The commentators 23-09-14...on the Labour conferenceEd Miliband has the courage and integrity to avoid the sort of superficial photocalls Cameron took part in as opposition leader - the huskies and the hoodies. But in our presidential culture the Labour leader cannot return from this conference and await the next set-piece. Most of the time voters are not listening. Messages have to be relayed constantly or else the electorate will conclude they are all the bloody same.
- Steve Richards, Independent Labour’s task, and Ed Miliband’s tomorrow, is to connect together an increasingly fragmented society. That means binding the 64% of homeowners with the rest who may never be, and connecting the neglected young with protected pensioners. Women and men are voting more differently – a 22% gap in Scotland. Regional resentments are growing – but that’s only a proxy distraction from the real divisions of class and income. Miliband’s speech will try to bind all these diverse interests together.
- Polly Toynbee, The Guardian Miliband is being told he must answer the “English question”. That is true but the issue he must address has nothing to do with the West Lothian conundrum and will not be resolved through a constitutional convention.
The real “English question” that the Labour leader must answer this week is — can he win in England? This is not just a matter of political credibility for a party that brands itself as representing One Nation, it is also one of survival. - Rachel Sylvester, The Times The coalition's successful stewardship of the economy has exposed Labour's lack of credibility. Miliband and his crew remain wedded to the high spending, high taxing, big government agenda that has always failed. Analysis by think tank The Centre For Policy Studies shows that Labour could cost the UK 300,000 jobs and £25 billion in GDP through its planned tax grabs.
- Leo McKinstrey, Daily Express In the past four months, Labour has tried to make amends, softening the rhetoric and compiling a suite of pro business policies. Its leadership has learnt from the result of the Scottish referendum that voters listen when business speaks up. But there are three obstacles preventing the party from regaining the full trust of business. Labour is still ahead in the polls, and may yet form the next government. To win the election and govern well it needs less posturing and more policies that stand up to proper scrutiny.
- Leading article, Financial Times Apart from the twelve referendum splashes of the past two days, the subject has made a front-page lead on only five occasions this year:Yes, it's been busy with Iraq, Gaza, Ukraine, the rise of Ukip, sex scandals, the hacking trial, Mr Cameron's holidays, floods and heatwaves. But one would still expect the potential break-up of the UK - or the liberation of Scotland, depending on your point of view - to be able to put up a better fight against the 30 house price splashes, the 25 on migrants and the 26 on Madeleine McCann. I stopped counting when I got to 60 soap opera and "reality TV" offerings.
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