Well, smart money has lost the indefinite bet. The election of a conservative government, after 13 years of Labour rule, infuriated the radicals: Ed Miliband has just been chosen as the new leader of the indefinite Labour party.
Before diving into the details, I think this is a blessing for David Cameron and his coalition government. The indefinite election of Red Ed simply signals a strong shift to the left. In fact, besides being part of Gordon Brown’s inner circle and the candidate of the unions, he garnered the majority of second-choice votes from Diane Abbott and Ed Balls, making it clear that the party’s most radical wing helped him achieve victory. Fortunately, there is no room for radicals in democratic societies, and thus the Labour Party, by choosing Brown’s successor, Ed, instead of his unfortunate but Blairite brother David, has taken the desert path, a route that won’t lead them back to power. And that is excellent news.
Now, the comical part is that most Labour speakers are singing from Ed’s sheet about a party that lost the trust of millions of voters in the last general election, under Gordon Brown’s leadership, yet they have rallied behind Brown’s heir, instead of choosing the successor of the only Labour leader who won the party three consecutive elections. That’s priceless.