Labour is "fortified" says Harriet Harman

The Labour Party has been invigorated by the election of its new leader, according to Harriet Harman. Fortified is the word she used. It will also be united. Sounds very cosy. But what will the policies be. Que sera, sera? If Dianne Abbott's view, as expressed on Question Time last night, is anything to go by, it will be all guided by some new blame game and its set of rules. Deny the past, see no problems, just talk about cuts as if there is a big set of scissors snapping at the clouds above.

If Labour has been fortified its been on weak beer supplied by those union bosses eager to be a part of the anti-coalition action. High dosage Phyllosan would be hard going on them. The Labour Party needs some kind of shock therapy to be really fortified. A woman's work is never done, eh, Harriet!

Ed Miliband and his new broom (minus a few bristles)

Ed Miliband is now Labour leader and looking every inch the junior executive with a day in charge whilst the boss is away. I suppose the Labour Party is now going to reinvent itself again. Branding for Britain's socialists, or whatever they are today, is rather like supermarket branding. Keep changing the label and the punters might think they're getting something different. I've been thinking about this Miliband brother contest. I think it will be probably best all round if Dave does disappear. Otherwise the press will continue, ad nauseam, about the brothers. Ed and David are both ambitious men. Both wanted the top job. This is not about responsibility as Ed waffled on about this morning. He has no "responsibility" to be leader. It's just his ambition. He thinks he's better than anyone else. Fair do's. But don't get all pious about it.

As for his Iraq stuff, well it's OK as it goes but he's been around for some time and his voice of disapproval was a whisper if it was anything. He implies New Labour is dead, but looking at the present shadow cabinet, as Ed gave his leader's speech, it looked like they were suffering from nothing worse than having eaten sour grapes.

Miliband junior gets to have an elected team to select from. None of his choosing. Could be anyone. Dromey's in there apparently. He's Harperson's husband and looking quite good for a suited and booted former trade union rabble rouser. I fear a slick presentation of anti-cuts opposition. The trouble is it was New Labour that baked the cake and stuck frightful frosting on the top. Now that they lost the knife to cut it with, they are berating the coalition over its choice of knife and slices. The cake should never have been baked in the first place. It's full of quantative easing and the cherries have all sunk to the bottom.

Miliband may suit some but I don't think he will be much more than he is already. Just leader of the Labour Party.

Miliband Minor wins the Labour leadership race!

Tortoises and hares come to mind. I also got the feeling that David Milband sort of got a bit tired and testy towards the end. Four and a half months. That's half a human pregnancy. The Labour Party has some warped idea about democracy. Keep it tedious, long drawn out and folks may not get to hear too much about it all.

I can't summon up much enthusiasm for it. Personally I think Diane Abbott would be better at raising the political temperature, but she would have been a bit of a liability. Ed Miliband is no doubt a talented young man though I think he will not get many knockout blows at PMQ's. Now they will have to find a deputy leader. Another four and a half months?

The election process was tortuous indeed. Brother David kept his lead in rounds 1,2 and 3 only to get stuffed by Brother Ed in round 4. I can see why the LibDems like this sort of election.

Round 1: David Miliband 37.78%, Ed Miliband 34.33% Diane Abbott eliminated
Round 2: David Miliband 38.89%, Ed Miliband 37.47%. Andy Burnham eliminated
Round 3: David Miliband 42.72%, Ed Miliband 41.26%, Ed Balls eliminated
Round 4: David Miliband 49.35%, Ed Miliband 50.65%. Ed Miliband wins!

It wasn't exactly Cain and Abel but neither was it a Jedward outing. Brotherly love will be back very soon we are assured and, of course, all good socialists are brothers. I just hope Miliband Minor doesn't think he's got his prefect's tie as well!

Pompous little Miliband

All environmental eyes are on Copenhagen. Some scientists do not think the global warming phenomenon is as bad as the majority of climate scientists do. They have studied the matter and concluded certain points and opinions. That is OK. They may be right, they may be wrong. I am no scientist so don't know if all the perceived dangers are rock solid true.

What I do know is that in an adult debate people's sincerely held views should be respected. The Milliband brothers appear to be some kind of reborn Zealots, keenly rubbishing opponents' opinions with a mixture of highbrow disdain and vulgar put-downs.

So it was that Ed Miliband pompously dismissed Lord Lawson yesterday with "I think you are being profoundly irresponsible by saying we can stick our heads in the sand and just hope this thing goes away. It's not going to." Nobody is taking the ostrich approach. Lord Lawson responded by saying it was also profoundly irresponsible not to allow an "honest, rational, reasoned debate".

And that is the nub. Miliband is like some preacher on speed. All he spouts is gospel truth to be believed hook like and sinker. Anyone else who has a contrary view must be made to look foolish and ridiculed. I don't know if Lord Lawson's views hold credence but he has a right to express them without pompous little prats sounding all prophetic!

Mean Labour in a fantasy tax world!

Ed Miliband, the thrusting younger brother of David Miliband, says of the 10p tax band abolition, "It's a matter of regret that some people lose, but overall more people gain than lose as a result of this Budget. The biggest gains go to the poorest people in society, particularly people with children." He must be doing all this on the back of an envelope! 5.3 million people will be worse off. They are the poorest in society. This represents about 10% of the taxpaying public.

Of course, Mean Labour doesn't know how many people will be affected, because they are in denial. Jane Kennedy was on Newsnight last night boasting almost that she was the most unpopular minister in Britain. She couldn't answer the question about how many were affected. The woman's a total disaster!

David Cameron is right! "We will be stepping up our campaign to get the government to think again on abolition of the 10p tax rate. Now is absolutely not the time to be hitting 5.3 million people with an extra tax burden. The government is kicking people when they are down. We are looking carefully at what we can do in the Commons to get the government to think again," he said. Conservatives, at their best, have always looked after the poor, whilst being firm with inflation and positive with enterprise. To be fair, the Liberal Democrats and a lot of Labourites are also very keen to see this attack on the poor overturned.

New Labour has the air of the zealot about it. It appeals to those with a chip on the shoulder, and this leads to mean-spirited action. I can't wait to see the back of them!