Thoughts on Red Ed's relaunch

[longfingernails]

As far as I can tell, he still has absolutely no theme - or vision of what Labour can achieve in a time when there is no money for more public spending.

I understand that he can't detail policy - after all, he disagrees with half the PLP, including Alan Johnson, on policy, and less snarkily, it may be politically unwise to reveal his hand too soon anyway.

In my mind, his biggest problem is that he doesn't even seem to be able to articulate his values though. In the leadership election, it was pretty clear: he was quite a lot to the left of centre. Now, though, it is totally ambiguous. He knows that he has to tack to the centre for credibility, but doesn't, at a gut level, understand how. Like Gordon Brown, he just doesn't "get" why 35% of the population ( far more than just the toffs) votes Tory.

The bit where he was asked what the squeezed middle actually was on the Today programme was hilarious.

Also - correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Ed write the latest manifesto in the first place?

If so, why is it to be discarded so quickly - did he not believe it then? or doesn't he believe in it now?

"Which is why Ed Miliband has enabled Labour to overtake the Tories in the polls recently."

are these the same polls that boosted Clegg up, and pretended that the LibDems were going to take untold numbers of seats?

The economic credibility is key. If all he does is say tax the banks, everyone will know he is talking nonsense.

The sums just have to add up.

People don't like most of the cuts - there is widespread public support for most of the benefit caps - especially on housing benefit - but not for the tuition fee rises, closures of libraries, etc. But they can see what happens to countries which let their debts run away on their screens right now.

Fiscal probity and balancing the books are in fashion.

The fundamental question is this. What is Labour for when there is no money left for the State to spend?

Bland. Was considering his shirt and the odd camera angle, no idea what was said apart from general regrets. Have no doubt if it was David I might have taken more notice.

claig: yes, he was an important player re the manifesto. Another reason why the way he's described Labour's mistakes of recent years is such an error.

oni, labour managed the economy impressively until the recession.

Even on welfare spending, they arguably managed costs better than the tories.

Facts here

Onimolap - that was meeeeeeeeee with the manifesto point!!!!

Labour haven't got a clue, they don't seem to have a policy on anything. They oppose every cut that the coalition makes without making any suggestions on how they would cut the deficit.

LFN, I suppose it depends how you see Labour's role - I don't really see it primarily as about spending ore rather than differently.

If some of the money devoted to saving the arses of George Osborne's banking friends, say, or of kindly letting Vodafone off their 6 billion quid tax bill was spent on helping those on low/middle incomes or on improving services, then we'd be spending no more, just differently.

The cuts have been blatantly ideologically inspired - that's what bugs me, rather than cuts per se. I mind that pittances are saved in some areas whilst huge amounts are spent in others, to make some rather annoying ideological point.

eg it was interesting that on todays Any Questions, the audience were clearly livid with the cuts to school sports, saving all of 160m - pointless tinkering.

I hope that Ed sticks to his values and principles and does not try to be all things to all people. I did not like the way he was talking to people in tescos as if they are going to be writing their policies. I would rather experts in the particular fields wrote them !
I am a bit disappointed in him so far i want him to be more passionate and inspiring. I hope he becomes more so as time goes on. Labour should be able to win with a leader who sticks to his socialist principles when there will be so many disaffected Lib dem voters.

Well said.

Catinthehat2: sorry - my bad. Don't know how I managed that one!

Lifeinlimbo - for most of Labour's tenure we were in significant economic growth - when welfare payments should have been easy to control.

Also, several of Labour's spending priorities were outside welfare spend: education and health for example.

It was bad economic management not to fund this increase in spend by raising tax revenue. If you can't fund state spend from tax income at the top of an economic cycle - you'll never manage it at the bottom. But then Mr Brown convinced himself that he had conquered the economic cycle and banished recessions. And that was his biggest economic management mistake.

lifeinlimbo: I would never be able to agree that abandoning balanced budgets and running a deficit budget during boom years (as Labour chose to do from 2000 onwards) is impressive. Unless, of course, you mean impressively awful.

I'm waiting for the wikileaks verdict on Brown. Shouldn't be long now.

TBH he can sit back for a while and watch the ConDems destroy themselves with the cuts, by 2013 the ConDems and the LD's particularly will be finished.

A lot of Labour supporters voted LD either because they could not stomach Brown and Mandleson or to keep out the Tories in marginals, that wont happen again.

One term government and as usual labour will have to repair the social damage done to society

'watch the ConDems destroy themselves with the cuts, by 2013 the ConDems and the LD's particularly will be finished.'

sounds like you have been taken in by Alan Johnson. He gets most things wrong, and this is no different.

The problem is no-one knows what effect the cuts will have on the economy. If the Government is right and they can get a strong private sector led recovery then Labour are toast and can prepare themselves to be in opposition for a long time. If growth is low or non-existent over the next few years then they will have a very good chance of sweeping back into power.

I think Ed is a disaster for the Labour party.

My own political views are further left than his appear to be; but I am under no illusion that the party needs to be electable, and with him at the helm, it isn't and never will be.

In a word as far what effect the cuts will have on the economy: Ireland.

And really hoping I'm wrong.

I'm a Labour supporter.

I'm not convinced by Ed, yet. I am also pretty much left of his politics, but think David M 9despite being the so-called 'centre candidate') is a man capable of far more intellectually rigorous political argument and is more appealing to centre floaters, and thus more electable.

Re: Ed. There is a lack of overall vision and strong mission statement from him thus far.

But...early days. All to play for.

Clegg a disaster, Cameron very shaky. When voters realise just how deep these public sector cuts will reach, there may be a tide turn.

The next election will certainly be very interesting.

I don't think anyone can cay whether the cuts will be successful, we nothing to compare it too as there has never been a period of global fiscal tightening like the one that is going to occur over the next few years. Nearly every developed economy is going to have to reduce their spending due to the large deficits that they have.

LFN - do you work for the Conservative Party? I'm not saying this to get your back up, but judging by your posts I think that you work for CCHQ and you're on here specifically to spread the word / take the temperature. Am I right?

Have often thought the same, Longtalljosie.

LFN, perhaps post on a couple of bf threads or something?

I don't think she does I think she's just a Conservative Party member