Sunday, September 07, 2008
Labour search for the self-destruct button
As if things were not bad enough for Labour already, what with being 20 points behind in the polls, having a massively unpopular leader and a Chancellor of the Exchequer who is intent on doing a passable imitation of Private Fraser from Dad's Army, the start of Conference season has seen the Unions jump in with both feet as well.
The Observer reports today that the leader of Britain's biggest union has launched 'a venomous personal attack on Foreign Secretary David Miliband'. The paper tells us that: Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, the union with the biggest group of Labour MPs at Westminster, accused Miliband, in a stream of swearwords, of being 'smug' and 'arrogant'.
In terms that caused fury on the right of the party, he also said Miliband would take the country back to the 'failings of Blairism' and could be a worse choice as Prime Minister than the Tory leader David Cameron. 'We might as well elect Cameron. We might be better off with Cameron,' he said. '
'Why should we elect a young fresh face when we have already got one in Cameron with policies that are not dissimilar?'
Simpson's officials, who sat in on the interview, immediately ordered that swearwords used to describe Miliband be taken 'off the record'. However, they confirmed that the robust anti-Miliband assault had been deliberate and should stand. Simpson said Gordon Brown should tell those who back Miliband's leadership ambitions, including Charles Clarke, who argued last week that Brown should consider stepping down 'with honour', to 'sod off'.
Quite how Simpson thinks that this will help Labour I do not know, and nor it seems do others. Health Minister, Ben Bradshaw for example, changed his Facebook status a few minutes ago to ask 'do some trade union leaders really want a Tory Government?' The next few weeks could be quite entertaining.
The Observer reports today that the leader of Britain's biggest union has launched 'a venomous personal attack on Foreign Secretary David Miliband'. The paper tells us that: Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, the union with the biggest group of Labour MPs at Westminster, accused Miliband, in a stream of swearwords, of being 'smug' and 'arrogant'.
In terms that caused fury on the right of the party, he also said Miliband would take the country back to the 'failings of Blairism' and could be a worse choice as Prime Minister than the Tory leader David Cameron. 'We might as well elect Cameron. We might be better off with Cameron,' he said. '
'Why should we elect a young fresh face when we have already got one in Cameron with policies that are not dissimilar?'
Simpson's officials, who sat in on the interview, immediately ordered that swearwords used to describe Miliband be taken 'off the record'. However, they confirmed that the robust anti-Miliband assault had been deliberate and should stand. Simpson said Gordon Brown should tell those who back Miliband's leadership ambitions, including Charles Clarke, who argued last week that Brown should consider stepping down 'with honour', to 'sod off'.
Quite how Simpson thinks that this will help Labour I do not know, and nor it seems do others. Health Minister, Ben Bradshaw for example, changed his Facebook status a few minutes ago to ask 'do some trade union leaders really want a Tory Government?' The next few weeks could be quite entertaining.
