Too many leadership contests of late have involved picking the least worst candidate so it is to Labour's credit that they have a decision before them which will end with 'the most best' individual winning through.
I would say, with all due respect to the man, that it is only Ed Balls who has made a less than substantive contribution to the contest, with the other four candidates helping to widen the debate and ensure the next chapter in the party's future is as cathartic as possible. Perhaps it should have been the other MP in the Balls household putting their name forward.
Anyway, the debate seems to be moving towards where Labour needs to be in relation to other parties rather than where it wants to plant its feet. For a party that is supposedly searching for its soul, this is a strange way to go about achieving that objective.
Peter Mandelson warns against 'lurching to the left' and David Miliband talks of 'pivoting our Politics forwards', presumably both against Ed Miliband's recklessly liberal anti-war, anti-nuclear stance, (despite these being historically Labour ideals of course). To be fair to Mandelson, New Labour must have emanated from Old Labour for a reason so to go back from New to Old deserves strong consideration of the risks involved.
David Miliband is the current frontrunner but he represents a timid choice with his current strategy seemingly being to clamp down on rival challengers rather than clearly communicate his own vision. Indeed, the main reason I can see for voting for the older Miliband is that he is rightwing enough to win Middle England but left enough of Cameron to hold onto the base. It seems to be the classic New Labour error of power for power's sake all over again. The Greens certainly want David to win to ensure they can make the resultant mouthwateringly massive gap to the left their own. Cameron wants David to lose as the Prime Minister doesn't want another 'heir to Blair' on his patch.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very impressed with both Milibands, they seem bright, articulate, personable, fair and, most crucially, genuine. Either name would get my vote ahead of Clegg or Cameron as things currently stand.
However, Ed Miliband has that extra level of enthusiasm, that extra edge of radicalism, those extra green credentials and that extra bag of policies against his name. This adds up to momentum and a lightning rod for a liberal, progressive, lefty coalition that between the SNP, the Greens and the disenchanted Lib Dems, can ensure that the coalition will, somewhat belatedly, be held to account adequately.
3 comments:
>>New Labour must have emanated from Old Labour for a reason
New Labour was all about a narrow clique of right wingers (Mandelson in particular) parasitising a fine and noble party.... Yes, you know my views on that odious man, but consider this:
Labour the was always going to win the 97 election, thanks to the good work of John Smith plus the shambles of the ERM and the Tories tearing themselves apart in the latter years of administration. The sad thing is that Blair and Mandelson persuaded Labour that they all had to become right wing in order to win - and the party held it's nose...
The reality of course is that Labour would have won anyway, and Labour would not have had to sacrifice it's values.
New Labour & Mandy will, in time, be shown to be a passing phase in the Labour Party - nothing to do with the party's history and values and no place its rebuilding and future.
Cheers Chris. A very good point and I must admit I've never really thought about that aspect of 97 before, despite it now being startlingly obvious.
It is perhaps unfair to automatically assume that David M would continue the downsides of New Labour under his leadership but I'm afraid I can't shake the hunch that he would.
Not sure Ed beats David in terms of green credentials. Before being foreign sec, MillieD was environment sec too. And I thought he was good. I remember hearing him being interviewed on Today, and in the course of the interview he made me realise that he was quite genuinely a 'bright young thing', who may actually make headway. He was promoted months later, more's the pity.
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