You know the Labour right are in trouble when they wheel out David Miliband again
David Miliband addresses a rally against the US travel ban on Friday in his role as head of the International Rescue Committee. IRC has long been accused of being an instrument of US foreign policy, has documented links to the CIA, and has been an advocate of military intervention – claims the organisation denies. [Image: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters].
… As was his message: A lie, based on apparent facts.
So he reckons Labour is further from power than at any time in the last 50 years. This may be accurate.
He reckons Labour’s situation isn’t a repeat of the 1980s. This may also be accurate.
But his conclusion – that Labour needs to become a right-wing party again, because he thinks socialism won’t address the problems the UK faces or get Labour elected, because he thinks watered-down Tory policies are what the public wants – is completely whacko-jacko.
Liam Young had it right, as This Site reported yesterday: Timidly copying Tory policies – failing to challenge them – is what has caused Labour’s problems. The party should be taking risks, pushing boundaries, and pushing radical ideas.
Labour’s decline in support isn’t because it has rejected right-wing policies; it is because New Labour ignored the working-class voters who have always been the party’s power-base – to such a degree that five million of them turned their backs on the party. Jeremy Corbyn has managed to bring some of them back but that process is being sabotaged by right-wing Labour MPs and commentators like Mr Miliband.
And those right-wingers need to be addressed – quickly. They cannot be allowed to continue backstabbing Mr Corbyn and Labour’s current direction.
It is clear that they want Labour to lose elections – why do you think Tristram Hunt and Jamie Reed resigned? They wanted Corbyn to lose both Copeland and Stoke Central – and are quite happy to allow homicidal Conservative policies to continue.
After all, they aren’t suffering; they’ll get another huge pay rise in April.
And Clive Lewis was right when he said that Labour needs to tackle a lot of vested interests, including those in the media who are desperate to keep Labour out of office…
And people like David Miliband, who say they are Labour but aren’t really Labour at all.
David Miliband has said the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership is further from power than at any time in the last 50 years and has refused to rule out a return to British politics.
As Corbyn made clear he did not believe his leadership contributed to Labour’s byelection defeat in Copeland, Miliband said he was “deeply concerned that Labour is further from power than at any stage in my lifetime”.
“The tempting thing to say is that it’s a mistake because it won’t get us elected,” he said. “But for people like me it’s a mistake because it won’t address the challenges of the country. This isn’t just an electability question, it’s a question of substance. I think one can achieve more radical and substantive change through a different set of positions.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he said: “I don’t think this is just a repeat of the 1980s. We have to really understand the historic nature of the challenge that we have to face.”
Source: David Miliband: Labour’s move to the left is a mistake | Politics | The Guardian
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You’d think with his love of all things American, that he’d have realised what he proposes helped loose Hilary Clinton the Presidential Election.
The issue of biased media coverage is a very real one, and I do not think letting then write Labour Party policy is either a short or long term solution.
I find it extremely odd, that a man touted as being the next Labour leader, only to lose, then becomes the head of International Rescue Committee. I really have not got a clue what its aims an objectives are, but for someone with such ambition to end up there, leaves me to wonder whether it is just another salary earner, or he really doesn’t have the competence to hold down a real job.
From a distant memory I believe he did the PPE, here and then went to the USA to study for an MSc. Also, based on limited knowledge, but it’s not unusual for the rising stars amongst the young Blairites to do post-graduate study in the U.S, and/or China. The latter in the language of the Chinese legal system and legal system itself.
This is actually a study in where our nation’s future ruling class believe power will reside. Mixed with a degree of edging their bets.
I’m a Canadian citizen and resident—not even an expat—but I support Jeremy Corbyn because the Labour ‘moderates’ have demonstrated that they’re all too willing to throw Britain’s sick and disabled under the bus in order to win the next general election.
I’m also a deep admirer of Shadow work and pensions secretary, Debbie Abrahams, who has proven time and time again that she cares passionately about the rights of vulnerable people.
Likewise – in both cases.
MIKE
I’ve nothing but praise for David Miliband.
In a role outside politics, he’s doing just fine, so let’s hope the lad remembers that in future, because that’s his metier.
Oh, and as Scott Nelson @sociaistvoice pointed out, our lowest point in the last 50 years was the 2009 Euro elections, with 15.5% of the vote. When we were in government, and David was in a rather prominent Cabinet position, if I remember correctly?
ah the greedie ones again baying hmmm greed has had its day its time for a clear out
only Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer can bring about a labour revival. i don’t think any other labour mp could make it as he is the only one capable
i should add Debbie Abrahams might also be capable but Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer has a style that might be able to motivate the conservative voters for 2025 to vote for labour