Would Labour Be In A Different Position Now If Ed Had Not Knifed David?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39500896

[jim360]

Probably, although isn't David Miliband a bit too much from the "Blairite" side of the party? Would that have played well with the electorate in 2015? And anyway, Labour's collapse that year was not entirely down to their leader, eg the SNP wiping them out almost north of the border would have happened anyway.

[mikey4444]

How long is a bit of string TTT ?

[emmie]

too late to tell.

[ichkeria]

Well leaving aside the 'knifing' bit much as I admire Ed, his parting gift to the party as leader was the ill-thought-out reform of the voting system for a new leader. Although Corbyn might still have been nominated, he probably would not have won.

[jno]

during Ed's leadership, everyone said "You picked the wrong Miliband".

They'd have said exactly the same if David had been chosen.

[mikey4444]

hno...very true !

[youngmafbog]

Yes, they would be in a different position. I dont think they would be in power but they would no be looking annihilation in the face as they are now.

[scooping]

I heard someone saying, at the time of the Labour leadership election, "Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, they're all the same..."

[ichkeria]

Not necessarily Mikey. Ed was never able to shake off the 'red Ed' tag which made it easy for the right wing press to label him as some sort of communist. Their own 'project fear' was the doomsday 'Miliband Sturgeon coalition from hell' which scared the horses of middle England.
It is true tho that David M was also loathed by many who thought him too clever for his own good. With hindsight tho (a wonderful thing) he would have been a better choice as would probably Ed Balls. Now sll the decent candidates are keeping their heads down and if little fuss is being made about Corbyn now it is probably partly because the ghastly prospect of Rebecca Long-Bailey looms on the horizon

[scooping]

People should realise the blindingly obvious. Corbyn couldn't run a bath.

[ichkeria]

I don't like to be too unkind to JC but here is a good illustration of how he has seized every opportunity to show up this government :

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/scotland/39500209

[mikey4444]

Itchy...in reality, the right-wing press in Britain would have bad-mouthed anybody that the Labour Party choose as its Leader, no matter who it was.

[scooping]

Mikey. The argument doesn't hold water. If the 'right wing press' is so influential how come Blair won three times? People now form opinions on what they see on TV.

[New Judge]

But I thought that's what Labour is there for, Mikey. (Well I can't think of anything else!) :-)

[ichkeria]

"he 'right wing press' is so influential how come Blair won three times"

Well of course the popular press, after 17 years of the Tories, by which time they had become largely discredited, went with Blair. So the argument still holds.

[ToraToraTora]

"If the 'right wing press' is so influential how come Blair won three times? " - because Saint Tony and Noo Lyba were Tories.

[mikey4444]

Itchy....absolutely right at 15:45....it was the Sun wot won it.

Add that to the fact that the Tories were unelectable for years, and you have the answer to why Labour won 3 consecutive Elections.

[naomi24]

//you have the answer to why Labour won 3 consecutive Elections.//

.... and since their votes dwindled consecutively over those three elections, why they didn't win a fourth? Give it up, Mikey. You're clinging to ancient history again.

[Jackdaw33]

I can still picture David with a silly grin on his face holding a banana.