"It's toniiiigggghhhttttt!!!"
This whisper (we were in the school library) starts to reflect the amount of excitement felt by four Nonsuch HP students, two year 12s and two year 13s, three card carrying Labour Party members and one who we're yet to convince, on the day that we went to seeDavid Miliband the very first Labour Leadership debate hosted by New Statesman on Wednesday 9th June 2010.
In the spirit of Nonsuch HP's new internet safeguarding policy, we have been kindly asked to keep our identities protected, and from here on in we shall be known as only HC, CS, AT1 and AT2. Sadly, the price of ensuring our internet safety has been that the photographic evidence of the pièce de résistance of our evening cannot be posted here. We're sure you can already guess who was in that photo. *
As the very first guest editors of Nonsuch HP (much like guests to BBC radio programs) we can, and will, throw most of our impartiality out of the window. So, this is the story of four 'anonymous' Milibandites who went to the first Labour Leadership debate. Enjoy, but be warned: it's long.
With the general election now well and truly over, and a coalition government formed, it seems about time the opposition (and as pointed out by one candidate, the ONLY opposition party) to sort itself out. Since Gordon Brown’s resignation, five candidates have now fully emerged as potential leaders of the Labour Party and possibly, the next Prime Minister.
The candidates for the first contested leadership election since 1994 are shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, shadow (and unexpectedly tall) Foreign Secretary David Miliband, left-wing backbencher and frequent rebel Diane Abbott, shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, the shadow Education Secretary. All had to receive thirty-three nominations to be included on the ballot, with Diane Abbott reaching the required number just minutes before the 12:30 deadline on the 9th, having to rely upon David Miliband keeping his promise to lend his nomination and those of some of his supporters to any candidate struggling to reach the threshold. So late was Diane's entry onto the ballot that New Statesman only just managed to rustle up an extra podium in time!
The debate was lively and informative with questions ranging from the renewal of Trident, to Israel, to the Miliband brothers’ sibling rivalry. Without a doubt, the biggest surprise of the night was Diane Abbott who gained by far the biggest applauses with a series of fantastic answers, most notably on immigration and Trident. While her excellent oratorical skills undoubtedly contributed to her success, there has since been talk of whether this could be a repeat of the 'Clegg effect', with all the hype failing to translate into actual support and votes. Ed Balls and Andy Burnham both had a lot of sensible points, with Burnham immediately setting himself apart from David Cameron and Nick Clegg: something which the two Eds and the two Milibands (it's like a Venn diagram) will find more difficult.
Once again, Miliband Jr. (or Miniband, as we like to call him) was asked why he was standing against his older brother. It was unsurprising therefore that Ed was, at times, aggressive in his desire to distance himself from David. They may have been too 'weedy' to fight as children (so said Ed, David smirked - perhaps in disagreement), but they clashed spectacularly on a few issues, on Iraq and especially on the content of Labour's 2010 manifesto. David stood by it, saying that he's not the kind of person to "stand on a manifesto in May and then say I'm going to tippex out parts of it in June." His brother, who wrote it, was much more condemning.
The four of us were unanimous in the opinion that David was consistently good, giving very strong answers to questions about the economy and foreign affairs. We may well be biased, but of all the candidates, David came across as the most credible leader, opponent to David Cameron and Prime Minister, although Ed, and on occasion Diane, gave him a run for his money. If there was any personal friction between the Milibros, they've never shown it. They hugged/high fived after the debate, making Other Ed jealous.
As for our favourite bits of the evening: we'll leave you to guess whose list is whose.
This whisper (we were in the school library) starts to reflect the amount of excitement felt by four Nonsuch HP students, two year 12s and two year 13s, three card carrying Labour Party members and one who we're yet to convince, on the day that we went to see
In the spirit of Nonsuch HP's new internet safeguarding policy, we have been kindly asked to keep our identities protected, and from here on in we shall be known as only HC, CS, AT1 and AT2. Sadly, the price of ensuring our internet safety has been that the photographic evidence of the pièce de résistance of our evening cannot be posted here. We're sure you can already guess who was in that photo. *
As the very first guest editors of Nonsuch HP (much like guests to BBC radio programs) we can, and will, throw most of our impartiality out of the window. So, this is the story of four 'anonymous' Milibandites who went to the first Labour Leadership debate. Enjoy, but be warned: it's long.
With the general election now well and truly over, and a coalition government formed, it seems about time the opposition (and as pointed out by one candidate, the ONLY opposition party) to sort itself out. Since Gordon Brown’s resignation, five candidates have now fully emerged as potential leaders of the Labour Party and possibly, the next Prime Minister.
The candidates for the first contested leadership election since 1994 are shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, shadow (and unexpectedly tall) Foreign Secretary David Miliband, left-wing backbencher and frequent rebel Diane Abbott, shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, the shadow Education Secretary. All had to receive thirty-three nominations to be included on the ballot, with Diane Abbott reaching the required number just minutes before the 12:30 deadline on the 9th, having to rely upon David Miliband keeping his promise to lend his nomination and those of some of his supporters to any candidate struggling to reach the threshold. So late was Diane's entry onto the ballot that New Statesman only just managed to rustle up an extra podium in time!
The debate was lively and informative with questions ranging from the renewal of Trident, to Israel, to the Miliband brothers’ sibling rivalry. Without a doubt, the biggest surprise of the night was Diane Abbott who gained by far the biggest applauses with a series of fantastic answers, most notably on immigration and Trident. While her excellent oratorical skills undoubtedly contributed to her success, there has since been talk of whether this could be a repeat of the 'Clegg effect', with all the hype failing to translate into actual support and votes. Ed Balls and Andy Burnham both had a lot of sensible points, with Burnham immediately setting himself apart from David Cameron and Nick Clegg: something which the two Eds and the two Milibands (it's like a Venn diagram) will find more difficult.
Once again, Miliband Jr. (or Miniband, as we like to call him) was asked why he was standing against his older brother. It was unsurprising therefore that Ed was, at times, aggressive in his desire to distance himself from David. They may have been too 'weedy' to fight as children (so said Ed, David smirked - perhaps in disagreement), but they clashed spectacularly on a few issues, on Iraq and especially on the content of Labour's 2010 manifesto. David stood by it, saying that he's not the kind of person to "stand on a manifesto in May and then say I'm going to tippex out parts of it in June." His brother, who wrote it, was much more condemning.
The four of us were unanimous in the opinion that David was consistently good, giving very strong answers to questions about the economy and foreign affairs. We may well be biased, but of all the candidates, David came across as the most credible leader, opponent to David Cameron and Prime Minister, although Ed, and on occasion Diane, gave him a run for his money. If there was any personal friction between the Milibros, they've never shown it. They hugged/high fived after the debate, making Other Ed jealous.
As for our favourite bits of the evening: we'll leave you to guess whose list is whose.
Person #1
| Person #2
Worst bit: Diane Abbott's general performance being better than expected. Her answer on immigration was worryingly fantastic. |
Person #3
Worst bit: Probably being the only non-Labour member in the room, perhaps except for Nick Robinson. | Person #4
|
By AT1 and CS
hahahahahaha "we went to see david miliband"
ReplyDeleteI miss Gordon :(
ReplyDelete'Ed balls trying to get everyone to hug him despite his hideous toadlike appearance'
ReplyDeleteLOL.