Political Wilderness, Civil War then Death

One of the most encouraging signs for Labour, following Ed Miliband's narrow win in the leadership election on Saturday, has been the rabid over reaction from the Tory press.

Red Ed, indeed.

The Sunday Times, perhaps getting a steer from its prodigious owner, put out a preposterous editorial about how Labour's 'lurch to the left' would leave them in the political wilderness. Turn the page and columnist, Martin Ivens, was talking up the actual death of the Labour Party.

I remember the early 80s when Labour did arrive at a state of unelectability. They had a weak, eccentric leader in Michael Foot. Ranks were sorely divided, in fact a significant number had defected to the bright and hopeful SDP. The miltant tendency was actually running cities like Liverpool. And the party's policies included huge liabilities like withdrawal from EEC, unilateral nuclear disarmament and the wholesale nationalisation of entire industries. To draw close comparisons to that episode of severe political turmoil in the party is frankly laughable.

Of course, our old chums at the Mail are happy to exorcise those ghosts again by trying to conjure up some great division, this time between the two Milibands. This is not spin; it's pure invention.

This morning's effort by Tim Shipman contained all the familiar phrases of an article where an editor has instructed the reporter to make mischief out of thin air, such as "insiders say" and "sources close to. " Contrary to all we know about the genial and genuinely affectionate brothers, Shipman was compelled to construct the basis of a potential civil war with factions ready to tear the party asunder.

"Some of Milibands closest friends, " he speculated, unconvincingly, "want him [David] to walk away because they fear his every public utterance will be viewed as a plot to oust his brother as Labour Leader." Be assured David will stand in next week's Shadow Cabinet elections and emerge with a very senior post.

I guess those editors who simply detest Labour are getting their revenge in early and are just thorougly piqued about how united HM's Opposition is. But they not building on a reality which people recognise; papers can exploit and exaggerate the public's perceptions; they cannot simply create them.

David Milband may have made a better leader in the long run but even this "vanquished sibling" knows the next election will be a straight fight between the two main parties. Labour, even suffering a "disastrous" defeat under Brown, is still only fifty seats behind. The right wing commentators are snapping but it's not fierceness but fear which is driving their anger.