Tweet One’s first reaction to Ed Miliband’s abolition of shadow cabinet elections is that this is a step away from party democracy. But on closer reflection this is a shrewd, and radical, break with tradition which makes a lot of sense in current circumstances. Ed is faced with a shadow cabinet in which only 4 [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Shadow Cabinet’
Just deserts for Labour in Parliament
Jun 24th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Tweet So Labour MPs stand to lose their vote for the Shadow Cabinet. Just deserts, you might say, for over a decade of failing to hold their leadership, the executive, to account. Its harsh on the new intake, who have been more independent of thought though even their assertiveness has been blunted by Ed’s aggressive [...]
Why has Ed initiated a policy review that by-passes the party?
Feb 22nd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Tweet Ed Miliband wants to undertake a policy review which reconnects with the lives of people with whom we lost touch to develop a programme for government. He also wants “to give party members a proper voice” in ”a living breathing party of which people are proud to say they are members and proud to call [...]
Labour must renounce its ugly Blairite legacy if it wants to win
Feb 2nd, 2011 by Michael Meacher.Tweet Monday was a day of shame, the day they denationalised the NHS. Yet at the second reading of the Bill in the House of Commons the main line of defence of the increasingly isolated Andrew Lansley, who is clearly out of his depth, was that the Tories are only carrying on where Blair left off [...]
A shadow team with a new political balance
Oct 11th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.Tweet The full shadow team has now been published. It consists of 101 members of the Commons (out of 269 – more than the parliamentary party rules permit). It includes 23 of the 2010 intake – a new generation indeed (well, apart from Jack Dromey). But there is a significant shift to the left: 49 [...]
Diane Abbott is shadow public health minister
Oct 9th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.Tweet Ed Miliband has appointed Diane Abbott as shadow public health minister, no 2 to John Healey. Since she came 35th in the shadow cabinet poll and this is the first junior post to be made public, it is an important signal that Ed Miliband (unlike much of the PLP who elected the shadow cabinet) [...]
Shadow Cabinet is half female (almost) and Ed has a majority (just)
Oct 7th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.Tweet The Shadow Cabinet elections are good news for Ed Miliband – half the members will be female if one of the two Lords members is a woman (Jan Royall is currently Leader in the Lords), and he should be able to command a majority (just about) even on the most contentious issues. Four sitting [...]
Shadow Cabinet poll – vote now
Oct 1st, 2010 by Jon Lansman.Tweet Please take part in the Shadow Cabinet poll for readers of Left-wing blogs which is also being run by Left Foot Forward, Labour List, Liberal Conspiracy and others. You may want to look at the list of who voted for which Leadership candidate here. Bookmarks Hide Sites
Shadow cabinet elections – who the candidates voted for
Oct 1st, 2010 by Jon Lansman.Tweet An analysis of the candidates for the shadow cabinet reveals that 29 supported David Miliband in the final round, three did not vote and only 16 backed the new leader. Whilst the abstainers (Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper and Diane Abbott) as well as a few of David Miliband’s erstwhile supporters such as Angela Eagle [...]
Labour’s shadow cabinet elections
Sep 16th, 2010 by Jon Lansman.Tweet Letters from would be shadow cabinet members are dropping into parliamentary inboxes at quite a rate. If you want to see them (which even MPs with votes don’t), they’re posted at Labour Uncut but here’s a summary of what we think will be the composition of the new Shadow Cabinet: A Miliband as Leader [...]
