Will the money men help Miliband's cause?
Peter Hoskin 11:44am
The Miliband leadership bid is picking up steam. According to today's Sunday Telegraph, his team are already drafting the Foreign Secretary's speech for the upcoming Labour conference - and it's set to offer an "alternative vision of Labour's future" to the one put forward by Brown. All fascinating stuff. But, in the same Sunday Telegraph article, it's this passage that jumped out at me:
"Allies of the Foreign Secretary signalled that wealthy private individuals who had stopped giving Labour money under Mr Brown were likely to be persuaded to reopen their cheque books if Mr Miliband became leader."
If this is true, the money men really could play a crucial role in determining whether or not Brown goes. Labour party finances are currently in the doldrums (ok, the latest figures [pdf] show some improvement, but - as Three Line Whip pointed out - a handful of loans still need to be repaid, even if the deadline for those repayments has been moved back). And I expect many inside the party will feel that this jeopardises Labour's ability to organise and run an effective general election campaign - and thereby jeopardises their ability to hang onto their seats. If Miliband can bring cash with him, then his support base could widen appreciably.
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David
August 3rd, 2008 12:17pm Report this commentCall me a cynic, but does the Foreign Secretary really go out and buy single pints of milk? Or is this the first of many 'Miliband is normal' photo-ops?
Anna
August 3rd, 2008 1:00pm Report this comment"Allies of the Foreign Secretary signalled that wealthy private individuals who had stopped giving Labour money under Mr Brown were likely to be persuaded to reopen their cheque books if Mr Miliband became leader."
This strikes me as being pure speculation, and witless with it. Are the money men going to make promises to a leadership candidate whom polls show has even less chance than Brown of winning an election?
Elizabeth Elliot-Pyle
August 3rd, 2008 2:04pm Report this commentDavid, that is EXACTLY what I thought when I first saw the photo.
That pint of milk is obviously being bought when he is not on duty, and this is a man with 2 kids.
I actually thought the photo made him look even more abnormal and wierd. He also seems to think we are a bunch of idiots.
Nicholas
August 3rd, 2008 2:51pm Report this commentThe one consistent thing you can be sure of with these clowns is the spin.
Politics in the style of high street retail advertising courtesy of the puerile oiks who "advise" them.
Anthony a
August 3rd, 2008 4:42pm Report this commentI wouldn't imagine a £50million cheque from a donor would help Miliband win the next election.
People are fed up of Labour and fancy a change.
Arbie
August 3rd, 2008 4:47pm Report this commentThis has to be completely the wrong reading of the situation, Peter. Labour are almost certain to lose the next election, and the 'back-the-winner' funding is gone for this term, period. The only finances Labour can rely on are those of the unions.
This means two things. 1. The real money men are the heads of the unions, who will almost certainly back Brown.
2. They will back Brown because a) they can extract concessions from him over the next two years and b) why support a challenger who will be compelled to hold an election (because 3 PMs from one election is untenable) and who will lose it.
Brown will stay in return for a deal with the unions in which they gain certain legislation in the next two years. Put yourself in their position: you have the PM over a barrel, and Labour, whoever the leader, will lose the next election. There's no point in a new leader which will only hasten the end of your own influence, so wring everything you can from govt. until 2010 and then hunker down for the wilderness years.
salieri
August 3rd, 2008 8:53pm Report this commentAs John Wayne put it, "Get off your horse and drink your [semi-skimmed] milk."
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