The Fighters and Believers

I don't want to sound too much like Hugh Grant from Love Actually (ok, I do) but I must say from now on the Labour Party is prepared to be a lot stronger.

Here, in case you haven't seen it is our Party Political Broadcast, which has just this second been shown on BBC2 for the first time. Millions (I hope) of people will have now seen a Labour Party fighting for the future of this country.



I have written a lot about this film so all I'll say is this... We are the party of the fighters and believers, so we will go on, to May, fighting and believing in our Party. We'll have the battle scars to prove it, but it'll be worth every one of them.

Against the Odds

It was a well known fact that a lot of people at Labour conference were incredibly moved by the video shown before Gordon's speech. Against the Odds goes through a potted history of the Labour Party, showing exactly why we can and must win.

I thought it might be an idea to ask the Labour Party if they had considered using the film as a Party Political Broadcast...fast forward about a week and we're here: the #againsttheodds campaign has gathered phenomenal momentum, and I have just this moment heard that Eddie Izzard has tweeted his support. I can't quite believe how a small idea, hidden in the deepest of grass roots could get this far, Alastair Campbell has blogged on it, a few hundred have signed our petition and more have joined our Facebook group.

I've written a more detailed piece on Labourlist about why I think this video should be shown across the nation to remind people of what a Labour government can do, and has done.

Funny what can happen when you put your mind to something isn't it?... #GameOn

As the blood boils, I write...

Have found the urge to blog on a few articles I've read recently... the last was yet another Daily Mail attempt to smear Harriet Harman. I go, therefore, from the ridiculous to the sublime. David Aaronovitch writes a superb piece in today's Times on Cameron's call for David Miliband to apologise for suggesting the views of Kaminski, one of the Conservatives' allies in their hideous EU grouping, were disgraceful.
They are disgraceful (see linked article). Miliband was right. He was right to say that they were repugnant views and he was right to call the Conservative leader on his alliance with such a man. I am sure there are many who find the views of Kaminski disgusting.

Though, I have to say I find David Cameron's request for an apology from Miliband chilling.

As Aaronovitch points out:

I find myself amazed by how Mr Cameron ever came to be in the position of demanding that a foreign secretary, descended from Polish Jews, should apologise for possibly offending the sensibilities of a foreign politician who vehemently opposed there being an apology for the massacre of Polish Jews. I think of all the things that Mr Cameron has got right in his leadership of the Conservatve Party and my mental jaw drops at the sheer wrongness of it.

This goes above the usual party political banter that I, and other activists indulge in frequently. This is not about Tory toffs or "Mr 10%", it goes further and I fear deeper. It is about David Cameron and the Conservative leadership showing themselves up for what they really are. Surrendering a place in the centre-right EPP grouping to join a fringe grouping of far right nationalists in order to placate the Euro-sceptic section of their party, and perhaps to secure UKIP/Tory floating voters. Many might say this was tactically quite clever.
But the move comes at a high price, one of political respectablity. And Cameron's call for Miliband to apologise should also prove costly. Aaronovitch suggests the Conservative leader should go to the theatre, I would suggest the drawing board, where first on the agenda should perhaps be an apology, of a different kind.