Testing the waters

God help us if he gets the top job

Promotion to chancellor? Surely FCO and Treasury are nominally equal?

And under this control freak PM, the position of CotE is greatly devalued anyway

Besides, Gutless Gordon isn't well known for subtle political manoeuvres - he'sthe clunking big fist, remember?

He'd sack Millie long before he (even fraudulently) promoted him

The really interesting point is that you tacitly acknowledge that the future leadership of the current (mis)ruling party is in the hands of the Editors (and hence their proprietors) when you say "It won't be long until some newspaper commissions a poll..."

Aren't the Labour Party capable of conducting such a poll themselves?

A smiley face won't undo 11 years of gorging at the trough.

Interesting that 2 back bench MPs have called for him to be sacked today.

The phoney war has begun. Expect lots of spin from both venegeful Blairites in support of Milliband and Brown supporters having a go at him.

David Cameron must be loving this!

An interesting piece by George Osborne in the Sun today. Perhaps even Rupert Murdoch is looking to hedge his bets?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Miliband would be a poor leader of the party ... he's a lightweight who has already been over promoted.

Nick

Bob Marshall-Andrews has accused David Miliband of duplicitous behaviour.

A duplicitous Government Minister ? A duplicitous Blairite ? A duplicitous MP ?

Surely not ?

And to behave in such a way against Gordon Brown after all his loyal and in no way duplicitous behaviour to Tony Blair ?

Surely not ?

David miliband needs to remember that the electrorate have traditionally been unkind to back stabbers.

he also needs to remember that the publichold politicians generally in low esteem, a bitter leadership campaign will not help him win an election.

a choice between Milliband or cameron would truely be Hobsons choice and I would consider seriously a vote for independence.

We seem to be at a very low ebb in the UK for good leaders

The media is just wringing this issue to death. Miliband's comment and the motives he explained for making it stacked up. There's nothing to see here.

The real issue is that Gordon Brown settles into his role as Prime Minister, Labour MP's get on with their job, and the country is seen to be governed for the benefit of the people.

The media just want headlines so are fueling a fake leadership bid like they fueled the fake election. What would follow afterwards, hack the "winner" down?

I quit watching broadcast TV and am weaning myself off the media. It's just full of dreg and life is short. Seriously, guys. Find something else to write about.

Remember how happy Gordon was when he was knifing Tony in the back?

From Nick's blog at the time:

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5326064.stm

Gordon doesn't look quite so happy these days.

The inevitable leadership challenge is just starting to emerge from the shadows. Let the backstabbing begin!

But what is really amusing is the level of Milibland's delusion in that he thinks the Labour party can be saved. Nobody wants centralisation or high taxes which are wasted or 1162 useless quangos (ie 100 billion pound black hole) or ID cards or to be spied upon etc etc etc OK?

Soon this shower will want to tattoo us from birth. We must stop them before they can do any more damage!

Damn you Beeb, stop censoring me! I pay your licence fee damn it!

I'll tell you what though, I think Milliband has always had this in mind. There's just something about him that makes me cringe. A bit too much like Blair. I'm not a fan of Gordonbennet but I trust Milliband even less. There's a 'creepyness' about him, you know, like somehow he sort of believes his own publicity about is braininess. Also, watching him go-on about his 'lack of intentions' towards the leadership, he looked uncomfortable and juvenile. if he's the best of the bunch right now then god help them, they're definitely well and truly 'bleeped' .

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

When will Purnell and co "announce" they're in the running too? Surely we can't just have just Milliband in the frame? One coronation was quite enough.

And another point. Rather than Gordon 'Control Freak' Brown being immune to a coup because Parliament is in recess, we instead have a state of affairs in which he is utterly powerless to influence matters.

Welcome to our world Mr Brown.

re: 13

I agree Dr. Gloom. He reminds me of a toadyish butler who helps himself to the master's whisky. Hang on... that also happens to be a perfect analogy for what he's doing!

Almost as hilarious as Charles's postings is the fact that Milliband can't seem to look anyone in the eye when answering a question...and you know what they say about poor eye contact.

Justin Webb has written on his American blog today that everyone in Britain is drunk -and if you look at our politicians you begin to understand why !

David Miliband would be on a hiding to nothing if he were to try and lead what has become a deeply riven and dead-eyed Labour Government.

