That's right Nick.

The trades union vote represents the individual votes of millions of ordinary people and should be seen as such, not as some extreme wing of the party dictating the vote like the right wing media would have us believe.

I am fully behind the decision, I think it's a good result even though I didn't vote for Ed.

I completely lost trust in the Labour Party under Blair and Brown.

Ed Miliband will have to work hard to show social democrats (as in Scandinavia, I mean) like myself, that they are serious about reducing income inequality in Britain, opposing neo-liberal economics, and rejecting the Bush-Blair neo-con global agenda.

The right wing smearing will start now but rather him than smarmy David, the blair clone. What with his connivance in torture, that Miliband's win would have shown that Labour had learned nothing.

Do you have numbers or just percentages?

Would be interesting to see the results had Labour had a more democratic system.

@Winnie
+1

That's Sky Lou, but there was only 1.3% in it, so you could equally say that the unions didn't have it all their way, it's a representative vote. Think it will put a few people off AV! That's who we have got and we should support them, the unions do have an important part to play, it shows how angry they are, that's good isn't it?

A tweet to the BBC Website -

Rachel writes: "I am really chuffed! Good for him - it's time for a real change, and although I am not a Labour supporter, perhaps I will become one. On the whole, I think politics is looking up. Whatever happens, it's nice to feel optimistic again."

Is this the Ed Miliband effect? I hope so.

@ Winnie

+2

"and the winner is"... CAMEO !

How negative Ian Burnley! This is a coalition government and shaky at the moment, with plenty of time to screw things up. We need a good opposition now to challenge them on the issues facing us. I am not a member of a union but I still supported Ed. I am not led by the nose by anyone. Long live democracy (such as it is in the UK)

Ed wasn't my man but that's the past now its time to bring cam's army to task,they dont like it up 'em you know

It doesn't matter who Liebour elect as leader-the party is a busted flush-another Liebour term of office and this country will be nothing more than a European region with no self government at all, so in the end the leadership election is irrelevant.

Has anyone heard Baroness Watshername from the Tories? Talk about sticking the knife in, she's made an instant enemy of the Unions wheh she should simply have left it at congratulating our new leader; they appear scared.

Thanks for posting the figures Lou.

I dont know why the NS is drooling, dribbling and wetting themselves over the non event liebore leadership contest, which is about as irrelevant as the weather in Outer Mongolia.

Diane Abbott came bottom of the list, who would have thought that liebore contained so many racists ?

Ed Milliband certainly faces an uphill task to become the next prime minister.

The austerity package is needed, and Ed Milliband will need to set out what alternative (fairer) cuts he would make. Simply opposing every cut for idealogical reasons will see him lose the next election.

He'll also have to control the unions, the same people who helped him win this contest.

If the "summer of discontent" the unions are calling for materialises, Ed is in a no-win position. Support the unions, and he'll lose most of the voters who don't vote along party lines. The very voters he needs to win over.

Failiure to support the unions will see a backlash from labour supporters.

I was personally hoping for a strong labour with David Milliband as party leader.

Lou: The Baroness was on about the oh so predictable....how Labour was back to being controlled by the unions and of course.....the last 13 years, it was quite derogatory, to be expected really.

We know have a Leader who can draw a line under New Labour and move on. This is a crucial point that we need to stress to those disaffected voters we lost since 2001.
Ed can bring us together as a party, and has the intellectual wherewithal to think outside the box. Congratulations to all the candidates, who ran a fine campaign.
http://clemthegem.wordpress.com/

That's a very impressive site Clem the Gem, it's very well laid out.

Is that rose-tinted glasses you're wearing? Why do Labour love opposition so much

Its because their thick.

Always remember, this is the party that voted for Michael Foot and Welsh windbag Neil Kinnock as leaders. They have a death wish.

No, Noodles, dear, its ' youre ' !!

Annie Ray, I accept your point of view with much shoe gazing and added flagellation. I'm a community worker in N Ireland, a child of the 80's and knee deep in reality. But I can be a stickler for spelling.

The plan is that Ed and the unions are going to rough the coalition up, and when the next election comes, The Tories will offload the Lib Dems and then form a minority government which won't last a full term because of the chaos which would be on the streets. By then David Miliband would be the Labour leader, calm and collected, he will play the peacemaker and win the election for labour probably in 2015/6.

Which if my rough calculations are coorect that's just over 54% of votes cast went Ed's way.

It's clear from looking, say, at the comments on the Daily Mail site that many people are parroting the 'Ed Miliband won it with the votes of trade unionists' line.

However, in a week most people will have largely forgotten the niceties of the electoral college.

In a month, they will have much bigger worries, such as just how many people are their local police force going to make redundant.