Oh Ed!

[poliphilo]

At the big bait-the-party-leaders event on TV last night Ed Miliband got himself pushed into a corner and found himself declaring he'd rather see a Tory government than have to reach any kind of accomodation with the SNP.

Oh Ed, what are you thinking?

Because, realistically, the only way Labour is going to form a government this time round is with backing from the Nats- who look as though they'll be making a clean sweep of Scotland. So what happens after the election when the Tories are the biggest party but there's the option of forming a coalition of the left that would command a majority? Will Ed just hand Cameron the keys?

It's not just that he looks funny, or performs badly in public, it's that Miliband has been unable to make any kind of case for himself and his party. Why would anyone on the left vote for a man who would prefer to see five more years of Tory rule than have anything to do with another party of the left? Really he doesn't deserve to win.

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

What I think he meant to say (though he was no way clear enough) was that he would rather try to lead a minority government than deal with the SNP, which isn't quite the same as handing Cameron the keys. The scenario if the Tories were the largest part would then be: a) DC attempts to form Government that can command the confidence of the House, but can't, so b) EM has a go as leader of the next largest party. The SNP then have to decide whether to bring him down in a No Confidence motion, and risk triggering a second election. He's betting that they won't - and probably correctly. But it's messy, very messy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Very messy.

I think you're right about Ed meant. Sadly it wasn't what he said.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

If the Nats knew their history they'd be thinking about the last time the Scottish Tail tried to wag the English dog.

Solemn League and Covenant, anyone?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's rather a long time ago...

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

But what happened matters if one is to make sense of the present situation. Tails wagging dogs doesn't work.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

What he is thinking, I think (on no evidence other than it makes sense) is that he is desperate to hold what seats he can in Scotland. He isn't talking to us English voters, but to the Scots, who are threatening to desert Labour for the SNP. And who can blame them, given that Labour really made a mess of the independence referendum?

So the message is 'If you want Labour, you've got to vote Labour. It's no use voting for the Nats, and counting on them delivering a Labour government across the UK.'

It's a high risk strategy, to say the least.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Very high risk- and a bit desperate. I think Labour in Scotland is a lost cause- at least this time round.

Ed is so clumsy.

[howlin-wolf-66.livejournal.com]

Yes; it seems he's onto a loser whatever happens, and by extension, so is the country… *sigh*

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Miliband is constantly fighting on the back foot. A stronger leader would have turned that round, asserted his vision and taken the attack to the Tories.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

To be sure, he should use the SNP faction to get in and not toady with the Tories at all. A recipe for disaster lies ahead that way.