And the last thing that David Cameron should be wanting to do is win the next election which will bring it a host of insurmountable problems which will finish him off.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

He will not save the labour party. They are finished under ANY of their corrupt arrogant lying MP's.

If he was to become labour leader, no doubt the media again will faithfully rally round him and give him all the good publicity that they can muster, as they did with Brown, until the backlash from a public tired of Labours lies, mendacity, corruption and sheer malevolence forced a more balanced view from the media. We will NOT put up with being lied to by the media ANY MORE!

The media are woefully behind public opinion as we chat more and more on-line and share true, verifiable examples of corruption and lies and secret deals and conspiracies to pervert justice that the mainstream media will not dare touch. people that know about it, blog about it.

We also know about the secret societies and think tanks that PUSH the agenda. We also know which media owners and shareholders are in these "formerly" secret societies and think tanks. Unlike the mainstream media, we CAN connect the dots. we can research the history of these organisations and map the ascent to power of the player's today. we can cross reference connective organisations and link from leaks on the inside, what globalist agendas they serve.

WE KNOW THE PLANS!

In light of this we, the public, are setting our own agenda that the media is increasing incapable of keeping up with.

I don't know how many times I have been discussing with sources some official corruption or conspiracy or other, only for it to be "exposed" in the media months or often years later as "news"

The conspiracy to invade Iraq and blame WMD regardless of the known fact that Saddam HAD disarmed and they conspired to fix the intelligence around the policy. being one such example. The media after many years are only just now beginning to admit that it was all a lie. That not only did WMD not exist, but that Blair and Bush HAD been briefed by intelligence officials telling them so.

The labour party are puppets and we are cutting their strings. After they are destroyed, we will cut the tory's strings.

Pressing that little button again Charles??? My we are sensitive aren't we?

If Millhouse...sorry Milliband becomes PM then surely a General Election would have to be called. That would be the only good thing to come out of this god awful mess the Labour party have got us all in. Maybe we could then wave goodbye to this sham of a Government.

If an election isn't called then Labour will only prove that they are in it for themselves and don't care one bit for the rest of us.

No wonder the Guardian likes Labour so much:

https://www.order-order.com/2008/07/disquiet-grows-about-hypocritical.html

For shame.

Milliband has more vision in his little finger than Gordon Brown, as his article demonstrates. And he can communicate with ordinary people which Brown sadly can't . He would be an excellent replacement, and I doubt if he'll lose much sleep over criticism by the ridiculous Marshall-Andrews.

David Miliband is simply stating the obviuos. The Labour hierarchy keep going on about the need to listen to the electorate, but the people have been speaking loud and clear going by the recent election results. Better a young ambitious politician than a turncoat who never got elected by anyone to govern the party and the country by default. Most politicians are in it for the glory, but few have any guts to go with their convictions. If Brown is so sure about his mandate, why not have a leadership contest, and silence the doubters once and for all, should he win such a contest. Brown is the biggest back stabber of them all, and really ought to be the last to expect the party to rally round his leadership. What goes round always comes around. The problem is with Brown, and not the vultures who always circle around a wounded and in this case clearly ineffective P.M. I say more power to David Miliband for setting his stall early, instead of whispering in the shadows like most of the gutless senior politicians in the labour party.

You said it yourself Nick - he is 'testing the waters'. In doing so, he shows himself to be indecisive. If he'd stripped off and dived right in, he may have scored points for guts, if not for judgment.

As it is, he has shown himself in his true colours - good brain, faint heart, no stomach.

Power to the ppl 16;

Ooooo, you just sent a shiver down my spine. Remains of the day, anyone.

13 doctor-gloom

Yes, he is creepy and the juvenile aspect of him I've written about in numerous blogs. Only today, I had one removed as it was too explicit for the censors.
power_to_the-ppl # 12 I concur with you, we pay their salaries after all, and surely piper should play the tune (or whatever)

Actually I think this new blog, thread, whatever, is superfluous. Most of us have already agreed that Milliband, milipede, milisnake, etc. is a nasty little boy who has the misfortune of having a rather peculiar moustache . What is the point of having another board where we can express our scorn, becoming nastier and nastier. For once I almost agree with that zen nerd who rambles on and on. He wrote that its better to demonstrate for something you believe in, rather than what you are against. He quoted Mother Teresa, so he can't be an absolute plonker. Let's have a new thread on what would help the dire situation we are all in, and who could take over.

