles:
And after purging the "right" from the Labour Party, the question would change from "why vote Labour when you can have the real thing ?", into "why vote Labour ?"
Dimoto
February 2nd, 2012 4:08pm Report this commentHolly:
Asking Farage to tell you what he would do after winning an election, is like asking Salmond what he would do after winning the referendum.
Opportunists don't work like that.
David Lindsay
February 2nd, 2012 4:12pm Report this commentThe infinitesimal Blairite rump can clear off any time it likes. I might even rejoin Labour if it did. But more fools the Tories if they let it in. And shame on both the Staggers and the Speccie for continuing to publicise it.
Holly ......
February 2nd, 2012 5:34pm Report this commentHello....UKIPers...where are you...
I expected a barrage of replies..The silence
is quite remarkable, going by the swivel-eyed rants over Europe & how Cameron wants to 'keep us in Europe'..against our wishes.
Back later..bye.
MC
February 3rd, 2012 3:31am Report this commentDavid Miliband looks gracious and good- a man with a broad enough chest to shoulder the burdens of our country. Ed just looks like Gromit.
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