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Labour needs a bold alternative to austerity. Not Alan Johnson. Not any new leader

Ed MilibandLabour MPs are their own worst enemies. Many of them are panicked about losing their seats, and are sufficiently stupid and disloyal to blame Ed Miliband and brief the press accordingly. Deputy chief whip, Alan Campbell, rather than feeding reports of discontent to his leader, is whipping it up.

And yet, if Labour MPs keep their cool, there will be no Labour melt down in England or Wales in 2015. UKIP may take a seat or two from us, and prevent us winning a few marginals. But we shall still win others from the Tories and Lib Dems, whose problems are worse than ours. And no short-coming of Ed Miliband is responsible for the rise of UKIP.

Scotland is a different story. Labour could face meltdown there in 2015 and 2016. And it will be worse if Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale win the current leadership contests. But that too has nothing to do with Ed Miliband, though a second leadership contest in the UK party would make matters even worse.

The idea of a smooth, consensual transfer of the leadership to Alan Johnson, the man who told Kirsty Walk in 2007 that he wasn’t up to the job of Leader (£) and who demonstrated through the gaffes of his short period as shadow chancellor than he lacked a grasp of basic economics, is just plain daft. He may be working class, whose humble origins and tough upbringing are now well known. Len McCluskey may have suggested he be given a role in Labour’s campaign. But he’s still a leading Blairite who backed privatisation of the industry in which he worked. Without question, he would face a contest if he stood for the leadership.

There is no alternative candidate who could command such widespread support that a simple transfer of the leadership is possible. Six months before an election, just forget it. And those who continue to speculate about it do nothing but undermine and damage their own party.

5 Comments

  1. jeffrey davies says:

    well they just pushed in a favourite son of in aberavon if thats a labour supporter then labours finished just another son of a welsh ex mp who took apon himself that mantle of the eu when he said it was no good but perhaps labour isnt going to get that easy ride in neath anymore has it was said if labour put a donkey up it would be voted in its without doubt tony blair took this once proud party to the maggie land yet untill these blairs babys go then the twilight yrs are here jeff3

  2. swatantra says:

    Not Johnson who is too old hat; and its too early for Chukka; and Yvette just hasn’t the common touch; and Balls is out of the question. Not much left then to choose from? Reeves not yet; Burnham possibly.

  3. Pauline Sharp says:

    Sick of this. Stand with Ed, end of. Pull together, we can win next year. Get rid of the Tory party. , stop all this bickering.

    1. Robert says:

      Come on this has to be the worse dam over throw of a leader I’ve ever seen it was totally inept, or the best PR stunt of all time to get people to come around saying back the leader.

      Sorry but who are these twenty MP’s who ended up being two and then every MP signs a petition saying it was not me I back ED.

      Who thought this one up Axelrod maybe.

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