September 24, 201014 yr Author Lots of speculation flying around that Ed M has won it. He's suddenly become the bookies' favourite for the first time (David had been the runaway favourite ever since the start), and Left Foot Forward's detailed survey of MPs' votes show that, if the YouGov poll a few weeks ago got Labour members' and trade unions' votes right, Ed will have won. The votes have seemingly all been counted, as Harriet Harman has apparently already been told the result, but I've no idea whether the surge in bets for Ed is due to information leaking out to certain people.
September 24, 201014 yr If Ed wins then Labour have lost the next election. No charisma and can't connect with the people like David can.
September 24, 201014 yr If that's your opinion, then you're pretty much the only one, given everyone across the spectrum agrees that Ed's charisma is his strength and the thing keeping him ahead.
September 24, 201014 yr Great news, for the Conservative party, I can hear the champagne corks popping at Conservative HQ even now metaphorically speaking Ed will be another Neil Kinnock, galvanise the core Labour voters and the unions and scare off middle England when Blair recognised you need middle England on board to win elections Ed will merely preach to the converted not bring in new converts
September 24, 201014 yr Author Ed will be another Neil Kinnock, galvanise the core Labour voters and the unions and scare off middle England when Blair recognised you need middle England on board to win elections This argument really irritates me. Yes, Labour needed to move more to the centre in the mid90s - but that was 16 years ago! That was back when Thatcher had convinced everyone capitalism and free markets were unarguable - now, capitalism has just caused a massive crisis within the last two years. The landscape is completely different, and people have recognised that they want decent health and education services and police forces, and they're not going to approve of the ConDemalition of them. Not to mention the fact that, when Kinnock was leader, Labour had to fight with another party with progressive economic policies; that won't be an issue anymore.
September 24, 201014 yr This argument really irritates me. Yes, Labour needed to move more to the centre in the mid90s - but that was 16 years ago! That was back when Thatcher had convinced everyone capitalism and free markets were unarguable - now, capitalism has just caused a massive crisis within the last two years. The landscape is completely different, and people have recognised that they want decent health and education services and police forces, and they're not going to approve of the ConDemalition of them. Not to mention the fact that, when Kinnock was leader, Labour had to fight with another party with progressive economic policies; that won't be an issue anymore. People have moved on from the hard right wing days of Thatcher and to a lesser extent Major, elections are won and lost in the centrist population, Labour go back to its old left wing roots like Ed Milliband seems to want to take them it will not engage the public who by and large are centrist now Britain has changed, a hard right party would not win an election nor would a hard left one David was Labour's best chance of winning in 2015
September 24, 201014 yr Great news, for the Conservative party, I can hear the champagne corks popping at Conservative HQ even now metaphorically speaking Ed will be another Neil Kinnock, galvanise the core Labour voters and the unions and scare off middle England when Blair recognised you need middle England on board to win elections Ed will merely preach to the converted not bring in new converts Neil Kinnock did a huge amount for the Labour party. They were an unelectable rabble when he took over and he gradually transformed the party. When he took over, Labour had just won fewer than 8.5m votes in the 1983 general election. In his second election as leader (1992) they won over 11.5m votes. That's not my definition of galvanising the core vote.
September 24, 201014 yr Author I am atleast glad that Craig is comparing Ed to the soft-left Kinnock, which is a far more apt comparison than this "Red Ed" nonsense comparing him to Foot or Benn.
September 24, 201014 yr I am atleast glad that Craig is comparing Ed to the soft-left Kinnock, which is a far more apt comparison than this "Red Ed" nonsense comparing him to Foot or Benn. How many people under, say, 35 or even 40 know anything about Tony Benn or Michael Foot?
September 24, 201014 yr Author In terms of which leader to go for... I'm most impressed with Ed Miliband at this stage (and I have a feeling he will be the one who wins). Imo, he's the best combination of left-leaning philosophy and 'electability'. I'd just like to take this opportunity to point out that it's on record that I expected Ed to win way back in May. :P I remember my parents thought I was crazy when I suggested it to them, as David was still the huge favourite at that stage... (Yes, I realise that there's still a good chance I'll end up with egg on my face.)
