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Miliband to make major speech on Scottish independence

January 30, 2012 8:16 am

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In a speech in Glasgow this morning, Ed Miliband is expected to speak of his “humility” about the scale of Labour’s challenge in Scotland. Miliband will argue that the goals of fairness and justice are best delivered within the United Kingdom:

”I say lets confront the real divide in our society.

“Not between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

“But between the haves and the have-nots.

“So I am not here to tell Scots that Scotland cannot survive outside the United Kingdom.

“But I am here to tell you that we need to make Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, a fairer, more just, place to live.

“And we can do this best together.”

  • Anonymous

    You have a long way to go mate in making me believe you give a toss about Scotland just the votes you will lose if they leave. You do not seem to cleaver these day at making people believe you care about anyone else except your beloved middle class.

    I suspect you will again be talking to the swing voters who swung to the SNP  who are more socialist then you lot have ever been.

    Good luck I suspect you will be taking activist with you to get the halls  full as Brown use to do.

    • http://twitter.com/matt_j_little Matthew Little

      Interesting, you seem to think Labour lost in May because we weren’t “socialist” enough. A quick look at the seats we held ( Coatbridge & Chryston, East Lothian, Motherwell & Wishaw etc) would suggest otherwise as these are all heavily left leaning areas. Surely if we were too right wing we should have lost these seats?

      Genuine question though do you think SNP MSP Fergus Ewing is a socialist?

      • Anonymous

        And yet your out of power, and if you do not need Scotland then why bother, but of course lets see how many of those seats you hold at the next election.

        Free prescriptions, free bus and train travel for the elderly the sick the disabled, and of course free Tuition fees, the question should be what the hell makes labour socialist.

        A middle class bunch of of people who see the Middle class as being the most important with a few tip bits to the poorest. Of course the SNP are more socialist this Newer labour.

         

        • http://twitter.com/matt_j_little Matthew Little

          What a bizarre rant… You are aware that free tuition fees in Scotland has lead to worse access to higher education for those from deprived backgrounds?

          • Hamish

            Er, no.  How does that come about Matthew?
            Let’s face it, Ed’s claim that the best hope for social justice lies in the continuation of the UK just doesn’t wash.
            As Treborc points out, in four years from 2007, the minority SNP government achieved more in this respect than the Labour UK Government did in 13 years of majority power.
            Ed will not garner many No votes by suggesting that Scottish provision will be levelled down to the UK level.

    • John Ruddy

      You obviously havnt looked at the figures, which showed that Labour won a majority of the seats in England in 1997, 2001 and 2005.

      In fact, only 1 election since WW2 would have had a different outcome if the MPs from Scotland were taken out of the equation.

      • Anonymous

        lets see why is that, Blair was Thatcherite labour was closer to the Tories then socialism

  • Chrissie Walton

    Watched live, very impressed with Ed. He is very much in touch with grassroots and public opinion. Only worry is right wing media will not give him a fair chance to get his message across to everyone in UK. Bet TV broadcasters will edit speech for news items later in day to suit their own agenda.

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