Labourhome having a Sunday morning lie in
It’s 10.30am on a Sunday morning. It’s been another terrible day for Labour with newspaper headlines naming David Miliband as Prezza’s heir apparent (their best idea for a long time). The “media assissantion” has not abated.
This has all been highlighted on ConservativeHome , where Tim is assiduously checking out other sites for any news to report for Tory supporters.
But over at Labourhome, all is quiet, there are no new posts on their blog; maybe they are sleeping off their heavy weekend. It is obvious that they have not taken in a word of what a very anxious Hazel Blears said this week. For those who need reminding, she said: “We have to fight back”. So why aren’t Labour bloggers doing that? Why aren’t they reacting to today’s news on the new Labourhome site, and it is essential to do so early in the day as news constantly changes. Miliband could be appointed by the end of the day and Labourhome will just be waking up. Labourhome is meant to be the voice of Labour supporters, but they haven’t even had a whisper from you this morning.
If you need reminding about the power of political bloggers, and how Iain and Guido set the agenda this week, then this report in today’s Observer will bring you up to speed.
Wakey, wakey …….
(p.s. it’s now 10.53 and there is still no news on Labourhome)
Update: 3.23pm: It seems I have inspired Dizzy to write about the same issue from his holiday home in Spain. Will Labourhome get the hint?
Much like surly teenagers they don’t want to get out of bed because ‘everybody hates them’……
They really do need a wake up call. I think that Miliband will inspire them much more as Blair is past his sell by date.
Despite Miliband’s rather feeble blog, he is clearly not be underestimated.
Croydonian, It’s like Labourhome is turning a blind eye to what the papers are saying today, burying their head in the sand. Their naive post at 11.24 asks why all the negativity?
http://dancrawford.labourhome.org/story/2006/7/9/112411/1027
Why aren’t they discussing their future, the role that Miliband could play, perhaps their best chance to turn Labour round?
What about today’s polls which you mentioned? http://croydonian.blogspot.com/2006/07/opinion-polls-etc-political-betting.html
so I’m still in Spain, but you inspired me to post Ellee!
Dizzy, all your comments are spot on, if we are thinking it, why isn’t Labour, it’s so obvious.
I hope you are drinking lots of water and applying SF30 regularly in your Spanish holiday home.
Agreed Ellee, as I just edited into my post, it’s all comes down to the editor editing the site properly. It’s in Alex Hilton’s hands. He’s still heavily running Recess Monkey as well which may be the reason.
Factor 50 actually, I have hair a little like Croydonian!
Dizzy – you are a braver man than I am: first sign of direct sunlight and I’m scurrying towards the shade (ish….).
Ellee, You’re welcome to post a piece on Labourhome. I’d be interested to see how it is received.
Alex,
Thanks, I have taken you up on your offer. I placed a comment regarding your post on the Peterborough seat which Labour is seeking candidates for. I said very much the same as a previous person, asking about Helen Clarke who lost the seat for Labour at the last election. I was there on election night and remember her stating that Conservatives only had the seat on loan, that she would come back and fight for it again. Then a week or so later she asked if she could join Conservatives because she said she had had no support from Labour during the election. I don’t recall seeing her on our A-list, so I assume we haven’t taken her up on her offer. I’ve often wondered what happened to her, do you have any idea?
I hope my comment is welcomed in the same way that yours is, and anyone else from Labour or Lib Dems. I hope you visit again, just as I will be keeping up to date with your news on Labourhome and Recess Monkey.
2 things:
1) I think there are a lot more Conservative bloggers at the moment.
2) Blogging is very different when you are in opposition to when you are in power.
“Blogging is very different when you are in opposition to when you are in power.”
It doesn’t have to be. Praise the things you like about your government or party and rant about the things you don’t. That’s what sets Tory bloggers apart from the rest. We’re not afraid to speak our mind. Even if it means going against the grain.
Daily Pundit, you are spot on. Labour needs its bloggers to be proactive right now, responding to issues of the day as they happen, particularly with the bad press they have been getting.
Has it occured to you that Labour people (on Labourhome and on Bloggers4Labour) didn’t respond to the Milliband story because we knew he wasn’t going to be “appointed before midnight”?
Remember most of the stories written about Labour are written by members of the Tory press, who simply don’t understand Labour.
Example – after the local elections there was a frenzy in the Tory press saying that disgruntled MPs would force out Blair a la Thatcher. Or the way Tories forced out IDS, and stitched things up so that Howard would be crowned without a contest. The only problem with this story – it’s impossible to do this under the Labour constitution, and it’s not part of Labour culture. Voting for the leadership is sacrosanct. (And Labour is a tribe, – our unoffical motto is Labour United Shall Never be Defeated! ;-))
Another example – Alan Johnson was being pumped as a possible leadership candidate afew weeks ago, with no less than Matthew Parris breathlessly writing that he was going to stand for the DPM as an opener to contesting the leadership. But anyone who knows Labour history knows that he who holds the DPM job never gets the leadership. Read Roy Hattersley on the subject. It’s like the US Vice president job – not worth a pitcher of warm p*ss. DPM is there usually to pacify factions, nothing more.
Consequently David Milliband would be completely nuts to accept the DPM job. Especially as he is young and could be one of the contenders when Brown steps down in 10 years time.
My guess is that the press is desperately putting forward these candidates in the hopes of bouncing Labour people into rejecting Brown. Not going to happen I’m afraid. We like old Gordy!
Anyway, I hope this gives you a bit of an insight.
Maybe Labour home should be renamed ‘Nobodyhome.org’?
I don’t really buy this blogging in opposition is just easier explaination for the lack of NuLabour bloggers ( though there is something in it ).
I think NuLabour’s problem is that its not a mass movement, but has highjacked a movement. Hence the captured movement’s members don’t know what to think ( and hence to blog ).
Anon, Your detailed insight is very helpful and much appreciated. My comment about Miliband was tongue in cheek, I was making a point that something urgent could happen and you would miss it.
I believe Mike Ion or Bob Piper wrote an excellent post about Labour blogging a few weeks ago asking why Labour bloggers were not as effective as Tories.
I do feel on big news days, Labour bloggers should be responding at a faster rate than they did yesterday, especially one which looks to ConservativeHome as a role model.