After all those years of stabbing Blair in the back, someone's being disloyal to Gordon? Talking about the pot calling the kettle Brown.

Broon and Milipede: Tweedledee and Tweedledum. No, that's Millipede and his brother Ed. Er, or is that Balls?

Simple really:

Millipede wants the top job, but hasn't go the Yvette Cooper's husband to say so out loud like a man.

Brown's got the top job, but isn't up to it: having spent the last ten years courting the bride he now finds that the essential equipment has atrophied (assuming it was there in the first place).

Milipede - outside of the Westminster bubble - is as despised as Brown. Brown at least had the image of gravitas (never mind that grumpy, bullying, brooding was mistaken for serious ability). Milipede is, in the eyes of the public, a typical New Labour construct: all political deviousness and absolutely no experience of the real world. It's hard to think of someone less appropriate to represent the interests and aspirations of the British people. (Except, of course, all the other wads of used tissue paper that call themselves a Cabinet).

What with Brown behaving like Mr Bean we now have a challenge from Sillyband who not only acts like Mr Bean but looks like him too. He lacks even the gravitas to grow propper whiskers and can only manage bum fluf on his top lip. The words statesman and labour are opposits in political jargon. God help us, we are doomed

Nick

The question is, should we trust him? He's an ambitious politician. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and you're covered in duck poo, it's probably a duck.

I for one, having supported Labour until the late 1990s when the true colours of Blair and co. became evident (remember Harriet Harman and benefits for single mothers?), won't be sorry if (when?) the Labour Party as it now is collapses - if I wanted a Tory government I'd have voted for one. And anyway Milliband seems to be to the right of Cameron.

PS.

It's all part of the metrication process. As Andy Hamilton pointed out on HIGNFY a while ago, we used to have a Foot now it's a Milliband. I think a Milliband is a tenth of a Militant.

And there's a Labour MP called Stephen Pound. I hope there's no-one called Kilo standing in his constituency.

Whilst all very exciting to see what new catastrophe the Labout party can unleash upon itself, you seriously have a choice between a rat-faced, insincere, rather bland and immature ghost of Tony Blair in his uni days from Milliband or the incredibly bland, bullying and charmless Gordon.

Cameron, you've got my vote...

But what does Miliband actually believe in?

Apart from looking like the sort of earnest sixth-former who asks clever questions, what does he bring to the table which Gordon Brown does not? It certainly isn't experience.

Are we, once again, going to have foisted on us another Prime Minister whose only qualification for the job is a boundless ego and an ambition to match?

Sorry, this is not politics: it is soap opera.

The country is in pain and its getting worse. The last thing we need at this juncture is a grinning, simpering oaf, however young and pretty he might wish us to think he is.

This is just not good enough. The British people deserve some respect!

David Miliband could certainly do no worse than Brown, if you really come to think of it. Brown is an over-blown bank manager, ill suited to the snake charmer's post of P.M.
Hope he stays and gets blown away at the next general elections.

It must be galling for Mr Brown after so many years imagining that he could do a better job than Tony, that he now has the job and is proving so absolutely useless. He clearly works better in the background away from the full glare of the media which tends to expose his scheming, obsessive and wholly unpleasant nature for what it is.

This sideshow is unlikely to make the electorate forget the years of stealth taxes, ridiculous spending, unreformed immigration and welfare, blinkered fascination with testing and league tables, lies lies and more lies.

Its not that Cameron and the Conservatives are so much better, its the way that Labour have insincerely abused their power and the democratic process of this country and inserted a PM in charge who most of the country would not vote for if you paid them.

Gent's what truely makes me smile is that your debating this so seriously.
It doesn't matter who does what from which party. None of them listen to us, its a pointless waste of time.

These comments would be alot better if they were anonymous. It would get rid of the self-impotant cretins bickering!

CUJmee 24:

Milliband can communicate with ordinary people??? Had a bad night? Too much pop? Milliband can barely communicate with his own party. Is he really your best shot for the man of the people award? Pheeeweee talk about alternative comedy.

I have to say that the hypocrisy of the Brownites astounds me. Disloyalty? And of course, Gordon Brown and his minions like Nick Brown and Ed Balls never did anything to undermine Tony Blair's leadership when he was Prime Minister, did they? But now that their lord and master's getting a taste of his own medicine, they can't stop squealing like stuck pigs.

