Bolitics The New Condem Government

[villaajax]

Breaking news on the BBC website, the West Coast main line deal has been cancelled! If I had a penny for everytime they did a U turn, I'd be rich enough to live under a Tory government.

[snowychap]

Good speech by Miliband yesterday. Finally launched himself and Labour as a serious opposition.

I've only seen clips of it and comments made about it.

Some of the clips looked okay, some looked not so.

I'd be interested as to how the comment about the 'great police officers' plays out amongst some of the party faithful.

Oh and what kind of school did Ed attend again?

[Awol]

Oh and what kind of school did Ed attend again?

He's a comprehensive kid, so he's one of us, he 'gets it', not like the other posh b'stards.

Quite what that says about the 105 Labour MPs who went to grammar schools, or the 31 who went to private schools wasn't specified..

Maybe this"working class Ed" routine (other than being a shameless lie) is just misdirection to shift focus away from where it should be, i.e. the lack of sorely needed credible alternatives to the idiocy of Osborne?

[Jon]

Maybe this"working class Ed" routine

I'd imagine he's trying to make some capital out of the 'them' and 'us' feeling that has pervaded society these past few years, and particulalry the last few months.

Probably trying to make out he's one of us 'plebs'.

[Dr_Pangloss]

Ed Miliband's dad was a very well known academic at the LSE. He went to Oxford to study PPE and LSE to do an Msc in Econ, also he was a visiting scholar at Harvard for a couple of semesters.

[peterms]

Breaking news on the BBC website, the West Coast main line deal has been cancelled! If I had a penny for everytime they did a U turn, I'd be rich enough to live under a Tory government.

Clip here of the Minister trying to dump responsibility on the civil servants, pretending they made errors in assessing the bids.

It seems the issue is rather a fundamental policy error. The government decided to extend the length of the franchises so far into the future that crucial things like passenger numbers in 10-15 years time were totally hypothetical - yet firms were supposed to frame a bid and officials assess risk on the basis of this fairy story, and grant a contract for 15 years accordingly. This is in the full knowledge that First pulled out of their last contract before the end because the figures didn't turn out to be as pleasing as they had assumed.

Now it's unravelled, the government is dumping the blame on the civil servants instead of accepting that their policy is barking mad. No change there, then.

[peterms]

Ed Miliband's dad was a very well known academic at the LSE. He went to Oxford to study PPE and LSE to do an Msc in Econ, also he was a visiting scholar at Harvard for a couple of semesters.

More than that, he was one of the leading Marxist intellectuals in the world.

He strongly opposed the Vietnam war.

In 1967 he wrote in the Socialist Register that "the US has over...a period of years been engaged...in the wholesale slaughter of men, women and children, the maiming of many more" and that the United States' "catalogue of horrors" against the Vietnamese people was being done "in the name of an enormous lie".[10]

In the same article, he attacked Harold Wilson for his defence of the United States' action in Vietnam, describing it as being the "most shameful chapter in the history of the Labour Party". He went on to say that the US Government "made no secret of the political and diplomatic importance it attached to the unwavering support of a British Labour Government".

Shame these views didn't have a little more sway on his son David, when Iraq came around.

[Jon]

Ed Miliband's dad was a very well known academic at the LSE. He went to Oxford to study PPE and LSE to do an Msc in Econ, also he was a visiting scholar at Harvard for a couple of semesters.

This I was aware of. I don't see your point, particularly.

I think we're all of the belief that he's not a working class prole ....

[peterms]

Keith Vaz seems to be quite handy with money.

...almost £500,000 was apparently deposited into the MP’s accounts in addition to his salary between 1997 and 2001. This included large amounts of cash, £28,959 in 1998 and £10,319 in 1999. The cash payments made it difficult for detectives to establish the source of the funds...

[mjmooney]

Ed Miliband's dad was a very well known academic at the LSE. He went to Oxford to study PPE and LSE to do an Msc in Econ, also he was a visiting scholar at Harvard for a couple of semesters.

More than that, he was one of the leading Marxist intellectuals in the world.

He strongly opposed the Vietnam war.

