Ed’s inbox – May 19th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

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

The case for Gordon Brown at the IMF – Left Foot Forward
By Natan Doron

Dominique Strauss-Kahn stepped down today from his position as head of the IMF to focus on clearing his name after being charged with sexual offences in a US Court. The Telegraph have already put the boot into any suggestion that Gordon Brown should be the man to replace him.

Jeremy Warner, the economics editor of the Telegraph, led calls last night to oppose Brown’s candidacy. Warner previously admitted to having not read Gordon Brown’s book about the future of global macroeconomic policy, published at the tail end of last year. This is not a crime in itself but undermines his ability to contribute to the debate about the future of global markets. This is Warner’s main argument against Brown:

“A man who has spent his life pursuing “big government” is scarcely likely to rub along well with an administration committed to cutting the state back.” – Read more.

Strauss-Kahn resigns – but who will replace him? – The Staggers
By Duncan Robinson and Harry Key

The New Statesman runs through a list of the IMF chief’s potential successors.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has succumbed to the inevitable and resigned. Here is his letter to the IMF:

“It is with infinite sadness that I feel compelled today to present to the Executive Board my resignation from my post of Managing Director of the IMF.

I think at this time first of my wife – whom I love more than anything – of my children, of my family, of my friends.

I think also of my colleagues at the Fund; together we have accomplished such great things over the last three years and more.

To all, I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me.

I want to protect this institution which I have served with honour and devotion, and especially – especially – I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence.”

The extremely serious allegations against him made the decision a foregone conclusion. Now, the race to succeed him begins. – Read more.

Different types of rape – Sarah Hayward’s Blog
By Sarah Hayward

The last 24 hours have prompted me to reflect the on the number of people I know who’ve been subjected to rape or attempted rape. Starting to tot it up, the number is truly astonishing. I never have, but thinking about it, it seems it’s probably there but for the grace of god.

My own experience is limited to a couple of people trying to pressure me in to sex after a night out in a rather lame “go on, go on, go on, ya will, ya will, ya will” kind of way. I know many of my female friends recognise this experience only too well. After a clear categoric “No”, and the inevitable “yes” to the question “Oh, you actually meant coffee?” they do give up. But nonetheless some men are seemingly completely comfortable applying pressure in the first place – however lamely they apply it. – Read more.

Ed M gets praise for being tough on crime, but its also a trap – Liberal Conspiracy
By Sunny Hundal

The Ken Clarke car-crash has created some bizarre (no doubt temporary) alliances.

Feminists called for Ken Clarke to go, along with Ed Miliband. Today, they are joined by the Sun newspaper, which praised Ed Miliband in its leading comment.

WELL done, Ed Miliband. Did The Sun really say that? Yes, we did.

The Labour leader is quite right to demand that David Cameron sack Ken Clarke for his outrageous, offensive and prehistoric views on rape.

The Sun also featured a sex attack victim on its front page, who demanded Clarke’s sacking. Gabrielle Brown added: “He is endangering women.” – Read more.

Free hit but no home run for Labour on justice – ippr
By Nick Pearce

As befits a liberal newspaper, the editorial in today’s Guardian defends Ken Clarke – not on everything he said yesterday, nor the way in which he said it, but on the general principles of his penal liberalism and the importance of his personal convictions and political style to the fortunes of the Conservative Party. On many of the substantive points, the Guardian is right. But it is wrong to argue that liberal criminal justice policy is best served by keeping Ken Clarke in his job. It is not: to save Clarke’s reforms, David Cameron should reshuffle him.

The drive to cut prison places and reform sentencing policy is the result of the government’s fiscal policy, as a number of commentators have pointed out. Whoever won power last May would have had to cut the prison estate, offender management staff and policing budgets. The pace and depth of those cuts is the result of the government’s chosen deficit reduction path, but anybody in Ken Clarke’s post today would be presiding over cuts that can only come from the big cost lines in the Ministry of Justice budget, like the prison estate. – 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.