Also, it's a bit rich for life members of the awkward squad like Marshall-Andrews and Geraldine Smith (nonentities in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones, Ms. Smith) to come out and start whining about integrity. Again, I can't recall either of these two heavyweight giants of British politics ever once condemning the blatant efforts by Brown and his munchkins to undermine Tony Blair's leadership for the better part of ten years.

So, Miliband's ambitious to be Prime Minister? How dare he? Doesn't he know that only Gordon Brown has the God-given right to reside at Number 10? Personally, I think that wanting to lead the Labour Party when it's in such a hole displays, if anything, a profound lack of ambition. It's a bit like staging a mutiny aboard the Titanic just as the iceberg starts to loom off the starboard bow.

"If there is a Miliband poll bounce", then he would do well to remember that there was a Brown bounce this time last year when Gordon first took over. That turned out to be a dead cat bounce.

It would be a shame if the electorate didn't get to tell Gordon Brown directly at the next election how much they abhor him, so with that in mind, I hope he sticks around and continues to cling to the power he so obviously craves to the exclusion of the best interests of the country. Milliband should bide his time, he's perceived as far too young and inexperienced for the job at the moment, though this might change in the future.

I am a big david miliband fan and i hope he gets the top job! Mr Miliband rocks!=)

I'd guess that all that's holding most Labour MPs from trying to oust Brown is that whatever they do now they're going to get a hammering at the next election.Any new leader would have a very short career and go down in history as the man who lost Labour power,denying Brown that well-deserved title.
The Premiership right now is a poisoned chalice,no sensible Labour M.P. would want it as a gift.If the economy was sound and Brown's unpopularity and incompetence were the only issues there would have been a stampede by now to take his job.As it is I suspect most are happy,or at least as happy as they can be in the current ****storm Labour finds itself in,to plot and plan what happens after the next General Election when they'll kick Brown out within days.Until then they'll sit back and let him take the flak from the media and an increasingly irate public.

22 Andyclure

Ha! So iff Milliband is Mill House. Who does that make Gordon Brown?

I think Ed Balls has to be Smithers.

The Times have an interesting story re Milliband ready to challenge.

tinyurl.com/6ehytn

Poor GB, be careful what you wish for, should have been said to him when he finally wrestled the job away from TB.

Things can only get better with Millibrand (ie can't get any worse). At worst he gets to be leader of HM opposition and probably saves his seat at the next general election.

Oh how cynical.

People talk about a politician that you can trust. The two do not go hand in hand, a bit like looking for a whore that is faithful.
Get real, we want politicians who have the guts to go with their convictions.
Ambition is the name of the game. David Miliband should be applauded, I think he's playing the game like a pro.

28 phoenixarisen:

You've sussed him out all right, what you've been on about has just hit me today. Somehow I just had this 'gut reaction' to the bloke.

One way or another, Brown is going to lose a popularity contest. If he can accept this fact, he may be sensible enough to call an election that will spite Miliband AND leave the Tories with a country in recession.

Did Mr Miliband say whether he is a Marxist on the phone-in?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

# 9

Charles E

I read somewhere that the essence of Zen is attempting to understand the meaning of life directly, without being misled by logical thought, or language.

Does that mean that you seek to lead us onto the right path by illogical thought and language ? Or is that too logical ?

Whatever - I fear I live on a lower plane than you and so, as you wean yourself off the media, I'll wean myself off your erudite contribtuions. It was either that or change my name to confused.com.

By the way, is this blog part of the media off of which you intend to wean yourself - or is that a logical and therefore misleading train of thought.

I do allow for the possibilty that you are less Zen philosophying and more having fun as a wind up merchant. No matter - just a different reason to wean myself off.

I think David Miliband will make a good leader of the labour party at some point. Just now I think he lacks the patience to wait and pick up the pieces of whats left of Labour after the next election, regardless of leader.

This way he'll just be a another William Hague who went for it too early. Political cycles dictate a good time in the wilderness after such a botch-up of government.

I've just read that Bob Marshall-Andrews called David Miliband duplicitous. Is this the same man who spent his entire time undermining Tony Blair and recently shared a platform with David Davis, a right wing Tory MP?

He believes we should stand by Brown and if he leads Labour to defeat so be it. With a majority of some 200 he will lose his seat anyway but, I for one, do not wish to see a Tory government elected. If that can be avoided with a new leader so be it, and as quickly as possible please.

