Can Red Ed win?

by Ed Bowsher on 01 October 2010  |  1 comment
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Ed Miliband is conducting a political experiment.

Philip Collins has written a very interesting piece in today's Times about Ed Miliband.

Here's the crucial paragraph:

"I think that Ed Miliband is going to conduct a political experiment. He thinks it is possible to win the election in 2015 from a position a few degrees to the left of where Labour won  under Tony Blair. The circumstances for testing this proposition are certainly propitious, with a government embarking on painful cuts and a Liberal Democrat party with half of its recent vote. So, no excuses. If it works, I'll take my hat off, prior to eating it. But if if doesn't work, then surely it's never going to. It is quite possible that Ed Miliband is the last hurrah for traditional social democracy."

I 100% agree with the above.  I suspect that roughly speaking, Ed Miliband is an updated version of 'Roy Hattersley Labour.' If the economy performs as badly as I fear over the next four years, Labour could well win the election. But if the economy does ok or better, then it will be a very tough challenge. After the defeat a new leader will have to drag the party back to the Blairite centre.

Here's a link to the article online but, of course, these days 'The Times' is behind a paywall, so I fear most lovemoney.com readers won't be able to log on. Still, you could always pop out to the newsagent and buy a copy.