September 24, 201014 yr How many people under, say, 35 or even 40 know anything about Tony Benn or Michael Foot? I do. Tony Benn went to the fancy dress shop every week, then the shopkeeper appeared, as if by magic. And Kenny Everett wanted to kick away Michael Foot's cane.
September 25, 201014 yr I am atleast glad that Craig is comparing Ed to the soft-left Kinnock, which is a far more apt comparison than this "Red Ed" nonsense comparing him to Foot or Benn. Yeah I don't think he is a Ken Livingstone or a Tony Benn, he definitely reminds me of a more geeky version of Kinnock but I just don't see him connecting with the public, Benn much as I am the polar opposite of his views is one of the great political minds of all time and a man of great charisma and Milliband wouldn't be fit to tie his shoelaces.
September 25, 201014 yr Can someone who had a vote clarify something for me? The press have been describing the ballot paper as "complicated". Does that mean it wasn't a simple ballot paper similar to the one used for parliamentary elections with the only difference being that you mark it 1,2,3 etc? Or is it just the press doing its usual job of trying to suggest that AV is somehow incredibly complicated?
September 25, 201014 yr Yeah I don't think he is a Ken Livingstone or a Tony Benn, he definitely reminds me of a more geeky version of Kinnock but I just don't see him connecting with the public, Benn much as I am the polar opposite of his views is one of the great political minds of all time and a man of great charisma and Milliband wouldn't be fit to tie his shoelaces. Whatever happened to you being more scared of Ed than Dave? :lol:
September 25, 201014 yr Can someone who had a vote clarify something for me? The press have been describing the ballot paper as "complicated". Does that mean it wasn't a simple ballot paper similar to the one used for parliamentary elections with the only difference being that you mark it 1,2,3 etc? Or is it just the press doing its usual job of trying to suggest that AV is somehow incredibly complicated? It was the simple ballot paper marked 1, 2, 3. I can understand why the vote would be hard-ish to work out given they have to add in three constituents for it (MPs, affiliates, members), but the ballot paper was incredibly easy.
September 25, 201014 yr People have moved on from the hard right wing days of Thatcher and to a lesser extent Major, elections are won and lost in the centrist population, Labour go back to its old left wing roots like Ed Milliband seems to want to take them it will not engage the public who by and large are centrist now Britain has changed, a hard right party would not win an election nor would a hard left one David was Labour's best chance of winning in 2015 And, again, what is the centrist population? Less than 10% earn the kind of money that would give them any right to be wary of an Ed Miliband government, so I've never really understood the 'THE CENTRE GROUND EARNS 60K+' rabid ranting of the Wail etc.
September 25, 201014 yr Whatever happened to you being more scared of Ed than Dave? :lol: Ed is a better communicator than Dave so he will get his message across better, I just think that most people will think the message he is getting across is complete bollocks ;) Plus he does appear to be in the pocket of the unions, I can just see the Daily Mail at next election using scare stories of links to Bob Crow for example
September 25, 201014 yr And, again, what is the centrist population? Less than 10% earn the kind of money that would give them any right to be wary of an Ed Miliband government, so I've never really understood the 'THE CENTRE GROUND EARNS 60K+' rabid ranting of the Wail etc. I am not talking finances or class I am talking about people with moderate political views be it a dustman or a dentist, makes no difference, what I mean by centrist is people with moderate political views that are neither left wing or right wing regardless of class or income
September 25, 201014 yr It was the simple ballot paper marked 1, 2, 3. I can understand why the vote would be hard-ish to work out given they have to add in three constituents for it (MPs, affiliates, members), but the ballot paper was incredibly easy. Thanks. That's what I suspected. Our beloved media treating us like imbeciles again.
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