Ed Mili? Shad cab? What is this newspeak?

Seriously though, isn’t this just a little too Leninist for a party seeking to reinvent democracy?

good if SO when Ed lose the next election he won’t be able to blame it on his sahdow cabinet,as he’ll have picked em.

Seriously though, isn’t this just a little too Leninist for a party seeking to reinvent democracy?

This idea that shadow cabinet elections – where people are voted on by other members of the PLP – are some form of democracy, is in itself a joke.

Lose the next election? I do’nt think so, mainly due to the fact that the ineptitude, arrogance and total disregard for the needs of the vast majority, will bring the next election about much sooner than the coalition time table dictates. People are getting more and more angry, tension is rising, polite protest through the proper channels is becoming less appealing. Direct action is now seen by many as the way to tackle the problems created by bad government. Labour will win the vote, because people will see the alternatives and reject them. Five more years of cameronomics?, no chance, they’ve hurt too many, too deeply. Five more years of the coalition, or worse, a tory majority, or even worse, a libdem majority?! The only options left are a Labour majority government, or, quite realistically, total chaos. What actually happens if nobody votes, do we stay as we are, or have a re-run? Is there a fixed plan to deal with a 0% turnout? The way things are going, everyone could just say,”Sod it! What’s the point?” Anarchy in the UK? Great track, lousy prospect.

Sunny – it is a kind of democracy. Not a joke. It could be better – but I assume he’s not proposing that members can vote for the Shadow Cabinet?

Blair’s best Cabinet – by a very long way – was his first: the one that was elected.

There is nothing to stop Ed bringing people into his team between Shadow Cabinet elections (although this flexibility is undermined by this anouncement) – this is merely a case of making our leadership a little less accountable, democratic and representative than it ought to be.

A silly mistake, trumpeted as a worthwhile (or even a “Clause IV”) moment.

As well as being silly – it’s also a dreadful distraction from fighting this dreadful government!

@3 – “This idea that shadow cabinet elections – where people are voted on by other members of the PLP – are some form of democracy, is in itself a joke.”

“Shadow cabinet elections are held every two years and force the party leader to choose from that pool rather than make his own appointments.”

So, just to be clear, you think it would be *more* democratic for (our glorious) leader to make his or her own appointments?

4 ,yeah like the Thathcer governemnt of 1979 -83 they were awful and even with the Falklands or Michael Foot, low and behold the tories were ousted in 1983, oh no wait that never happened

So, just to be clear, you think it would be *more* democratic for (our glorious) leader to make his or her own appointments?

No, I don’t think having the elections nor getting rid of them is more democratic either way. Its a moot debate though.

The principle aim of the opposition when communicating to the electorate should be coherence and focused messaging. Having internal fighting at shadow cabinet level doesn’t help.

Well I know which of those lists of MPs I’d rather be associated with!!

(Incidentally, Sunny, you last comment could have been written by Peter Mandelson!!)

You’d have had to misread – and spectacularly – the sort of politician that Miliband is in order to be surprised at this move. Anyway, Shadow Cabinet elections are one of those things that seem like a good idea in theory, but in practice…

@9 – “I don’t think having the elections nor getting rid of them is more democratic either way.”

Staggering.

This will increase corruption and toadyism, and lessen accountability and transparency – meanwhile power will be vested in the hands of a incompetent halfwit with no ideas. Fabulous.

At least Lenin knew what he wanted to achieve…

@4 blackwillow

I wouldn’t be too sure about that guaranteed win if I were you… particularly not given the subject of the OP, and the fact that Labour think it’s a great idea in current circumstances to have an internal bun fight rather than come up with anything like a coherent alternative to the Coalition.

Even if the Coalition doesn’t limp on to 2015, there is no guarantee Labour are going to win. They still haven’t convinced a large section of the electorate who formerly voted LD and have now decided they won’t do so again.

Your cassandra like predictions of chaos and anarchy come across as more than a tad hysterical. Labour (should) have better things to do than get engulfed in a bout of navel gazing about how the shadow cabinet is chosen…… the fact that it doesn’t says volumes about their priorities and the spectacular lack of nous amongst Ed Miliband’s team.

A distraction from what? The justification is thinner than Bono’s tax return. What does Ed want to accomplish? Does he wish to appoint talented, charismatic, radical thinkers to his Shadow Cabinet or does he just want to fill it with bland, spineless placemen who won’t challenge his authority?

“What does Ed want to accomplish?”

Control. What else would he want to accomplish over his Shadow Cabinet? Besides, a couple of duds end up getting elected every time, and then something has to be found for them to do.

‘Getting rid of the elections, added our source, “will help us talk to the public rather than ourselves”.’

Yeah, screw party democracy – let’s let the leadership make all the (right wing) decisions and get the rank and file to meekly support them.

As a compromise, how about scrapping them by winning an election?

‘Yeah, screw party democracy – let’s let the leadership make all the (right wing) decisions and get the rank and file to meekly support them.’

But ordinary Party members do not have a vote in Shadow Cabinet elections; only members of the (never knowingly radical Left) PLP do.