Just when you thought you were out…

They pull you back in.  Shaun Woodward has been named as shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.  Nevermind, Shaun.  It could’ve been worse… [Worse?!  How? – Ed].  Could have been Wales… Pete Baker

Miliband the Younger

The new leader of the Labour Party is Ed Miliband, the younger of the two Miliband brothers in the race.  It was close though…  And the BBC’s Nick Robinson has noted that David Miliband won the MPs/MEPs vote, and the individual members vote, but lost overwhelming in the trade union [and affiliated organisations] members’ vote… [added link to breakdown of affiliated organisations voting]  Each ‘section’ is worth a third of the total.  The Guardian’s live-blog has the figures from the first round of voting 4.48pm: Here are …

Read more…

“Congratulations! The party is saved!”

At The Guardian, “Malcolm Tucker” has some appropriate words of welcome for whoever the Labour Party has chosen to be the next Dear Leader…  I particularly liked this Diane – I am not at all surprised that you have won living as we do on planet Zarg where people freak for your passive-aggressive hectoring. Up the revolution! M Heh. Pete Baker

“What’s 50 million for voting machine even Mugabe wouldn’t buy?”

Eamonn Gilmore’s performance in the Dail’s vote of confidence vote last night is well worth watching (as is last night’s Oireachtas Report when they update), for his calm tone, tempo and unremitting focus on the government benches… The quote from above is from an impressive delivery from another front bencher, Ruari Quinn… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest …

Read more…

Diane Abbott and Labour’s political monoculture…

Diane Abbot for Labour Leader? Well, she’s sneaking up slowly in the amount of backers she’s got, from herself and David Lammy now up to six. But she is still a very long way short of the 33 she needs to make the leadership contest in September. One problem is, she left her announcement a little late. The other is her Campaign Group colleague John McDonnell jumped the gun somewhat and threw his hat in the right before talking to …

Read more…

Strange bedfellows in Labour leadership bid

How odd to learn that Kate Hoey, who when it comes to the politics of her native Northern Ireland has been closer to the DUP than any other party, is backing  Labour left winger John McDonnell’s token leadership bid, along with fellow Labour awkward squad member Frank Field. In their opinions of Irish republicanism, they’re poles apart from John. Some years ago Frank and Kate joined together to attack the decision to give SF MPs offices and expenses at Westminster. …

Read more…

After the elections: Labour must get its ‘soul’ right with C1s, C2s.

It may be that this was a good election to lose for Labour (which, I suspect, is some of what lay behind that old fashioned politics Janet was lauding the other day), though it may not feel like that for many of their voters/supporters at the moment. (BTW, the Telegraph were still live blogging up to last night) Why? Because the challenges being faced by the Tories and Lib Dem coalition are huge, particularly on the international front (it’s no coincidence …

Read more…

Brown resigns as PM, Cameron to be invited to form government

The BBC report says it all Gordon Brown has announced he is resigning as UK prime minister. Mr Brown is on his way to officially tender his resignation to the Queen, and recommend that Conservative leader David Cameron should succeed him. Adds As the Guardian’s live-blog notes, Brown’s resignation as leader of the Labour Party “will take effect immediately”. And Full resignation statement here Update David Cameron becomes the new UK prime minister. Cameron’s statement on arriving at Downing St. Real …

Read more…

Gordon Brown to resign as Labour leader

Gordon Brown has announced that he will resign as Labour leader and that formal talks will be held with the Liberal Democrats on forming the next UK government [Adds: Gordon Brown will remain in place to lead those talks].  The 13 Northern Ireland MPs who take their seats might yet have an important role to play.  BBC report here  And the Guardian is live-blogging events.  Adds  Do the math…  Detail From the BBC report Mr Brown said Britain had a “parliamentary …

Read more…

Britain’s Wizard of Oz election…

It struck me the other day that, in Britain at least, we’re witnessing something of a Wizard of Oz election… Now please forgive the crude charaterisations here, it’s certainly not intended to wound or make light of profoundly serious matters, but it seems to me that the three party leaders roughly approximate to the characters of scarecrow, the tinman and the cowardly lion… So for starters, you have Gordon Brown as the lion wishing he had the nerve… Then Nick …

Read more…

Gordon Brown’s gaffe ‘detoxifies’ Tory immigration policies…

Interesting times. Danny Finkelstein said on Newsnight last night that Brown’s clumsiness comes already discounted with the price, and therefore this won’t have much of an effect. I beg to differ Danny. It will have an effect almost precisely because in comparison with the larger affairs of state, it is relatively trivial. It will matter, because it shifts more of those crucial folk with light preferences in politics (ie, the ones who still ‘don’t know’ when they lift the pencil …

Read more…