Ed’s inbox – July 5th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Why have none of the tabloids led on Milly phone hack scandal? – Left Foot Forward
By Shamik Das

Grubby newspaper investigators, clearly acting under orders of those above, hack into the voicemail of a missing schoolgirl – interfering in a criminal investigation – delete some messages, so they can listen to more, give the family of the missing schoolgirl false hope, then interview the parents of the schoolgirl, all so they can sell a few more copies of their rag.

A scandal, right? Worthy of coverage? Maybe even the chance for the paper’s stable mate and some of the other cheapsheets to say ‘sorry’ and take a long, hard, look at themselves? – Read more.

Yes, we do need a ‘new patriotism’ – Liberal Conspiracy
By Sunny Hundal

Last week Labour MP Jon Cruddas and academic Jonathan Rutherford wrote an article for the Guardian titled ‘Labour must fashion a new patriotism’. They said:

“We are an immigrant nation. There is no going back and we must find ways of living together and creating a new vision of England. We demand that migrants must be like us. But who actually are we? They must share our British values. But what are they? Newcomers must answer correctly the citizens test. But could we?”

I think this is spot on. – Read more.

Can Brooks really hang on? – The Staggers
By George Eaton

Despite clear evidence that Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked during Rebekah Brooks’s tenure as News of the World editor, Brooks is sticking to the line that she knew nothing. Former NoW reporter Paul McMullan had previously admitted to Hugh Grant in April that the phones of Dowler’s “friends and family” had been hacked.

Here’s the key extract from Grant’s NS investigation: – Read more.

The real test of Ed’s commitment to democracy is on reform of the wider party – Left Futures
By Jon Lansman

Labour MPs have voted today to back Ed Miliband in abolishing shadow cabinet elections, with 196 (76%, or 83% of those voting) in favour, 41 against and 20 not voting. Last September the same PLP had rejected the same proposal and, instead, voted to elect the Chief Whip for the first time (although in the end Ed Miliband ensured that his favoured candidate was elected unopposed).

Interestingly, the proposal will go to the Party Conference as part of the Refounding Labour process, led by Peter Hain. – Read more.

The big monkey and the emperor’s new rainbow – Labour Uncut
By Dan Hodges

Enough now. We’ve had our fun.

Blue Labour. Purple Labour. Green Labour. A veritable kaleidoscope of renewal.

Each, in their own superficial way, has been easy on the eye. The force of nature that is Maurice Glasman, the Labour party’s very own Norman Mailer. The defiant defence of the Blairite bunker, and the refusal of the last tiny band of hard core New Labourites to march quietly into the night. The Compass-ite left’s touching unwillingness to relinquish their dream of a progressive realignment, even as Nick Clegg smashes it to pieces in front of them. – Read more.

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