Comments on SNP Tactical Voting: Labour should pick Ed (what do you mean 'which one...

Not sure Ed beats David in terms of green credenti...

2010-08-30T21:53:24.899+01:00

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.

Cheers Chris. A very good point and I must admit I...

2010-08-30T20:39:48.189+01:00

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.

>>New Labour must have emanated from Old Lab...

2010-08-30T20:24:23.681+01:00

>>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.