Stop Labour infighting, yells David Miliband

Everyone remembers the diplomatic kid at school. You know - the one who used to intervene whenever there was a playground fight, saying something like 'let's just all get along with each other', at which point all the other kids stopped scrapping with each other and turned on him instead. And then stole all his Panini stickers. And ran away. And left him mentally-scarred for over twenty years, to the extent that the memories emerge even when typing reports for humorous political websites.

Ahem. The crux of our point is that: Foreign Secretary David Miliband is that kid. Why? Because he's taken a good long look at the squabbling state of the Labour party and told them that - unless they stop fighting - teacher might have to cancel Toy Day. And - almost as bad as that - they might lose the next general election.

Miliband isn't mincing his words. In an opinion piece for the News Of The World, he remarked that Labour has now become the 'political underdog', and that unless party members shift their priorities, an electoral defeat is as inevitable as another series of Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps being commissioned.

Here's the gist of what he said:

"Gordon Brown has strong values and convictions. The route to victory needs us to do more. First, see the world through the eyes of the voters.

People will only listen to our claims about what we have done right if we are candid about what we have not. Employment has never been higher but people are worried about housing. Crime is down but people think crime has gone up. Universal nursery education has been delivered but more and more people are concerned about care for elderly parents."

All of which seems remarkably gracious of Miliband. He's the one widely tipped to act as successor to Gordon Brown, after all, so you'd think that he'd be watching such fluctuating developments with interest. Unless, of course, this rousing call to arms is just a bit of practise for his first speech as PM ...

Written by C J Davies on 20 Apr 2008 10:06 PM. Permalink