Ed’s inbox – June 27th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

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

By all means bring back David…to a new shadow cabinet, which understands why New Labour lost – Left Futures
By Jon Lansman

Rumours of a possible return to the front bench by David Milliband abound. That, some pundits say, is the reason for abolishing shadow cabinet elections. As we argued last week, we favour democracy but the 300,000 plus people that put Ed into his job carry more weight with us than the 258 people who isolated him in his shadow cabinet. But we’re intensely relaxed about the presence of David Miliband in the shadow cabinet, we believe in an inclusive leadership, provided that it’s in a shadow cabinet committed to change – the basis on which Ed was elected. – Read more.

New Labour is right for Labour – Progress
By Robert Philpot

Barely two years into his leadership, Tony Blair had succeeded where Hugh Gaitskell had failed, and Neil Kinnock had feared to tread, by ditching the party’s arcane Clause IV commitment to secure for the workers ‘the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange’.

Blair’s decision in his first conference as leader to call for the party to adopt a new statement of its aims and values marked the moment when New Labour went from marketing concept to political project. His central insight – that the old Clause IV epitomised the party’s longstanding confusion of means and ends and that Labour needed to disentangle the two – was the basis upon which the intellectual and political renewal of the party was conducted. – Read more.

Ed Miliband should get rid of Labour’s Clause I – Liberal Conspiracy
By Paul Cotterill

I am quite taken with Sunny’s recent notion that Ed Miliband need more ‘stunts’ to raise his profile:

“Ed Milband says he hates stunts – he’s just not that kind. I agree. But the pendulum has swung too far the other way – he needs to avoid looking too invisible. And a flurry of speeches alone won’t do the job – he needs symbolism.”

Miliband seems to be trying precisely that with his Shadow Cabinet election-removal controversy thing, but that just makes him seem inward-looking; no-one beyond the Westminster Village really cares. So here’s something else to rival Blair’s Clause IV moment. It’s Miliband’s Clause I moment. – Read more.

You can’t cherry pick solidarity – Labour Uncut
By John Woodcock

All of us need to address how we change to meet Ed Miliband’s critically important challenge to reach out rather than look inwards.

His call to action is rightly pitched to all parts of our diverse Labour and Co-operative movement – constituency activists, MPs, frontbenchers, members of affiliated groups and trade unionists alike. As we seek to do more to talk to the public rather than just talk amongst ourselves, we need to remember that most of us need to combine more than one of those roles simultaneously; we know we cannot be at our best as Labour MPs serving the public unless we remain committed local campaigners and trade union members. – Read more.

Defeated council leader so bitter he wouldn’t let successor use “his desk” – Political Scrapbook
By Political Scrapbook

A defeated council leader was apparently so bitter at losing the election that he tried to prevent his successor using his desk, Scrapbook has learned. The former leader of Hyndburn Borough Council, Peter Britcliffe, attempted to instruct bemused staff that a taxpayer-funded bureau was “his desk” and that it should be put in storage “for when he returns”. – Read more.