Ed’s inbox – March 14th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

If Ed Miliband could only read five blogposts each day, he’d read these ones…

The demise of Compass and the need for internal debate – Sarah Hayward’s blog
By Sarah Hayward

The demise of Compass has been like watching death by a thousand cuts. First there were the membership resignations when they recommended voting Lib Dem in some areas before the last election. Then the decision to open up their membership to non-Labour party members followed by the resignation of most of their youth organising committee last weekend.

I tried (in vain) to remove myself from email lists and facebook groups etc when they started flirting with the Lib Dems before the election. But their slow implosion is still depressing to me. – Read more.

Time limiting ESA will cost WORKING families £4,661 a year – Diary of a Benefit Scrounger
By Sue Marsh

Today, I’m launching my new campaign.

During the CSR, George Osborne announced that he would be time-limiting ESA (Employment Support Allowance, previously Incapacity Benefit) to one year. This means, that anyone with a working partner found capable of doing any kind of work at all will only receive state support for one year. Once that year is up they will receive no help at all, a loss of £4661. This is three times as much as higher rate taxpayers will lose in child benefit. – Read more.

Lib Dems face Scottish poll meltdown – Left Foot Forward
By Ed Jacobs

Speaking to his party’s spring conference in Glasgow this weekend, Alex Salmond said:

“With the people’s support I intend to continue to be Scotland’s First Minister.”

Call it bad timing, but his words coincided with new polling in the Scottish Mail on Sunday which suggest Labour remains on course to be by far the single largest party at Holyrood after May’s elections – with the Lib Dems facing meltdown north of the border.. – Read more.

Arrogant stupidity is the best kind – Michael Tomasky
By Michael Tomasky

I’m sure you read about presidential candidate (all but declared) Michele Bachmann’s recent New Hampshire speech:

A blunder of historical fact – not proportions – tainted Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann’s first visit to New Hampshire this weekend. Speaking to students and conservative activists in Manchester, the Tea Party activist encouraged the Granite state to be proud of its role in the Revolutionary War.

“You’re the state where the shot was heard ’round the world at Lexington and Concord,” Bachmann said at an event organized by the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

The Lexington and Concord in question are in Massachusetts. Marxist Kenyan empath though I may be, I’ve actually been there to pay homage, right at the very bridge. – Read more.

A fairer deal for women – Progress
By Kate Green MP

It always pleases me that International Women’s Day coincides with Fair Trade fortnight. The timing’s great, and the connection obvious. Though forming slightly more than half the world’s population, women continue to control only a small fraction of its assets.

Just 10 per cent of the world’s income goes to women. Global fair trade is part of the solution to that.

It’s widely acknowledged that improving women’s economic prospects supports economic development more generally, and especially the wellbeing of children. Fair trade arrangements that support women’s work, enabling them to secure a degree of economic independence, have an important role to play in the developing economies. – Read more.

Our suggestions for Ed’s inbox are limited by what we read – so if you’ve seen a blogpost that should be in Ed’s inbox, let us know.