I might vote Tory but that doesn't make me a bad person

Yes, I'm shocked by how quickly the knives have come out as well. Diane Abbott has criticised Chukka Umunna and Liz Kendall for criticising Ed's campaign and asked why they didn't speak out when they had a chance to influence its direction. I hate this kind of disloyalty and it puts me off both of them as potential leaders. I'm beginning to find myself moving away from the Labour Party yet again

The winner may well be one who is positive and does not criticise past failures.

No one has evenr asked me which way I voted.
But I have realised something. I do not answer a load of witheld and so forth type calls.
Someone I know, answers all of them. And she and her husband answered phone polls at least 3 times.

Well, everyone has to blame someone else because no one's man (or woman) enough to put their hand up and admit what a cock-up the Election was and the Party is (other than EM who had no other choice)
Lord Sugar said today it'll take 10 years to sort out so I imagine things are considerably worse than what is evident to outsiders. He also said the Party is too far to the left and has lost all sense of direction.
Certainly the back-stabbing going on is highly distasteful but evidences Lord Sugar's comments.

Yet most Labour voters seem to think the solution is to move even further to the left.

Sinking ship comes to mind!

This could be really interesting then, as the Lib Dems are not upcoming as a viable alternative are they!

When a leader loses an election, there is always the issue of whether they should go - getting rid of IDS was a pretty blood on the carpet exercise as I recall. And actually , although she hadn't lost an election, look how ruthlessly MT was got rid of - Geoffrey Howes resignation speech? Well I wouldn't lose too much sleep over what Sugar says and he's certainly no Labour insider. And a week is a long time in politics never mind 10 years . It's far too soon to be making those sorts of predictions. The libdems and labour will be having many many discussions at the moment - it is better done in private. And actually the Conservatives will be as well - they didn't have a runaway victory did they? Backstabbing is sadly a part of political life and it's ridiculous to think it's the province of one psrty over another. Had DC not got a majority this time what on earth do you would have happened to him?

Ana what do you base that comment on? Have I missed a piece of research carried out since Friday .

So Sugar's no Labour insider?
I imagine he has a far better insight than any of us on here!

I hope there will be a winner with integrity rosequartz

Maybe Ed Miliband did feel that he had to take full responsibility for the failure of the campaign, but many in his position would have blamed anyone but themselves. I think it says a lot for Ed's integrity that he didnt do that.

As for Alan Sugar, who cares what he thinks. He's an arrogant so and so who may have made a mint but that doesn't mean he knows anything about politics, or people for that matter. He may think the party has gone too far to the left, there are others who think its gone too far to the right, the party has to work out for itself where the hell it is and what it represents.

Crossed posts GT

That's very true about backstabbing in politics GT. Perhaps I expect too much of the Labour Party, I still want them to be better than the rest

This morning on Radio 4's Thought for Today some bishop pointed out that 70 years ago, after VE Day, in the general election the nation rejected Churchill as PM, in a move many considered disloyal backstabbing.
Strange coincidence of 2 unexpected results.

I thought Alan Sugar was a Labour Lord - or am I getting that wrong?
ie a senior member of the Labour party?

Don't imagine much gets past him.

TriciaF
Not quite a parallel, Ed has not exactly led us through six traumatic years of war as Prime Minister.

Radio 4 is not thinking very clearly!

Definitely Lord Sugar, and a senior member (now ex-) of that Party, so like him/it or not nightowl yes, he does have considerable insight in to the Labour Party.

If you think that Lords of any party are automatically senior members of the party concerned, you know very little about how all that works. For one thing, there are far too many of them. Sugar has never sat on any influential insider policy making Labour committee. There are some truly influential Lords in all parties but Sugar sure as hall ain't one of them. And actually I don't think he has insight into much at all let alone the Labour Party!

That's your opinion but DM was keen to have him!

EM not DM....it's getting late!

"the party has to work out for itself where the hell it is and what it represents."

I agree nightowl.

I get the feeling that Miliband's focus was too much on his union pals and maybe the far left, and as Mandy and Blair noted, he forgot to assure the vast 'middle ground' they'd also be looked after....the majority (maybe) slightly to the left of centre that Thatcher and then Blair helped to create.

Oh, that's not what the meaning of thought for the day this morning was about. It was about giving kindly sympathy to the ones in politics who have fallen so spectactularly from power. Get it right!

It was a compassionate Thought for the Day.

I heard that too on my way to work jingl

Day 6 - I can only sigh - there is so much wrong with your post I dont know where to start so I am just going to make a cup,of tea and prepare for tomorrow.