Stay away Miliband

Leadership is not worth having……yet!

The newspapers are once again full of speculation about bids to oust Gordon Brown from the leadership of the Labour Party, and South Shields MP and Foreign Secretary David Miliband is again the focus for press attention. Whilst Brown was scurrying around the television studios yesterday giving more moribund and disastrous performances, Miliband was spending the weekend at his official ‘pile’ enjoying “a cup of tea” with close friends, and it is difficult not to believe that the talk did not include plans to rescue the Labour Party with the prospects of a new leader.

Miliband must have placed some importance on these friendly chats at Chevening, rather than spending the whole weekend in South Shields but he’d be well advised to ignore any requests to take on Brown this side of an election. Labour’s shares have plummeted and there is no prospect of the market recovering either with Brown at the helm or any other leader they choose, the momentum has shifted big time, and with Frank Field talking of possibly reviving an amendment against the 10p tax band, and Labour rebels lining up to oppose the 42 day limit in the Anti-Terrorism Bill, things can only get worse before the summer recess for the government.

Miliband will not want to be leading a Labour Party to certain defeat at the next general election and become known as it’s “William Hague”, he’d be better advised to play a cool hand and allow someone like Jack Straw to be seen as responsible for causing the huge rupture in the party that a leadership bid would cause. Miliband’s time will come, and there is the chance yet that Brown might appoint him Chancellor in a June Cabinet reshuffle, and having two major offices of state on his CV could well enhance his position after Labour has faced it’s inevitable defeat.

Miliband’s own political career will look safer and better planned after the next general election when he could become Leader of the Opposition giving him a chance to reunite his party after a period of fratricide.

David Miliband, you can guarantee, will NOT be staying away from South Shields next weekend, his favourite football team Arsenal are playing Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, and he will be with Niall Quinn to launch an anti racism campaign.

Why not join us for a chat on the bus from the Lord Ashley David?

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