by Paul Goodman "The appointment of Alan Johnson looks like a weak compromise. Balls has been dispatched as Shadow Home Secretary to bully Theresa May. Cooper has been sent out of the country altogether – for parts of year at least – to trot the globe as Shadow Foreign Secretary. It looks as though Miliband […]
by Paul Goodman I smelt fear in Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet appointments. The movement of the Balls/Cooper duo to non-economic posts, and the appointment of Alan Johnson as Shadow Chancellor, suggested anxiety – a dread of them grabbing Labour's steering wheel. According to a Labour List monthly poll, Miliband would be right to be wary. […]
Tim Montgomerie Ed Miliband returns to work today after his paternity break. His party is level-pegging in the polls but he hasn't enjoyed any honeymoon since becoming leader. If anything his party is doing slightly worse than before he became leader… despite George Osborne's announcement of spending cuts… despite an average disapproval rating for the […]
By Paul Goodman A leader's first requirement is authority. He or she must be able to lead and, almost as importantly, be seen to do so – to project confidence and command. I thought that Ed Miliband's first Shadow Cabinet was a fair play of a hand of cards that he hadn't chosen. But as […]
By Paul Goodman Seven quick points on the Shadow Cabinet reshuffle – David Cameron's first Shadow Cabinet appointments showed confidence. Ed Miliband's show fear. Cameron had won two-thirds of the vote in his election as Conservative leader. Miliband won barely 50 per cent – and, as CCHQ has been reminding anyone who'll listen, failed to […]