You believe every criticism is a non issue that you are totally relaxed about; I seem to remember you saying exactly the same thing about Peter Hain, Wendy Alexander, the 10p tax stuff up, 42 day detention and on and on.

I think Millie's going to lose his job over this and won't be back until after Brown has lost the next general election by a landslide to Cameron. This will be because he lacks the conviction of his loudly whispered opinions and instead prefers to giggle his way through interviews, which comes across as immature and inappropriate. Show some guts man and you might get somewhere.

Hopefully after the demise of Brown, we'll see the end of all his gravy-train chums too like Ed Balls. What a truly awful example of 'jobs for the boys' when the man is clearly woefully under qualified for his made up job and is about as liked by the general public as Herpes. He has something in common with his boss then.

I am finding it very worrying and even tragic that so many people are discussing a change of Prime Minister WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC CONSENT as if it is a normal run-of-the-mill action. Rarely, when a PM has come to the end of a long period of service, or dies, then they can be replaced by party election, mid term, without a general election. That is a standard precedent. But twice inside a year? Purely because of political weakeness, fear, and knee-jerk panic? NO WAY!

I think it is utterly and completely unforgivable that Milliband would even consider trying to become PM without a general election.

I also find it utterly unforgivable and disgusting that the BBC, "that bastion of our establishment" should be encouraging the complete disenfranchisement of the entire electorate in pushing a non-entity into a non event to help out a non electable labour party.

Shame on Milliband and Shame on the media.

I cannot believe that people are actually saying, oh well I would prefer Milliband to Brown, as if the imposition of a Prime Minister is nothing to do with the public.

The labour party are extracting the urine and are treating all the people and organistations of the UK with complete and utter contempt. HOW DARE THEY!!!

What was it one other poster was saying about being able to petition Her Majesty the Queen to dissolve parliament?

Is that legal and if so, How do we do it?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Time for some Real, Clear Politics, Nick.

Miliband is the heir to Blair and the Party and voters don't like him.

The real battle is between New Labour and True Labour.

You can read my analysis here:

https://theorangepartyblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-labour-v-true-labour-battle-begins.html

Choo choo! Here comes the gravy train! All aboard, next stop Westminster!

oldnat @46,

Thanks for the steer - very intriguing!!!

Lucky Indians! How do we get rid of him? (and all his colleagues, too).

If this is true, it looks like the walls are crumbling...

F1onIce: "Ambition is the name of the game. David Miliband should be applauded, I think he's playing the game like a pro."

No he isn't. He is playing like a greedy, arrogant impetuous schoolchild.

If he really was playing it liike a pro, he would have manipulated a stalking horse candidate to come forward, force an election and then step in to unite the party under new inclusive leadership.

The way he has "tested the water" is a blatant, egotistical, cowardly and BADLY mis-judged attempt to claim the labour crown.

He really is a typical nulabour minister, completely incompetent!

Of course, the Times story may be exactly the opposite of what they assume.

Maybe Brown phoned him up and told him he's going to be sacked.

No, journalists don't get things wrong do they?

"I think David Miliband will make a good leader of the labour party at some point."

I agree, although I suspect for different reasons.

A Miliband-led Labour party would actually make Cameron look substantial, the sort of task that would have had Hercules himself scurrying back to Augeas' stables hollering for mercy.

The Tories could stick a clone of Goering, in complete tranny gear and singing 'Hey Big Spender', in the position of leader and still beat Miliband without breaking into a sweat.

"I am a big david miliband fan and i hope he gets the top job! Mr Miliband rocks!=)"

You love him soooooo much that you cannot even spell his name???

Or is this another David Miliband that is a rock star that I haven't heard of?

I am glad that you like him, because you probably haven't the intellect to find your way to a polling station.

re: 59

LOL

58 - purpleDogzzz

It was me. Certainly it's legal and I believe I am right in saying that any citizen can initiate the process. I could almost certainly come up with a correct form of words with a bit of thought.

What I don't know is the position with regard to online petitions and the validity of electronic signitures. Perhaps someone can help?

Frank Castle @ 59:

Utterly gross, but very very very funny!!!

What an accurate description of a Milliband.

ROFLMFAO!!!! (to use the txt version)

@60, theorangeparty

True Labour is the solution?