In 1967 he wrote in the Socialist Register that "the US has over...a period of years been engaged...in the wholesale slaughter of men, women and children, the maiming of many more" and that the United States' "catalogue of horrors" against the Vietnamese people was being done "in the name of an enormous lie".[10]

In the same article, he attacked Harold Wilson for his defence of the United States' action in Vietnam, describing it as being the "most shameful chapter in the history of the Labour Party". He went on to say that the US Government "made no secret of the political and diplomatic importance it attached to the unwavering support of a British Labour Government".

Shame these views didn't have a little more sway on his son David, when Iraq came around.

Not just the LSE.

Ralph M was one of my politics lecturers at Leeds University in the early 70s. Our witty nickname for him? "Steve" (geddit?)

[Dr_Pangloss]

Ed Miliband's dad was a very well known academic at the LSE. He went to Oxford to study PPE and LSE to do an Msc in Econ, also he was a visiting scholar at Harvard for a couple of semesters.

More than that, he was one of the leading Marxist intellectuals in the world.

He strongly opposed the Vietnam war.

In 1967 he wrote in the Socialist Register that "the US has over...a period of years been engaged...in the wholesale slaughter of men, women and children, the maiming of many more" and that the United States' "catalogue of horrors" against the Vietnamese people was being done "in the name of an enormous lie".[10]

In the same article, he attacked Harold Wilson for his defence of the United States' action in Vietnam, describing it as being the "most shameful chapter in the history of the Labour Party". He went on to say that the US Government "made no secret of the political and diplomatic importance it attached to the unwavering support of a British Labour Government".

Shame these views didn't have a little more sway on his son David, when Iraq came around.

Yep, that's why they call him 'Red-Ed'.

Oh course, having as a farther a prominent LSE academic gives you no advantages or connections does it, so he really is just one of 'us', LOL.

[peterms]

Yep, that's why they call him 'Red-Ed'.

Oh course, having as a farther a prominent LSE academic gives you no advantages or connections does it, so he really is just one of 'us', LOL.

I'm sure Miliband's family connections will have given him many experiences denied the rest of us, like being the subject of close attention from the Special Branch, or having connections with many distinguished academics.

Has he ever pretended not to be the son of an academic? Does having a father who fought for social justice make you more, or less fit to enter politics? I should think we could do with a lot more like that, and a lot less landed gentry, stockbrokers and other assorted parasites.

[Dr_Pangloss]

Yep, that's why they call him 'Red-Ed'.

Oh course, having as a farther a prominent LSE academic gives you no advantages or connections does it, so he really is just one of 'us', LOL.

I'm sure Miliband's family connections will have given him many experiences denied the rest of us, like being the subject of close attention from the Special Branch, or having connections with many distinguished academics.

Has he ever pretended not to be the son of an academic? Does having a father who fought for social justice make you more, or less fit to enter politics? I should think we could do with a lot more like that, and a lot less landed gentry, stockbrokers and other assorted parasites.

I think the problem is his attempt to sell himself as one of 'us' and his talking up his state school experience. They are trying to create an image for him that people will lap up, it is exactly what's wrong with politics.

People behind the scenes would probably rather his dad wasn't mentioned at all given he was a Marxist and apart of the 'new left' movement. It's far too a radical association, far too left of the (slightly) left of centre ground Labour want to be in.

Miliband should be looking to command the debate on the economy given he is more qualified than the vast majority of the Tory front bench (assuming he hasn't forgotten most of what he learned at the LSE whilst doing his Masters).

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Labour don't have to say anything on the economy, they can just sit around and watch the guvmint shoot themselves in the foot time and time again.

Then, when the country is just about fed up of it, the Ed's will pop up with some policies and promises that will look refreshing and the proles will lap it up, vote them in and the cycle will repeat.

Same old story.

Although I don't think they'll win an outright majority, I think the days of Blair-like victories are long gone.

[thetrees]

The bloke on BBC Breakfast rendered Ed speechless and fumbling this morning with the simple question "what are you worth?"

[chrisp65]

The bloke on BBC Breakfast rendered Ed speechless and fumbling this morning with the simple question "what are you worth?"

