Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Two-nil down

When the political party is losing popularity, members start making suggestions for improving things. sometimes that means publicizing cleavages within the party and criticizing the leadership. In the Labour Party, it's nearly come to endorsing the opposition leader.

Vicious union attack deepens Labour rift

"Labour's civil war reaches new heights today as the leader of Britain's biggest union launches a venomous personal attack on Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

In an outspoken interview with The Observer on the eve of the Trades Union Congress, Derek Simpson [right], joint general secretary of Unite, the union with the biggest group of Labour MPs at Westminster, accused Miliband, in a stream of swearwords, of being 'smug' and 'arrogant'.

"In terms that caused fury on the right of the party, he also said Miliband would take the country back to the 'failings of Blairism' and could be a worse choice as Prime Minister than the Tory leader David Cameron. 'We might as well elect Cameron. We might be better off with Cameron,' he said...

"Meanwhile, in an interview with today's Sunday Mirror, Schools Secretary Ed Balls urges Labour MPs to stick together while admitting that Labour is 'two-nil down' to the Conservatives in the race for the next General Election. He calls on MPs to 'stop jeering at the manager', insisting there is still 'a lot to play for'.

"'Everybody knows that if you are two-nil down five minutes into the second half, you don't give up. You keep playing. The winner is the team that sticks together, stays determined and has the fitness, resilience and determination to win,' he says."

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1 Comments:

At 9:04 AM, Blogger Ken Wedding said...

Five MPs in Labour contest call

"Gordon Brown is facing increasing pressure from within Labour ranks for a leadership election.

"Four more Labour MPs have confirmed they have written to the party asking for nomination papers to be sent out...

"Seventy MPs would have to nominate a challenger to Gordon Brown to force a leadership contest.

"The Labour Party has told BBC political editor Nick Robinson that nine had so far asked for nomination papers to be issued..."

 

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