Ed’s inbox – June 2nd

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Rumour has it Ed Miliband has returned from his honeymoon. That means it’s time for the return of the inbox…

Who should Labour’s next General Secretary be? – Liberal Conspiracy
By Don Paskini

Labour is currently recruiting for a new General Secretary.

This is the person who will be responsible for employing staff; campaign and media strategies; running the Party’s organisational, constitutional and policy committees; organising the Party Conference; ensuring legal and constitutional propriety; preparing literature etc. A tough job, but a crucial one.

So, what are the key qualities which Labour should be looking for?

Firstly, it is impossible to ignore the difficult financial situation that the Party is in. So it would be a massive boost if the new General Secretary were a formidable fundraiser, able to raise money from a wide range of sources, and reducing Labour’s reliance on trade union funding. – Read more.

Rihanna or the Queen: who does the Daily Mail prefer? – The Staggers
By Will Sturgeon

Play the game and find out.

The runaway success of the Daily Mail website – in terms of traffic at least – has intrigued many an onlooker, not least because its approach is dominated by paparazzi photographs of US celebrities, taking it away from the kinds of news and issues the paper has covered for decades.

But has the Mail really changed its coverage that much in search of random web traffic? After all, it is surely no coincidence that its best ever month online was April, coinciding with the royal wedding – and there can surely be few subjects closer to the hearts of conventional Mail readers than the royal family. – Read more.

Top City journalist: Osborne needs to move on from cuts and restore growth – Left Foot Forward
By Shamik Das

Leading City journalist Anthony Hilton has said the government needs to “move on from tough talk about cuts”, and concentrate on restoring economic growth. Writing in tonight’s Standard, he counters the debt hysteria of George Osborne and co, he points out that “every generation of taxpayers has had to pay the bills of its predecessors”, says the chancellor’s rigid stance “could prove counter-productive” and calls for a “Plan B” for the economy. – Read more.

Lansley’s health and social care problems now as much about social care as health – Alastair Campbell
By Alastair Campbell

It is somewhat unfortunate for Andrew Lansley that the legislation on which his reputation and legacy will depend is called the Health and Social Care Bill.

Up till recently, it was the health part of the equation that was causing the Health Secretary difficulty, and which led to the intriguing new constitutional development known as a ‘pause’ in the legislative process.

But now the focus is also on the social care issues. This is thanks in part to BBC Panorama’s genuinely shocking film about abuse in a centre for people with learning difficulties, and also because of the financial problems facing Southern Cross, a private sector company looking after 31,000 vulnerable people, many on behalf of local authorities. – Read more.

My heart bleeds for Olympian Boris minus tickets – THE HONEYBALL BUZZ
By Mary Honeyball

While I hold no candle for Boris Johnson or for those who can gain free entry to sporting events, I do find it faintly bizarre that the Mayor of London failed to secure any tickets to the 2012 Olympic Games from his personal application.

Could this be Bonkers Boris claiming to be one of us, the “people’s” mayor who, despite his position and his wealth, suffers the same strains and stresses as the rest of us? Or is it one of the world’s most shameless posers claiming his life is no different from other Londoner’s? – 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.