I'm worth a hand job.

would have been a good answer

stupidity of the highest order to start an us vs them debate about schooling and wealth:

a) it don't matter where you're from it's where you're planning on taking us

look at the team around you, you dick

c) it makes you look petty and spiteful

[tonyh29]

a) it don't matter where you're from it's where you're planning on taking us

Very much ....This

[Richard]

The bloke on BBC Breakfast rendered Ed speechless and fumbling this morning with the simple question "what are you worth?"

stupidity of the highest order to start an us vs them debate about schooling and wealth:

a) it don't matter where you're from it's where you're planning on taking us

It matters when those using it want to do so for a presentation, to try and score some political point, to try and make out that it matters. One thing about the conference speech he gave yesterday was it was all very well stage managed. The speech itself was a cobbling together of about 5 or 6 other speeches he has given with some continuity bits in between, so maybe not a wonderful thing to talk "unaided" for 70 minutes as some are making out.

There were bits that were quite irritating, notably the long pause and eye closing after tring to make a funny comment. But I understand that others who are more supportive of his stance will feel otherwise and have no issue with that.

It was Blairesque presentation of a left wing position, certainly the attempt to add to a class divide was left wing in nature in an attempt to curry a majority view.

[blandy]

a) it don't matter where you're from it's where you're planning on taking us

Very much ....This

Up to a point, that's unarguable. I think, though, that "real life" experience is very valuable in being able to comprehend many aspects of policies, what's right and wrong, what the consequences actually mean.

Real life, is not really about being a special adviser, then an MP, never having done anything else, never having had anything other than politics as a background. It's not about class, but about having lived outside the political bubble.

The balance in the main parties is wrong,. Far too heavily weighted towards privately educated, rich, white, men and to a lesser extent women, from the South East.

Ed Milliband is by no means the worst example, but he's a well off Son of a Political activist, who was a political adviser then an MP, then a Leader. He's bright, slightly awkward, retains some instinct of "goodness" and is capable. His judgement is better than most and he's working on areas where he's weak as they all do, presentationally.

People (voters) warm to those who seem less concerned with style, which is why Boris J is so popular, more so than his policies and deeds give him any right to be.

Like they say, sincerity is the key and when you can fake that, you've got it made in politics.

[peterms]

Real life, is not really about being a special adviser, then an MP, never having done anything else, never having had anything other than politics as a background. It's not about class, but about having lived outside the political bubble.

The balance in the main parties is wrong,. Far too heavily weighted towards privately educated, rich, white, men and to a lesser extent women, from the South East.

Ed Milliband is by no means the worst example, but he's a well off Son of a Political activist, who was a political adviser then an MP, then a Leader. He's bright, slightly awkward, retains some instinct of "goodness" and is capable. His judgement is better than most and he's working on areas where he's weak as they all do, presentationally.

People (voters) warm to those who seem less concerned with style, which is why Boris J is so popular, more so than his policies and deeds give him any right to be.

Like they say, sincerity is the key and when you can fake that, you've got it made in politics.

The process of selection for office runs pretty much completely against what you are saying. (Or rather, confirms what you say, but runs counter to what you argue for).

As far as the Labour Party is concerned, there's a network of people based around cliques and ginger groups: a party within a party what what it was called when Militant were doing it, but it's quietly accepted now the Blairites have done it more successfully. The Labour Co-ordinating Committee, Compass (edit - Progress, I mean), informal cliques of chums from university - they get each other jobs as spads, they wangle their people on to shortlists, they even parachute in new MPs to constituencies who've never seen the little **** before.

It's been happening for 20 years, actively driven by Mandelson, Blair, and their coterie, as a conscious strategy to take over the party - ironically drawing on the strategies of Derek Hatton and Tony Mulhearn and the like in so doing. The Project. The people they advance have gone from university to an intern to maybe a spad job to a consultancy or lobby group to becoming an MP.

Apart from the wider political goal in which the enemy is as like to be another faction in the same party as the other parties, the drive is personal advancement. The outcome is that the party loses its moral compass, and becomes a vehicle rather than a cause.

This is a big factor in why a lot of traditional Labour loyalists have drifted away from the party. And with them has gone a lot of experience of living outside the political bubble, as you put it.

(edited for clarity...)