Ed’s inbox – June 16th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

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

The Tory who wants to ban strikes – Left Futures
By David Osler

Boris Johnson may argue for a minimum turnout threshold on industrial action ballots, Vince Cable might make threatening noises at GMB conference. But throughout my adult lifetime, I cannot remember any public figure openly advocating that strikes should be illegal.

Step forward Dr Andrew Lilico, an economist who – modestly or otherwise – styles himself ‘one of Europe’s top experts on financial regulation’. He has worked extensively for the European Union, Ofgem and Ofcom, and is a member of the Institute of Economic Affair/Sunday Times Shadow Monetary Policy Committee. – Read more.

Obsession with affluence tore the soul out of New Labour – Liberal Conspiracy
By Éoin Clarke

In Doncaster last year, more than 1,000 people were declared bankrupt. In Tony Blair’s backyard (Sedgefield) personal insolvencies grew 500% on his watch. Whilst wages stagnated over the last 5 years, inflation has been volatile. People made up the shortfall by availing themselves of consumer debt. Using ‘credit’, we were told, showed entrepreneurial spirit, since you were aspiring to accumulate wealth.

In fact, it wrecked Britain. If you didn’t have disposable cash you dare not say it, and so in Henley or Buckinghamshire people flaunted real cash, while in impoverished regions of the north of England people borrowed. – Read more.

Has EdM found a winning way for PMQs – politicalbetting.com
By Henry G Manson

This week Ed Miliband caught David Cameron out over the reduction of support for 7,000 cancer patients. His questions and knowledge exploited one of the Prime Minister’s few weak-spots -his haziness over detail and desire to be a caring Conservative. The fact that these figures came from the charity MacMillan was crucial. It meant that it was very difficult for the Government to challenge and discredit the source either during the crossfire of PMQs or the subsequent media briefing.

MacMillan is of course a very popular charity with people taking part in fundraising cuppas up and down the land. They’re trusted and loved. When Cameron replied the issue was a ‘smokescreen’ for Labour splits he crossed a line of political taste which I believe he swiftly regretted. Furthermore it seems that 30 cancer charities feel pretty much the same about the Government’s Welfare Reform Bill which is not easily dismissed. – Read more.

Ed Miliband’s war on waste – The Staggers
By Matthew Sinclair

It feels like the Labour party is doing its best to park its tanks on the TaxPayers’ Alliance lawn today. First Ed Balls calls for a tax cut, albeit a temporary one funded from borrowing. Then the Times reports that Ed Miliband is planning on attacking wasteful public spending. Don’t worry about it, we won’t resist the occupation, everyone is welcome. And like a good host handing around the lemonade, I’d like to offer a little advice on how they might make this agenda effective, and make it fit with their broader aims and objectives.

To make it convincing, they’ll need to surprise people. If examples of waste sound too trivial or convenient then no one will be convinced. Or if calls for tax cuts are just another way of plugging the Keynesian line instead of a way to let taxpayers keep more money in their pockets, then the political results will be meagre. The party will need to surprise people a little to get their attention. – Read more.

Civil justice “reforms” mean corporate wrongdoers will be beyond the law – Left Foot Forward
By Andy Slaughter MP

The Guardian reported today that “class action” lawsuits against multinational companies would not be viable in future because of the government’s misconceived reforms of the civil justice system.

In their zeal to fix the mythical “compensation culture”, something even their own consultation said was more a product of media and political rhetoric than fact, the Tory-led government is going to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people in the world in their fight for justice. – 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.