The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

How the NS foresaw Ed’s victory

We identified Ed as “Labour’s next leader” as early as January.

By George Eaton Published 25 September 2010 18:54

There was a time when few expected Ed Miliband to run for the Labour leadership, let alone win it. But here at the NS, we can claim to have been more prescient than most. As the screengrab below shows, we identified Ed as "Labour's next leader" as early as 25 January.

Before that, in December 2008, our political correspondent, James Macintyre, wrote in his end-of-year-predictions that Miliband would "emerge as the up-and-coming politician of 2009 and come to be regarded as Brown's natural successor".

We went on to become almost the only mainstream publication (the one exception being the People) to endorse Ed's leadership bid. Our leader said:

[I]t is Ed Miliband who has been most prepared to challenge New Labour orthodoxies, to use a different kind of language. He advocates a Labour agenda that is confident, forceful and empowering, committed to greater freedom, social justice and, above all else, reducing inequality.

He now faces a hostile right-wing media and a Conservative Party determined to portray him as a union shoo-in. But, as his energetic and inspiring campaign demonstrated, he has the spirit necessary to lead a renewed Labour Party back into government.

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Tags: Ed Miliband Labour leadership

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9 comments

Wed, 2010-09-29 09:10 — John O'Byrne (not verified)

I put 400 euros at 6 to 1 on Ed in early May.

Sun, 2010-09-26 15:11 — Chris (not verified)

-Not the same Chris as the one who posted the comment above.

This is all very well, but will he be able to lead Labour to victory at the next election? That will be the vote that really matters.

Sun, 2010-09-26 19:01 — Dave C (not verified)

So George, the big question - who's going to win the 2:30 at Haydock?

Wed, 2010-11-17 14:15 — elrob

Do not agree with the first Chris at all. I thought Brown would be awful, too. And based on policy not just personality. New Labour was becoming less and less popular. Something you Chris evidently do not see. T continue with that was to surrender on new ideas, of which New Labour despite its trumpting the opposite rarely had. They embraced others' ie of Thatcher philosophy (selling council hoises, deregulating finance) allied to "stealth" taxes to pay for higher public spending.

By refusing to be open about public spending, New Labourt allowed the bubble in housing and financial services to rise unimpeded in order to finance its agenda.

Result: Disaster, and a rightwing agenda that has little to oppose it. Little that is until Ed Miliband. The poverty of ideas from New Labour has had its day. Ed will only succeed by being bold. That means a new economic policy, new regulatory policy, and support for social housing with NO RIGHT TO BUY.
My own idea. Land value tax to fund housing and deficit reduction policies.
How about low rent social housing on ten-year contracts (not permanent), when the tenant must leave? Aspiration remains as low rents give the opportunity to raise a deposit (tenants could pay into a govt-supported bond that matures at the end of the tenancy); and the social housing stock is maintained for the next generation.

Better that than the burden of high debts and impossible to fund house prices that New Labour left us with. Please rid us of this unimaginative and stale politics.

Sun, 2010-09-26 04:07 — Chris (not verified)

Well done for the prediction but mark my words this is an absolute disastrous decision by Labour.

Outside of leftwing circles he comes across like a geeky and strange schoolboy, a lightweight who will not connect with so-called 'middle england' at all.

I really hope I'm wrong but I doubt it. I predicted Gordon Brown would be a disaster when many party members were singing his praises and that turned out to be true.

Labour (sorry, the unions) have chosen comfort and ideology over electability and will now pay the price :(