So much for the long game…..
Ed Miliband said this about the students protests,“I was quite tempted to go out and talk to them [protesters],” he said. “I applaud people young people who peacefully demonstrate. I said I was going to talk to them at some point, I was tempted to go out and talk to them.
Asked why he had not, he explained: “I think I was doing something else at the time, actually.”
Though don’t despair, Mister Ed said, As to joining students on future protests, he said “we’ll see what happens”. And asked whether he would actually lead a march in sympathy with students, he said “don’t overdo it”.
So on the one hand Mister Ed, applauds people young people who peacefully demonstrate but on the other hand couldn’t talk to the protesters because he was doing something else at the time.
If Mister Ed wants to engage with these student protesters and show some leadership then he needs to get down to these demos and speak to them not be distracted by other things. Get yourself down their Mister Ed, visit the students in occupation as well. Show solidarity as opposed to being the usual mealy-mouthed spineless contemptible sell-out. It may sound harsh but if Mister Ed wants to encourage students (and school students who in the 4-5 years will be old enough to vote) to vote Labour then he needs to ditch his establishment friendly politics. Yes start developing ideas for government in a few years time but get a democratic structure for making sure that this debate is based in the rank and file of the labour movement.
But Mister Ed you must have something to say to the people who are resisting the ConDems in the here and now….?!
Yay! Ditto, Louise.
Cheers MM! But have a look at this snore-fest of an article by Mister Ed. It is neither dynamic nor inspiring but zzzzzzzzzz
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/8161197/Ed-Miliband-Labour-must-be-a-force-for-optimism.html
I can’t really see Mr Ed coming out on the side of the students. He has a reputation to consider y’know. When will Labour get a leader who doesn’t give a toss about their media image?
” When will Labour get a leader who doesn’t give a toss about their media image?”
Er, never?
Ed is also “right on” with James Purnell’s welfare reforms and thinks that the Labour Party should have gone further in that direction than it did! He also said he was a “socialist” during the course of a radio interview. Hey, Ed! Confused much!
Mister Ed wants his cake and eat it…. establishment-friendly yet wanting to be seen as a socialist.
I have this habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt right up until it’s impossible any more. And so it is with Ed; he says he’s a socialist. that he’s with the students, etc, but it’s becoming painfully obvious that he does it for political expediency rather than because he really means it.
If Ed was really behind the students and really wanted to make a break with the past he would go to a university and make a major speech announcing that Labour was wrong on higher education, that the party was committed to no tuition fees at all and that it would fight the Browne reforms tooth and nail.
But this would upset those who really define “acceptable” policy in this country and so we can expect repeated platitudes and no action.
Mister Ed could but he is establishment friendly….
Don’t listen to the PR hype. He is a new “leader” in the political background. The opposition is always likely to have the “we’d do the opposite to them” attitude. At the moment the focus is all on the ConDem Government especially regarding tuition fees and education cuts. In the mainstream (i.e excluding pro-Labour mediums) the Labour Party is rather quiet since the leadership elections.
This talk about supporting the students is to try and get votes of support and confidence. Similar to how Boris is against Dave… pre-election talk me thinks. The London Elections are a way off but there is a lot of ground to cover… and so many people.
If I recall, he wanted to talk with the students… then he joked about being too busy. All talk no substance. How can he have time to think about it when doing something else? I think it is a lie.
I would be surprised if he joined them this Tuesday. It is a political sin… and huge risk to take. Whereas he might get some peoples respect, others will see him in a different light. For example, their debate ground is the House of Parliament… to fight the Government as an opposition leader by protesting shows poor leadership qualities. If he was a backbench politician it would be a lot different.
Frolix22 hits the nail on the ‘Ed. If he had any worthwhile leadership qualities, stealing the limelight from the ConDems on the same topic would give Labour a big boost. If a General Election will appear next year which although unlikely is possible with the increased pressure the ConDems are getting, Ed needs to get his arse in gear and take advantage from ConDem mistakes at current to secure a majority victory. This is why, although I oppose the ConDems, I won’t be voting Labour!
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