Milliband

[pauld]

Michael Foot was a brilliant politician but looked like a horse's arse. Was he wasted on the country just because he looked like he did?

No, he was unelectable. He was a reasonable political thinker but a terrible politician. That doesn't necessarily negate your broader point though, just not a great example

[Compo]

http://www.standard.co.uk/incoming/article7827155.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/Miliband-%26-Wallace.jpg

[ghanimah]

Pretty much the same as I feel, but just the other way round - I despise Balls and Milliband just not quite as much as Cameron and Osbourne. My brother in law was invited to a "Tories in the City" (or something) fundraiser before the last election at which he met Osbourne and it actually stopped him voting Conservative so appalled was he by the man. "Wouldn't trust him in charge of his own bowels" was, IIRC, his verdict. He's done little in office to reverse that view. But I agree with your broad thrust that it's wafer thin as to which shower of shit seems less competent/trustworthy. I think Paul's "bowels" verdict applies equally well to all of them.

That is spot on, and I would add the prevailing mood of the country evident by ever decreasing turnout numbers.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2012/10/labour-conference-the-anger-of-voters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=labour-conference-the-anger-of-voters

[pauld]

That is spot on, and I would add the prevailing mood of the country evident by ever decreasing turnout numbers.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2012/10/labour-conference-the-anger-of-voters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=labour-conference-the-anger-of-voters

I've got my finger on the pulse, me

That's a really good article, btw, thought it would be a hatchet job being in the Spectator but I'd say it's spot on. Politicians of both parties (because let's face it, the Lib Dems have euthanised themselves) would do well to read it. Instead they'll keep running round in ever decreasing circles blowing smoke up journos' arses.

[Batch]

So back to the article, which unles s I'm mistaken makes 2 points

  1. Labour has a crap new catchphrase
  2. NHS workers support a proposal by Labour not to quite shaft the NHS as much as the incumbents.

Regardless of allegiances, I'm not really sure this is the master stoke the article claims.

[pauld]

  1. Labour has a crap new catchphrase

It doesn't even have that. It has tried to nick a very old Tory catchphrase - sums up Labour quite nicely, Tory retreads.

[Ardiles]

Labour made the wrong Milliband leader IMO.  David seems pretty clued up whilst Ed is pathetically feeble who who has made himself unelectable to lead the country

It never ceases to amaze me how bad political parties are still at selecting a leader.  Miliband (E) being favoured by unions is pretty much the exact reason that he is not going to be favoured by the population as a whole.  Never say never, but right now I just cannot see how he could be seen as a future PM.

In a similar vein, how did the Tories ever think that Iain Duncan Smith or William Hague (back then) was ever going to be elected PM?  (I say 'back then' because he seems to have a bit more about him these days.)  Local party activists may have liked them, but there was no way that the electorate would take to them.  Party memberships are the worst possible groups to be handed the responsibility of selecting a leader.

[london_red]

To be fair I think Ed and David Milliband are pretty much as bad as each other in terms of voter appeal. Labour should have gone with the third brother, Steve. I hear he's The Joker of the family.

[ghanimah]

It never ceases to amaze me how bad political parties are still at selecting a leader.  Miliband (E) being favoured by unions is pretty much the exact reason that he is not going to be favoured by the population as a whole.  Never say never, but right now I just cannot see how he could be seen as a future PM.

In a similar vein, how did the Tories ever think that Iain Duncan Smith or William Hague (back then) was ever going to be elected PM?  (I say 'back then' because he seems to have a bit more about him these days.)  Local party activists may have liked them, but there was no way that the electorate would take to them.  Party memberships are the worst possible groups to be handed the responsibility of selecting a leader.

Pedantic note, we don't actually elect PMs, though in my view we should

[Ardiles]

Point taken.  

[THE FLASH]

All bastards....

Anybody who thinks different is deluded.

One Nation!  Fuck Off.

[kerry red]

Purely on being a personable cove, Ed Balls comes across well

Is there a pun there?

[Ardiles]

Balls is a bully (which, incidentally, is why he would never win a in leadership bid...people don't like him).  And he has smugness leaking from his pores.  For me, he's up there with Osborne as someone I could never get behind, even if I did like their policies.

[kerry red]

So, it's a benign dictator we need then.

Anyway, I've got no reason to moan - since I voted not to join the EEC in the 70s, which was obviously ignored, I haven't bothered to vote.

Bollocks to the lot of 'em!

[Coca Fola]

I don't think I like any of today's politicians. Maybe Eric Pickles, because he's fat and has a funny name.