´óÏó´«Ã½

Michael, you are right to say this is significant, and a signal which is not necessarily going to be viewed positively by those outside the Labour movement. And it is certainly highly debatable whether attendance tomorrow is a good idea. More detailed discussion of the latter in my Labour Uncut article .

I am not a supporter of any political party but can see that there is too homogenous a feel between the main ones. This action by Ed M must surely be a good thing to help widen the perceived ideological width of the mainstream.

Risky tactic if the protests turn violent

Whilst it is good news that Ed iss. attending it is scandalous thet no Labour leader for 20 years had attended. The links between the party and the unions should be celebrated and both sides should be proud of these links. The fact that "new labour" betrayed the beliefs of the party to cosey up to big business and to weaken the links to the unions was a grave mistake. Ed Milliband is at last demonstrating what the party members have wanted for 20 years.

'Ed Miliband, who will speak tomorrow' (Guessing basic HTML is no longer an option to help clarity?)
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He seems to be doing this a lot. Or at least getting coverage every time he opens his mouth.

Not sure how much more I can take.

Especially if it is claiming with faux concern divisions having been created by policies based on fiscal legacies he is very much to be associated with, whilst alluding to certain groups with the specific intention of creating divisions.

Certainly a man with many standards.

With the right national PR and budget behind him, he may well go far. Not so sure about where that would drag the rest of us.

why do we keep 'getting involved' what do we ever get out of it? Can Iraq be called a 'success'? Is Afghanistan a roaring triumph? After a week doubts are starting emerge about Libya with nations getting cold feet as it is all so openended with very little leadership....quit now, from all of it, we might even save a tenner...

IT'S GLOBOPOLY - A GAME FOR SENIOR POLITICIANS (#6)


FOR VALOUR

I watched a tank die
Killed from above – in the dark.
No contest – the plane won.
Cowards and heroes
All look the same
Given a green light.

Mmm A Labour leader wanting to stay in touch with the grass roots, this will be novel

#7

I cannot see the relevance to the topic, but are the deeds of the politicians ordering the pilot into action any worse that the deeds of the tank commander and his political director in using a tank against unarmed civilians? Implying the pilot is a coward is a very unworthy comment

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (#9)

No wish to offend; I intended a broader philosophical point.

Off topic - yes. Mission creep; lot of it about. These threads used to invite posters to opine freely, in addition to NN themes.

He who's party is deep in debt (£10 million?) and is no longer being as richly rewarded by the suckers (UK Taxpayers) as it was when his party was ruling over us doesn't have the luxury of being able to chose his friends and allies.

The Conservatives used to remind us that Sinn Fein and the PIRA were one and the same thing. They don't need to remind me this morning that Labour and the TUC are similarly bound like Siamese twins by an anachronistic ideology that quite frankly is little more than an affront to human intelligence. Tweedle dumb and Tweedle dumber! lol

And so the choice in the dumbed down arena of UK politics is for a Labour leader to be accused of being Tory-lite or Socialist Worker, but under no circumstances anything vaguely sensible in between.

Meanwhile in a less Tellytubby view of politics, might it be sensible for the leader of any political party to look after the core vote aswell as looking to make inroads into the wavering voters. Labour let this slip away, starting in 2001 with low turnout, 2005 as Iraq kicked in and then finally 2010 when the waverers started to switch sides and Labour had lost too much of its core to survive in govt.

For the Tories they have still not succeeded in tempting enough waverers. Thats why starting with the May elections, Labour will be able to start their comeback much earlier than anyone would have expected (clearly assisted by a LD collapse too).

All this user's posts have been removed.Why?

All this user's posts have been removed.Why?

All this user's posts have been removed.Why?

The TUC created and own the Labour party. They themselves can only justify their parasitic relationship with the workforce that pays them by being seen to being delivering what the late Mick McGahey declared were the true mission of a trade union leader namely 'more money for less work'.

The TUC have lost the private sector and now are clinging on in the public sector where, even now, there are still gullible people that believe governments have a bottomless pit full of money they somehow dream into existence.

However, the TUC now believe that the future of their self-serving parasitic job-destroying organisation is in mortal danger owing to a small window of opportunity before the next election for the coalition to introduce the much needed tax cuts, provided that they pursue their present policy of reducing government expenditure aka the cuts.

This is what yesterday was all about. It was nothing to do with the cuts, or even the stated aim of the march which has been altered by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ but was originally stated to be 'in support of the alternative', as no credible alternative has been proposed. It was all about the TUC fighting for it's own self-interest nothing more.

The disgusting scenes yesterday were dutifully broadcast by the media including the Unite union/´óÏó´«Ã½ News alliance, now predictably blamed by them on the police they had deliberately put in a no win/can't do right for doing wrong dilemma.

The TUC originally said they planned to have a million marchers. On the day they hardly managed a quarter of that and had the ´óÏó´«Ã½ say that morning that 100,000 were expected to allow them to say the turnout had exceeded their expectations.

I know it's tempting for them to begin believe that our memories for the details of the news is about as short as a week but there are those of us that do remember their original announcements concerning yesterday's march. They make them look even more pathetic in their attempts to squirm out of a missing 750,000 on the day.