Wasn't that tried in the 70's and 80's and was such an abysmal failure the Tories had close to two decades in power? Inflation, strikes... Yeah, I'm sure the nation will stick an X in the box for those glory days.

There was a reason Thatcher won 3 election, and even Major got one, and its name was True Labour.

If you want loyalty - get a dog.

This rule seems to be especially true of politics.

No wonder Italian children are required to read 'The Prince' as part of their education.

Good preparation for 'real life'.

So the dye is cast then, the election will be next year. I expect that it will be May. Gordon will not go to the country in an effort to put an end to the disent because he is unlikly to be re-elected, he will get a hard time at the conference later this year and a candidate may come forward although it is difficult to see who would want the job knowing that they are going to lead the oposition for at least 5 years. All long term governments inplode after they have been in power to long. Labour have lost the confidence of the people and will pay the price but that is not a recommendation that the conservatives will be any better. I really thought that labour called the last election with the intention of loosing it because it was obvious that the whole thing was about to come unglued and that could have happened on a conservative watch.

#26: excellent analysis, I agree with every word except two: those being "good brain". Miliband doesn't really have much of a brain, he just appears that way because you see him in comparison with the rest of the cabinet.

Horaah! At last the chase is on! Even though it is Milly with an early showing at the front. Expect the others along shortly.

It is rather scary though that all of this caffufle is about the job of PM. What happenned to the electorate having a voice?

OK here is what i think should happen. Milly gets the job. Calls an election in October. Loses. Gets back in in 5 years after learning the ropes and how to shave.

Was beginning to think that between now and the Olympics that there will be little sport on the TV. Excellent!

DM or GB?
Just a story being blown up by the media to boost political has been book sales post 2010.

If Gordon decides not to sack Miliband
Once again, he'll be showing us his lily hand
Unless he's incisive
And the outcome decisive
We'll know he's still living in dilly land!

@ 68 threnodio

I don't care if it has to be online or offline, I just want to get the process started!

The Government are not governing at all now (actually that is an improvement, but it risks global trade) This counry needs effective Government and labour's internal civil war is actually harmful to British interests internationally.

80% + of the population do not care if it is new labour or true labour. If it has ANY labour label it will be rejected completely.

Milliband is unelectable - he has the slightly repellant smug nature shared by the likes of Mandelson and Portillo, Baker and Parkinson - people will never trust him.

As has been mentioned above the Labour Party are destined for defeat at the next general election regardless of which arrogant and delusional clone they choose to lead them.

Which begs the question: how intelligent actually is David Miliband?

Even if he were to win a leadership election he would have one month maximum before being forced into a general election which he would subsequently lose terribly. The only thing he would have achieved in the process is confirming in most people's mind what a self-absorbed, empty husk of a politician he is with no greater purpose than to mimic Tony Blair as closely as possible.

Not very intelligent.

I'd rather see Brown reap what he has sown both at the Treasury and now as Prime Minister. Nothing shall be give me greater pleasure than seeing that disturbing half smile, half smirk wiped off his face.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

#71 - JohnConstable wrote:

'If you want loyalty - get a dog.'

I hope that is not an ungentlemanly swipe at Harperson.

leadieri @79,

I wish you were right. But alas, Blair also had a "repellant smug nature and he got elected - 3 times.

purpleDogzzz, I hear you loud and clear. David Miliband has said a lot by saying nothing. Waiting for a stalking horse is all well and good, but at his age, he's most likely to be over looked when it's all said and done. Remember Tarzan? What good did the stalking horse do for him?
Deep down I suspect he's a mole from the Blair camp. A sleeper carefully positioned.
I applaud him for stoking the fire under the feet of the turncoat that is Brown, cause none of the Labour seniors have the guts to organise anything, never mind a stalking horse.
I just love the fact that Brown is getting a taste of his own medicine.
At least David Miliband has not been chewing his fingers for a decade while plotting to get his hands on the keys of No10.

This is a cruel, Media-driven witchhunt! I can't believe how rude the press were to hijack a foreign office press conference with the Italian foreign minister to embarrass and try to entrap David Miliband yesterday.

I don't need to read between the lines to see that you are just trying to build him up, just so that you can knock him down again. And if he won't play your silly little game, you'll just make sure that he loses his job instead! And it doesn't matter how many times he says "no" - you will always claim that he really means "yes". I've seen the press do this so many times before...

