Comments on: Conference dispatch 1

By: Young Fabian

Young Fabian — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:12:14 +0000

Im very positive of the future and the conference has been a real time of healing despite media attempts to create a non story in the Cherie’s overheard comment.
Cameron has superficial charisma and in my opinion, i’ve seen no evidence to suggest that the Tory faithful are any diferent in their opinions than at any time over the last 20 years.
As long as we stay a modern centre left party, we can take them on and win a convincing 4th term. When that happens, watch them swing back to their natural UKIP/Countryside Alliance comfort zone.

By: CJ

CJ — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:01:08 +0000

I understand your concerns, and I share them to an extent. Blair has charisma, Cameron has something similar, whereas Brown just isn’t the same. I would never put any kind of factional loyalty above the pursuit of a 4th term of Labour government, and I’m sure you’re the same.

However, I’m far from convinced that Blair personally won us three election victories in a row. The reasons why people vote Labour are far more complex than that. As someone who campaigned relentlessly in the 2005 election, I lost count of the number of self-proclaimed ‘traditional Labour supporters’ who shut their door on me because they would never vote for Blair again. And there were many who went to vote Labour despite Blair, not because of him. Fine he made a great speech yesterday, and he has been an outstanding leader of the party, but let’s not forget the public is not as mesmerised by him anymore as the New Labour faithful are. Labour needs genuine renewal, not Alan Milburn impersonating Tony.

Maybe I’m being too optimistic about the nature of the electorate, but I think a Labour leader with a visionary policy programme, a proven track record of competence, and confidence in their convictions will be able to defeat Cameron and his revitalised Tories.

By: Young Fabian

Young Fabian — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:24:37 +0000

CJ…absolutely Gordon is a character around which the party members, trade unions etc can unite..and then the election…the fact is , we need to show that we have the drive and energy to take the Tories shallow and transparent front bench conversion apart piece by piece. Im not saying that GB cant be the man to lead the party, but he needs to take a lesson from Tony’s speech yesterday. Lets make it clear to the public that Cameron will never be the ‘heir to Blair’.

By: CJ

CJ — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:38:33 +0000

Alan Milburn as the ‘more Blairite than Blair’ candidate? I can’t think of anyone less likely to win over the trade unions, MPs, and general party membership. Gordon would crush him, and that would please me most sincerely. With McDonnell as the candidate of the far Left, and Milburn as the candidate of the far Right, Gordon will be seen as the sensible centre candidate around which the majority of Labourites can unite. Milburn was an awful minister and quite frankly should spend more time with his family.

By: Young Fabian

Young Fabian — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:57:39 +0000

Antonia,
I dont doubt Gordon’s sincerity or his intellectual and moral capacity. Im sure that he would make an excellent PM. He is a man of depth in true contrast to the shallow and overnight U turn conversion to progressive politics that Cameron seems to have performed. The problem is is he the man with the savvy and ability to get the public voters, not the party members to see us as a party deserving of a 4th term.
Right now, he still looks like the best candidate. It is notable that the last 9 years have produced few apparent new Labour successors.
Personally, I feel that Alan Milburn might be better placed to take on Cameron and trounce him.Cameron’s reinvention of the Tories does not sit well with the Conservative faithful, it is fundamentally at grassroots still the party of Norman Tebbit and the village fete.Its a fragile makeover and its vital that we show that not only did new Labour win the arguments of the last decade, but that we are the party to take progresive centre left politics forward.

By: Antonia

Antonia — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:07:30 +0000

I’m on record saying it’ll be Gordon for me, Crocus, no big mystery.

By: Crocus

Crocus — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 23:25:22 +0000

C’mon Antonia, don’t pretend you don’t know what’s really happening at Conference. You’re going to have say something about the leadership eventually. So let’s be havin’ ya. Gordon, yes or no?

By: Jo’s Journal » Blog Archive » Labour Conference blogs

Jo’s Journal » Blog Archive » Labour Conference blogs — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 10:21:15 +0000

[...] Jonathan has, thus far, posted three times but while the self-proclaimed unofficial blog hasn’t been updated since Friday, several other Labour bloggers have already been posted from Conference without the bells and whistles of either the official or the unofficial blogs: Antonia, Kris Brown (whose site seems to be a bit screwed up at the moment), Snedds, The Daily and Maidstone Labour Party. [...]