Should Ed M have read his speech?

he forgot the bit of his speech about the deficit

Do any of them know how to deal with it? Britain doesn't seem to be able to compete well with the rest of the world (including Europe) so where is the money to come from? I can't help wondering the smoking ban has helped to cause some of this debt. I can't remember exact dates (no reason to commit them to memory at the time) but it was around 15 years or so ago, I remember reading the figures of around £13bn raised in tobacco revenue: £5bn spent on smoking related illnesses leaving an £8bn surplus - that amount of money gone is bound to hit hard and be difficult to make up.

Its all about telling people what they want to hear but will it bear close scrutiny?

I'm inclined to agree and I think the fact that they rarely live up to their manifesto promises shows that it either hasn't been thought through enough or the manifesto promises were nothing but soundbytes to gain votes; either way, it's not good for the population.

POGS No, I don't think he forgot. I don't think anything has changed, just spend, spend, spend until the economy is in such bad shape that someone else has to deal with it.

Just how many £2 million pound houses are there which are not owned by companies and therefore not able to be 'Mansion Taxed'? The ones that are will soon be changed if Labour wins the next election as people who can afford such houses can afford good advice. Its all about telling people what they want to hear but will it bear close scrutiny?

Interesting to see what the others come up with at their conferences.

Yes, I agree rosequartz - I was just questioning whether the article was implying that his Grammar School education was 'elite'.

That post was in answer to Ana!

Yes, he did go to Oxford which could be argued is an elite education, but did so under his own steam, winning an exhibition and getting a grant.
Very clever man. In fact, formidably intelligent.

Did he forget?

Having watched the Labour Conference and the interviews carried out with the media it has to be said that the 'points left out' were the ones his representatives such as Balls , Rachel Reeves, Chuka Umuna struggled to answer when pushed whilst being interviewed one to one.

His style is now waring thin and the use of I met Jim on a train and Jim told me, or I met Gill in a cafe and Gill told me is now so expected it's not if he uses that comment but how many times he will use it in one sitting.

Grew up on the Grauniad, dj. Sharpened my teeth on it. I always call it that.

I agree, roseq. I think it's just lazy journalism (again!) that calls anything that isn't themodern state comprehensive school elitist.

That said, some elitism in human society is inevitable and actually useful, I think. If people were not rewarded (recognised, etc) for being better at something than others, how would we develop standards of excellence? How would we recognise low standards in anything from the three Rs to architecture, literature, music, painting, etc?

Surely the reason that Wilson does not get mentioned any more is that our generation is the only one that remembers him.
Do you not know how to spell Guardian, bags? That joke is as old as Harold Wilson.

Yes, Harold Wilson did have a Grammar School education, but the article was probably referring to his subsequent education at Jesus College, Oxford, where by all accounts he did remarkably well.

Another clunking performance by Ed M. A bad mistake I think.He must be kicking himself right now.The economy and immigration are the 2 most important things for the electorate, and he left them out of his speech. Very poor.

The article in thatbags's post mentions Harold Wilson's 'elite education'.

I understood that Harold Wilson was an 11+ grammar school boy, who despite some adversity in his young life, won a place at Oxford.

It is a shame that grammar schools are now considered to be 'elite'; they were the stepping stone to a life of achievement to many like Wilson. Another ladder that was pulled away from children whose parents may be poor or of average income.

What Ed Miliband could learn from Harold Wilson by Steven Fielding in the Grauniad.

I didn't hear Ed Milliband trying to excuse himself for forgetting Gordon Brown in his speech. I think, tho, that rather than waffle he should just have said "I am very sorry, it went right out of my mind. Of course I am very grateful to Gordon Brown."

Well he said he forgot the bit of his speech about the deficit and he must have forgotten it again in his party political broadcast. Seems like he doesn't think it us important.

David Blunkett was commenting on that on the radio. Like all the cabinet level staff he was offered Auto Cue training. He probably had to memorise most of his speeches.

He was also a bit disingenuous over his pledge to raise the minimum wage to £8 by 2020; the economists they had on the news said that if the minimum wage continues to increase at the rate it has been, it will be £8 by 2020 anyway! But will £8 be worth that much in 2020?

He was asked that on the news this morning and he gave such a long-winded response that he didn't really answer it. He basically said that MPs should be able to speak without a script and that although he did have it written down, he always adds some things and leaves out other things. It didn't sound very convincing at all. He also said something about not being much of a speech-maker and being more of a doer (sp?).

I find the trouble with Milliband is that he is so boring to listen to, I end up switching off. The reporters who appeared as guests on the news said they were thankful his speech was short as it was the most uninspiring speech they'd heard for a long time; doesn't sound good for him does it.