Sunday 29 June 2014

Letter to Observer criticising its anti-Miliband stance

 How ironic that your main headline, plus at least two articles in the main section last week, covered Miliband`s apparent "crisis", caused by the "vindictiveness of a hostile media". (Kinnock defends Labour leader against "vindictive agenda" of critics  22/06/14) When the only left-of-centre Sunday newspaper joins in the media onslaught, the Labour leader does not have a chance. One would have thought that unless there is someone better waiting in the wings,which I doubt, the best chance of getting rid of this most obnoxious government since Thatcher`s days,would be for the Observer to be in the vanguard of promoting Labour as the best possible future government. Why not highlight Labour`s 4 point lead in the polls, or the dissatisfaction of many with the austerity programme, destined to get much worse under another five years of Tory rule,and evidenced by the 50,000 strong demonstration in London? The public needs to be made more aware of the coalition`s privatisation of the NHS and the thousands more public sector jobs to be cut. The moderation of Miliband is indeed annoying, but better a too moderate Labour government than a right-wing Conservative one, and the latter becomes more likely with every article doubting "the credibility of the principal messenger".(Ten crucial months remain for Ed Miliband to pass the blink test,22/06/14) 
    Perhaps the press would do well to remember who is frequently voted the best prime-minister in modern times: Attlee would certainly be regarded as "weird", with plenty to "be modest about", as Churchill kindly said, but his policies transformed post-war Britain. By all means give Miliband advice, but adding your weight to the right-wing media`s anti-Labour frenzy does not become a newpaper of the Observer`s stature.

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