Ed Miliband's conference speech live stream

[FrancesMumsnet]

Live stream of Ed Miliband's speech here if you're interested:

[aufaniae]

Slightly off topic, but did anyone see Gordon Brown's address the Levinson Enquiry, a while back, by the way?

It was the first time I'd really heard him speak and I was really surprised and impressed. He handled the questions honestly, sensitively, with humour and gravitas, and steered the discussions towards big ideas. He came across so well, proper leadership material IMO.

Shame we never saw that side of him publicly when he was in power!

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

"Do you mean someone like Thrasher?"

Not especially. Brown's just been mentioned and he certainly had 'Scary Bastard' DNA. But I think if either him or Mrs T or similar political figures had said 'we can do this the easy way or the hard way' there would have been sphincters flapping all the way across the Square Mile. Despite his rough upbringing, Ed's threat didn't quite come off.

[Davros]

I think Ed Milliband should return to his home planet

[SunWukong]

So the labour party finally had a whip round and bought some extra ram for the millibot 3000, to increase his capacity to store pre written speech data, how nice for them. Now what does that mean to me?.

[mumzy]

Everytime I see Ed Millband I can't get this image out of my mind. gromit is Peter Mandelson or Ed Balls www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/cracking-lookalike-gromit--i-do-resemble-wallace-admits-ed-miliband-7827151.html

[TheCraicDealer]

The "one of us" thing is beginning to wear a little thin. I already know more about the Milibands' family history than if they'd been on Who Do You Think You Are and frankly, I don't give a shit. Also don't care where he went to school, hardly like he had a massive say in it when his parents were such die-hard socialists. It's also incredibly hypocritical- how many of the Labour government were privately educated? Did they care so much in 1997 when they won?

What I do care about is having a leader representing this country who can lead from the front and not look like a work experience student out of his depth most of the time, which Ed fails to do.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Maybe the 'one of us' isn't 'I'm not a toff' but 'I'm not an alien'. Exclusive club consisting of ED, Michael Gove and John Redwood

[TheCrackFox]

TBH I just cringed and had to stop watching.

Why did he have to announce he didn't have a script? Big deal, he memorised his speach, or just doing the job he is paid to do.

Also I couldn't give a shiney shit what school he went to or what his parents did. He needs to lay off the man of the people spiel as it is improbable that he buys his lunch from Greggs, watches the X Factor on a Saturday night or buys a lottery ticket.

What everyone wants to know is can he fix the economy. Probably not.

[kdiddy]

TheCrackFox I know - the continual focus on him not having a script just sounds patronising - "bless little Ed, he did really well didn't he, didn't even have any notes!". It's the kind of damning with faint praise you do when there's not much else to recommend someone. Of COURSE someone in his position should be able to speak, without a script, from the heart. He doesn't get any bonus points from me for being able to do it.

I hate these speeches. Full of vacuous soundbites and stating the obvious, punctuated by sycophantic applause.

[TheCraicDealer]

Peter Kay, Dara O'Briain and Michael McIntyre regularly talk on stage for an hour or more without notes, and they're usually slightly more amusing than Ed was. Does this mean they'll be fab PM's?

[OwlLady]

It doesn't matter what anyone's background is, it's more to do with principles. I couldn't care less if he came from one of the best private schools or whether he went to a state school in a former mining town, what is important is that the party works for what it always has and that is providing a good society for the vast majority of the people in this country and supporting those who cannot support themselves, which I believe they did when they were in power. People forget all the good that they did, putting down seeds to create support networks for those struggling, like suretstart centres and the like and all of that good work is being undone. I think this should be concentrated on, not who ate the most pork scratchings

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

If people forget all the good they did, isn't that Ed's fault for doing a bad PR job? Or do we all know that any good they was rather overshadowed by little things like waging war on false pretences and leaving the country potless?

[Davros]

But they went too far and it cost too much

[MadBusLady]

I find the constant courting of the "squeezed middle" (from all parties) so depressing. What about the squeezed bottom? The squeeze is on everyone except the very top.

Also, Cogito wrote this, but it is such a good point it is worth mentioning twice!:

Right now, when the global economy is going to hell in a handcart & none of the options on the table are exactly pretty I suspect a lot of the electorate are not looking for hand-wringing empathy and understanding and couldn't give a shit whether it's from 'toffs' or 'Joes'.

[Snog]

Didn't see the speech but thought his interview on BBC Breakfast today was shabby. He said Cameron was being evasive about revealing his income and then when asked about his own income got all giggly and evasive himself.

I also think that his refusal to be clear about any policies on the grounds thay an election is still 2 years away means his party lacks all credibility as an alternative to the tories/liberals. Which is frankly pathetic.

[Alurkatsoftplay]

Agree absolutely with pagwatch "the ridiculous emphasis on the schooling of the 40 something men in politics is a complete waste of time"

Of course I dont like that some of them (both parties) are multi millionaires - but i probably like even less that a lot of them are raging hypocrites - like labour govt who gave us all the crap about state schools and higher taxes being wonderful and then individually moved heaven and earth to avoid both.

[OwlLady]

davros, some would say the conservatives are going too far the other way as well. I can only speak from my own perspective but I have unfortunately had to move area with a severely disabled child and my already small care package was reduced as they insisted on re assessing my child. I got 12 hours respite per week prior to moving and I now get 7 hours a month, most of which happens whilst i am at work. We are at absolute breaking point but my MP (also tory) doesn't seem to care either. i think it will take for either me or my daughter to drop dead tbh and it makes me laugh because the risk assessments for this respite state without 2 to 1 support in the community it would end in my daughters or someone elses death

there are not enough ffs

[Davros]

So they shouldn't have wasted it on all that crap and blown the lot.
The biggest multi-millionaire of them all is Tony Blair

[garderner]

I met him once, quite attractive, I was suprised.... I must say he is more convincing then creapy Cameron.

[breadandbutterfly]

Sounds dreadful, OwlLady - hope we get a govt in that will support those who need it most and that you get more support before that..

[OwlLady]

my mom met tb too, said he had nice skin hmm not bothered about his skin!

[MrJudgeyPants]

Continued from another thread...

Ed is crap.

[chipstick10]

I have to say i am highly confused as to how his speech has gone down so well and propelled him in the polls.!!!!!!! How has this happened? What were people watching and are the public that easily p;eased or conned or won over!!!! I must have been watching a different speech (before i turned over due to the cringe factor). Is this just media hype or are we missing something?

[MadBusLady]

chipstick Generally opposition parties get a poll boost at conference time, because it gives them more media coverage than they normally get. More coverage = more support, not so much because everybody believes/loves them, more that anyone looking for an alternative to the government subliminally thinks "Oh, there's these guys, they can walk upright and say words, I'll support them!"

[minderjinx]

DS's thought for the day "Mum, what's the difference between a Miliband and a Taliband?"