David Miliband may well be a Labour leadership candidate in the future, but his Guardian article certainly did not indicate that he wishes to be one now, or in the near future.

LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE and let him get on with his job.

David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965); close inspection will confirm that there is only one 'L' in the spelling of Miliband.

It was always going to happen, you look at Miliband and he clearly has good leadership qualities, the only prominent member of Labour I can think of with a decent chance - personally I expected him to wait til Brown fell and he rebuilt the party in opposition, as labour are now unlikely to win anything with or without brown - but from his point of view I guess he has to put himself out there and try to avoid anything that will kill him during the next few months/years of labour's government, a bit risky I think, but he's Labour's best chance, even though personally I want to see them put back in the wilderness for quite a while

I hope that Mr Brown does sack Mr Milliband and send the party into further chaos. If he does, I for one will happily vote for Mr Milliband to lead the country!

I hope that Mr Brown does sack Mr Miliband and send the party into further chaos. If he does, I for one will happily vote for Mr Miliband to lead the country!

Does it really make any difference who is at the helm of "New Labour"? They are all career politicians, bereft of morals or genuine views on how to take our country forward for the benefit of all. Their main worry is re-election and how much they can get when their snouts are in the trough.

Come back people with genuine convictions and honesty before the country is doomed.

PurpleDogzzz, I like your comment #20. If anyone wants to think this is just someone's conspiracy theory I can add that I have seen a great deal of evidence of similar things going on with the government/mobile phone industry/mainstream media. All the way down the latest MTHR report which uses illogical arguments on a cobbled together set of half truths to justify saying that no more research should be done on the non thermal causes of biological damage from mobile phone radiation. (If there was no link then why so desperate to avoid research?) Of course all ministers and main stream media quote is the conclusion - for whatever reasons (and these are the reasons that need questioning) they are not motivated to question the logic leading to those conclusions. I doubt that David Milliband will rock the established boat any more than Gordon Brown or David Cameron will. There are too many vested interests at stake to actually come clean about the state of things. Business as usual will remain the state of play until something much bigger than an election takes place.

@ F1onice, Perhaps Milliband is playing the stalking horse for someone else?

Whoever it is should stop and consider the electorate for a change, or should I say, for the first time.

We should be having a general election, not another undemocratic coup!

re: 76, saintandscholar

lol very good!

Behind Miliband's back is concealed
The knife he's preparing to wield
Against his old master
(Another PR disaster)
Soon both of their fates will be sealed!

I sent an email to Mr Miliband in his capacity as the Foreign Secretary not so long ago, but still no reply. Is this abnormal for Foreign Secretaries?

85: lucibee:

Oh dear have we and the media upset you? 'Leave the poor boy alone'. Nearly had my crying there for a minute. Poor boy: my backside. Look, he's into politics to suck whatever braincells people like you have right out of your head. As far as I'm concerned, if he can't 'take it' he shouldn't 'give it'. Your party is dying. It's typical of an army defeated that they drag mere children out to do battle for them. What a spectacle.

I for one am looking forward to the 'Miliband bounce', the same way I am looking forward to another 'Brown bounce' and a 'Cameron bounce.'

On the end of a very long rope.

The right wing hysteria on here today realy does set new standards.

Laughable but scary.

Petitions to the Queen to disolve paliament!! Thats got to be the best, very democratic indeed cos a handfull of cyber-snipers who spend all day crouched over their PCs dreaming of Thatcher's hayday want it that way.

Couldn't some of you say something positive about your own lot, you know, how good a Chancello George will be, that inheritance tax policy will really sort out the economy, something like that?

BTW do any of you lot work? You seem to have a lot of time on your hands?

I bet Cameron is having a bloody good holiday.

Poor Poor Poor Mrs Brown. I bet shes not.

95#

Yeah Lucibee, stop trying to spoil their fun, they've got a new victim cornered they need to vent their spleens (again).

All day on their PCs for gods sake with nothing else to do, 1997 to 2008, 11 years of bile and bitterness stored up and they so want a good old Euro-sceptic Tory government to take us back to some utopian England of the past, National Service, the bobby clipping your ear if you were cheeky, grammar schools, a game of Rugger, oh and don't forget to bring back the hunt, capital punishment, the birch and the good old Shilling!

re: 99

Amen to that ;)