Last night (don't shoot the messenger) I heard the first stirrings of a right wing backlash. Civil war was even mentioned! OK it's probably nothing but the Left and people who still believe in the TUC/Labour alliance should remember the Newtonian Laws of Motion, especially the bit about every action having an equal and opposite reaction.

To me this country is hopelessly divided at every level and in every way. There is no consensus and never will be. Not so much a case of 'too deep too soon' but more 'why bother, we've had it anyway whatever we do'. But hey if the coalition want to organise a march in support of the austerity policies, and in condemnation of the tactics of the opposition I might just fancy a week-end in the capitol!

PLAYING GAMES WITHIN THE LIE

If Westminster's primary concern were the 'human condition' in these islands, politics would take a very different form than it does at present.

Think of the Milgram and Zimbardo experiments. Then consider the degree of UNCONTROLLED POWER that Westminster has over us - and 'be afraid'.

I am in process of trying to 'take on' Westminster, regarding the electoral lies of the Conservative Party. Winning votes with lies is no small matter, but government is configured to thwart justified enquiry and confrontation.

I know the truth of this. It is not democracy under the Rule of Law.

Ed Milliband should have stayed in Durham and give Hyde Park a wide berth. He spoke right at the beginning of the March when the Park had around 5,000 people there, not the 300,000 claimed by the Labour spinmongers. He also talked complete tripe. To liken the March to the anti-apartheid protests is ridiculous. The anti-apartheid protests were the black majority protesting against the often violent oppression of the white minority. Not really the same as approximately half of 1% of the population protesting about a program of cuts to get the country out of the debt hole that HIS government got us into!! Where is his sense of perspective.

How these Labour shadow ministers that were up to their necks in the last administration have the cheek to speak out against the Coalition on this matter is just incredible. If they wish to be a decent opposition, why don't they try putting forward some decent policy alternatives?? Because they have none?

I also think he should distance himself from the TUC and their threats to bring mass industrial action to the country. That is really NOT going to help. Why not kick the country when it's down!! The TUC were very quiet when Labour were spending every penny the country had. They were very quiet when Labour began to mount up the debt the country had, yet now they appear to be economically savvy enough to state that the coalition cuts won't work. What a bunch of clowns. How can anyone take them seriously. The unions are a dinosaur from the 1970's, and Miliband has now hitched his wagon to them. Nice one Mr Ed.

As for the violence - both Mr Ed and the TUC should have known that would have happened, but I doubt they care. In fact, secretly a bit of public disorder works into their hands nicely. I'm beginning to wish David Milliband had won the Labour leadership - he'd have been bad news for the Tories, but less dangerous to the country tham his young far more stupid brother.

One wouldn't necessarily mind a Red Ed Miliband if he had just a gram of charisma?

Whether he, or his team are writing what he says - who knows?

What is increasingly embarrassing is that Ed Miliband appears to have no innate 'emotional intelligence' or personal ability to connect to any people on any level.

So, as a Prime Minister in waiting? No future.

While writing, I am also critical of Nick Clegg - the less he says the better he looks - or so he thinks? Again. what a let down - what a disgrace is the Deputy Prime Minister who has no grasp of the importance of his role? If he does, where are his gonads?

LIMITED ED FORGOT THE GREATEST MARCH OF ALL! (#18)

The one that Magus-Tony ingored (well - 'you can't just do nothing') to join the war on Global Evil, now apparently focused in Iran. (See Tony's final fervour.)

Incidentally: analogous to the UN CIVILIAN PROTECTION remit, that will get Gaddafi targeted, the Chilcot Enquiry remit is to LEARN LESSONS! Lesson ONE: politics in Britain elevated to dangerous potential, the DELUDED, NEEDY and SMALL-MINDED Tony Blair. Will Chilcot step out of the lie?

TARGET IDENTIFIED AND LOCKED ON . . .

17.

"electoral lies of the Conservative Party. Winning votes with lies is no small matter"

Care to expand further on these lies?

Remember the Conservative will have had to renege on some of their manifesto objectives because they are in a coalition government, just as the Lib Dems had to concerning tuition fees.

The last government could be have said to have also lied when a referendum on the Lisbon treaty was promised in a manifesto and was then axed on the flimsy pretext that it wasn't a constitutional issue.

I can usually tell when politicians are being perfidious- I look to see if their lips are moving!

The Durham Miners' Gala - or 'Durham Big Meeting' as it is known locally - used to be a big carnival event in the north-east. It was very much for the whole-family - a working class counterpart to the Lord Mayor's Show.

As I worked nearby, I attended in 1982. I recall rather more people being on the parade than listening to the speeches! There was a very effective poster which you can see on this video featuring Alex Glasgow's song "Close The Coalhouse Door".



Our mines have closed, for better or worse; but each year, thousands of miners in China still pay "the price of coal" providing the energy to produce OUR cheap consumer goods.

Corum@19

Unfortunately he comes across as an upper class twit - that does not really resonate with his audience.

re. 23
There appears to be tsunami of inverted snobbery sweeping across this country, no doubt initially triggered off in no small part by the 'Playing-fields of Eton' remarks of Gordon Brown in the run up to the last election. Such incitement to class hatred and mistrust would not have been approved of by his predecessor who spoke of wanting to make the UK a 'classless society'.