A bit more Guardian journamalism. Here’s Nicholas Watt having at “Ed Miliband’s supporters”. You might not notice that he managed to report one of the two “plotters” backing out of the plot, but buried the lede right down to the very last par.
The internal critics agreed. But they took issue with the leadership’s response to criticism…..Another MP [i.e. one of the internal critics] said: “People are concerned about Labour’s standing in the polls and are worried about Ed’s ability to persuade people. But there is no organised coup or plot because there are no alternative candidates.”
From 20 frontbenchers to this.
Anyway, Miliband’s response to it reminded me of something Daniel Davies blogged years ago, to the effect that he thought Gina Ford’s parenting advice could be usefully adapted to politics. Rather than The Contented Little Baby, we could aim at The Contented Little Politician. In fact, it wasn’t Daniel Davies but Jenny Colgan, although I think Dsquared added something original to it. In this case, the insight was controlled crying. Rather than striking down on the rebels with great vengeance, he let them moan until it bored them.
From that Nicholas Watt article.
“Miliband’s backers are making leadership matters worse, say critics……… Labour critics of Ed Miliband are warning his supporters that they are in danger of exacerbating internal unease about his leadership by attacking party loyalists who say they are reflecting concerns they hear on the doorstep. ….. One MP told the Guardian: “Ed risks precipitating the eruption he wants to avoid through the … slagging off MPs who are deeply loyal to their party but can no longer ignore the damage his unpopularity causes on the doorstep.”
I’m actually having some difficulty in imagining these “party loyalists” at voters’ doorsteps, listening to what they say and passing it on to the party leadership. They certainly didn’t see it their job to come to your doorstep to collect and pass on concerns about Blair. They’re not doing a very good job in connecting with potential defectors to the Greens.
“We’re only passing on the voters’ concerns.” Snort.
They really are a set of spineless whingers, who find a ready audience in the GUardian/Observer political office, who would seemingly print anything that casts Miliband in a bad light. Is it narcisism? To the extent that they can’t even organise a tangible alternative. The much punted idea that Alan Johnson would stand was never a runner – he’d already said that he wasn’t a candidate – and would have been another open goal to the Tory press (“the man appointed shadow chancellor who had never read an economics book”).
It’s interesting how the press (and the BBC is following the line) were saying “Tories on the rise as the economy recovers” and now they’re saying “Tories on the rise as economy falters – voters won’t trust Labour with a shaky a economy.”
I wonder how much the fixed parliament creates a news vacuum.
and gives the press more space to create’party management’ stories .
The comparison between the non event Miliband story and the Tory meltdown in parliament over the EAW was striking. – A real party split happend and the press had no inkling.