Skinner *hearts* Miliband

Odious leftie fire-brand Dennis Skinner has decided to back centrist Blairite weasel David Miliband in "race" for Labour leader. His reasoning, if you can call is that, is as follows:

“The big question is who are the Tories afraid of? Who is the best candidate to stand up against Cameron at the dispatch box? Who has the best chance to beat Cameron in an election?”

“For me the best choice is David Miliband and that is why I will be supporting him as next Labour leader.”

Three things arise from this for me. Firstly, Labour is not focussed on reforming itself or working out why it lost last time. It has only one thing on its mind - future victory. And Miliband Major is the sort of candidate who reminds them of the halycon days electoral success under Blair. Of course, this logic is more than just flawed; it is downright stupid, since at the last election the voters not just rejected Brown, but also Blair and Nu Labour. By harking back to Blair, they are harking back to what has been (finally) rejected by the voters. They need to find something new, and Miliband - a continuity candidate for Nu Labour if ever there was one - certainly isn't new.

And I'm not sure whether Miliband Major is the one the Tories are afraid of most. I mean, he's always struck me as a total dweeb; the sort of chap Cameron (and possibly even Clegg) could make mincemeat of at the dispatch box. I will say this, though - if the Tories do fear Miliband the most, that doesn't mean that they are actually afraid of him. It could be that they just see him as the most credible opponent Labour have running as leader. Which, given the dearth of talent in the line-up, is a backhanded compliment at best.

Finally, if the likes of Skinner are supporting Miliband, who the hell is going to vote for Diane Abbott?

Skinner backs Miliband Major - further proof that the Labour party has utterly lost its way.