The New Statesman reveals today that Tony Blair, who again praised Miliband’s party reforms at the weekend, is considering making a “large donation” to Labour. How appropriate.
The party turns its back on trade union money which even those closest to Ed Miliband still admit is the “cleanest money in politics”, and turn instead to someone now reputedly worth £75m and about to make it onto the Sunday Times Rich List. Continue reading
Polly Toynbee reminded us yesterday of who were some of the social democrats in the great Labour break-away of the early 1980s: Andrew Lansley, for example, now a Tory dismantling the NHS, and opposed by his former colleague, Shirley Williams, now in the Lib Dems. Danny Finkelstein advised one Tory leader (William Hague) just as his colleague, Andrew Cooper, now advises David Cameron. Both Roger Liddle and Andrew Adonis advised Blair after a spell in the Lib Dems, though Adonis, after being a rather good Labour Transport Secretary, now backs Michael Gove on Academy schools. Continue reading
It’s almost 30 years since the Social Democratic Party set out to “break the mould of British politics”. Now its principal successor, the Liberal Democrats, is finally in government but, at single figures in the polls and increasingly seen as a fig leaf for a Tory government, has conspicuously failed to “break the mould”. And now, the SDP’s big beast (or at least biggest ego) is seeking meetings with Ed Miliband, saying “my heart belongs to Labour still.” So do we want him back?
The issue arises because Rachel Sylvester in the Times (£) reports:
I am told that Lord Owen, one of the original Gang of Four, has written twice to Mr Miliband in the warmest terms and that a meeting between the two men is planned. At the weekend, the peer said his “heart belongs to Labour still”, and that he hoped to be able to vote for the party again.” Continue reading
