Politics as Comedy
The Labour Party has got the 'jitters' after the party conference season and that truly awful leader's speech by Ed Miliband which is bound to go down in history, one way or the other.
Labour seems to have put all its eggs in one basket with the NHS being put 'centre stage' in the run up to the general election in May 2015, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out in Scotland where satisfaction levels with the country's health services is high, generally speaking.
In the run up to the 1997 general election, when Labour was last in opposition, the party enjoyed a 20 point lead in all the opinion polls, yet after the biggest economic recession in living memory and a Coalition Government which has had to make lots of tough spending decisions, Labour is still not trusted when it comes to the nation's finances.
Labour sees election slipping away
Ed Miliband's conference speech was described as 'the stuff of TV comedies' Peter Byrne/PA
By Michael Savage and Lucy Fisher -The Times
Ed Miliband has “inexplicably abandoned” attempts to attract swing voters, in a move that could cost Labour crucial seats, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown has warned.
With despair growing among many Labour MPs, Patrick Diamond warned that simply appealing to core supporters would prevent the party from winning marginal seats. He also said there had been a “refusal to face up to hard choices” facing the next government.
It came as Labour figures queued up to criticise Mr Miliband’s strategy. One Labour MP described his conference speech as “the stuff of TV comedies” from a leader who would “probably go down in history as one of the worst”.
The unrest emerged after a YouGov poll gave the Tories their first lead over Labour since March 2012. While another poll gave Labour a five-point lead yesterday, it did little to convince many in the party that they were on course for victory.
Mr Diamond, who worked in Downing Street with the two previous Labour prime ministers, said that the conference season had left Labour struggling.
“It is the Conservatives who look confident despite the pressure exerted by Ukip, while it is Labour that appears politically on the back foot,” he said. “David Cameron has been forced to the right, but still appears determined to make a national appeal.”
Further pressure was heaped on Labour last night as Mr Cameron confirmed that his tax cuts for the low-paid and middle classes could be phased in before Britain has balanced its books.
He said: “We’ve demonstrated in this parliament that we have been able to do things in a number of budgets. As long as you’ve got a clear plan and a clear pathway, you don’t have to wait until Britain is back in the black before you make progress with these tax reductions.” Mr Miliband’s last conference speech before the election, in which he forgot passages on immigration and the economy, has triggered anguish among many senior Labour figures. Some now believe only a Tory implosion over Europe can deliver victory.
There are concerns that simply appealing to Labour’s traditional voters and Lib Dems disillusioned with the coalition — the so-called “35 per cent strategy” — will fail.
Mr Diamond said: “Key figures in Labour fear the party is reaching the limits of the 35 per cent strategy, having inexplicably abandoned a One Nation agenda. They worry that the 35 per cent strategy is damaging Labour in the English marginals, while it is committing Labour to policies that may be impossible to deliver in government.”
One former Labour minister said the strategy of focusing on the NHS would not work. He said: “Cameron has boxed off the NHS with his commitment to ring-fence health spending. The absence of comment from Miliband on immigration and austerity in his speech — well, Cameron is going to flail him mercilessly on that every week for six months. I’m pretty pessimistic.”
Another senior Labour figure described Mr Miliband’s weakness on the economy as a “significant setback”.
A Labour MP expressed despair at Mr Miliband’s speech. “I would have assumed that Ed Miliband would make the better speech, but it was quite the contrary,” the MP said.
“It was a complete damp squib. This is the stuff of TV comedies. If you can’t bring yourself to discuss immigration or the economy, then you need to see a psychologist. He’ll probably go down in history as one of the worst leaders. It’s pretty dire.”
Allies of Mr Miliband fought back last night. One said: “The battleground now is the NHS. If the election is about the NHS, we win.”
Ed Miliband has “inexplicably abandoned” attempts to attract swing voters, in a move that could cost Labour crucial seats, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown has warned.
With despair growing among many Labour MPs, Patrick Diamond warned that simply appealing to core supporters would prevent the party from winning marginal seats. He also said there had been a “refusal to face up to hard choices” facing the next government.
It came as Labour figures queued up to criticise Mr Miliband’s strategy. One Labour MP described his conference speech as “the stuff of TV comedies” from a leader who would “probably go down in history as one of the worst”.
The unrest emerged after a YouGov poll gave the Tories their first lead over Labour since March 2012. While another poll gave Labour a five-point lead yesterday, it did little to convince many in the party that they were on course for victory.
Mr Diamond, who worked in Downing Street with the two previous Labour prime ministers, said that the conference season had left Labour struggling.
“It is the Conservatives who look confident despite the pressure exerted by Ukip, while it is Labour that appears politically on the back foot,” he said. “David Cameron has been forced to the right, but still appears determined to make a national appeal.”
Further pressure was heaped on Labour last night as Mr Cameron confirmed that his tax cuts for the low-paid and middle classes could be phased in before Britain has balanced its books.
He said: “We’ve demonstrated in this parliament that we have been able to do things in a number of budgets. As long as you’ve got a clear plan and a clear pathway, you don’t have to wait until Britain is back in the black before you make progress with these tax reductions.” Mr Miliband’s last conference speech before the election, in which he forgot passages on immigration and the economy, has triggered anguish among many senior Labour figures. Some now believe only a Tory implosion over Europe can deliver victory.
There are concerns that simply appealing to Labour’s traditional voters and Lib Dems disillusioned with the coalition — the so-called “35 per cent strategy” — will fail.
Mr Diamond said: “Key figures in Labour fear the party is reaching the limits of the 35 per cent strategy, having inexplicably abandoned a One Nation agenda. They worry that the 35 per cent strategy is damaging Labour in the English marginals, while it is committing Labour to policies that may be impossible to deliver in government.”
One former Labour minister said the strategy of focusing on the NHS would not work. He said: “Cameron has boxed off the NHS with his commitment to ring-fence health spending. The absence of comment from Miliband on immigration and austerity in his speech — well, Cameron is going to flail him mercilessly on that every week for six months. I’m pretty pessimistic.”
Another senior Labour figure described Mr Miliband’s weakness on the economy as a “significant setback”.
A Labour MP expressed despair at Mr Miliband’s speech. “I would have assumed that Ed Miliband would make the better speech, but it was quite the contrary,” the MP said.
“It was a complete damp squib. This is the stuff of TV comedies. If you can’t bring yourself to discuss immigration or the economy, then you need to see a psychologist. He’ll probably go down in history as one of the worst leaders. It’s pretty dire.”
Allies of Mr Miliband fought back last night. One said: “The battleground now is the NHS. If the election is about the NHS, we win.”
