Despite negative media coverage, Miliband is setting the agenda

February 12, 2012 | ONLINE ONLY
Ross D'lima

Elected Labour leader at the age of 40, Ed Miliband in September 2010 became the youngest Leader of his party since World War Two. Capturing 54.4% of the vote and winning over 28,000 more votes than his brother David, it seemed as though Ed had entered in to a war of his own. The media narratives were well and truly set: elected against the Tory-propagated jibe of ‘the mess we inherited from Labour,’ ‘Red Ed’ faced an arduous uphill climb to earning any form of positive public opinion. His only hope, it seemed, was that things could only get better.

But many would profess that they have not, and judging by the host of negative media coverage, one would be hard pressed to argue against this. The image cultivated of Ed since his victory has been one grounded in mistakes. An interview in March 2011, in which Miliband repeated the line ‘these strikes are wrong,’ numerous times, echoed around media circles, all of whom failed to revel in the same glory when footage of Osborne used the same approach in 2010. This image of a clumsy and unexperienced leader continued into 2012 when Miliband was ludicrously criticised for a staffer’s mistaken tweet.

Yet underneath this victimisation, a clear picture is emerging. Miliband has set the agenda on key issues, and is continuing to do so.

In the wake of the phone hacking scandal of July 2011, Miliband earned his first major triumph. The revelations to come out of that furore enraged the public, and Cameron’s failure to identify with that sentiment was pertinent. Miliband led the public outcry, calling for the resignation of News International Chief Executive, Rebekah Brooks, long before Cameron dared to. He also questioned Cameron’s integrity in hiring Andy Coulson as his Director of Communications; Miliband emerged as the politician most aligned with the electorate.

The issue of bankers’ bonuses has been the dominant domestic issue of 2012 so far, and again it is Miliband who has reconciled most with the public. His threatening of a Commons vote on the issue of Stephen Hester’s bonus, and Hester’s subsequent decision to reject it, can be claimed as a victory for Labour, and Miliband in particular. His strong opposition to the bonus gave weight to his call for a fairer capitalism.

These two victories have been important, and now Miliband finds himself in the centre of a crucial issue – one that could seriously affect the outcome of the next election. In the wake of mass opposition to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill Miliband is again setting the agenda. The Coalition have continued to force through the contentious NHS reforms, despite a host of opposition from the British Medical Association, Labour, and, worryingly for Cameron, his own party. Labour has now forced a House of Commons vote on the publication of a document outlining how risky the department considers these reforms to be; Lansley had fought to keep this hidden. Its publication is likely to reveal the extent to which privatisation will damage the NHS, making the Bill even more politically unstable, and perhaps culminating in a U-turn on the reforms.

Conversely, if the reforms are forced through, he will have to do so in the face of widespread public and professional opposition. Such a move will likely lead to Cameron being accused of being ‘out of touch’. The contention that the NHS is safe in the hands of the Tory party will be incredibly hard to defend come 2015. Again, by forcing a Commons vote on the reforms’ risks, and opposing the bill from the start, Miliband will prove he was on the right side of the argument. The Health and Social Care Bill could well be the defining topic of the next general election.

Thus, while Miliband has received a harsh press since he was elected two years ago, his successes are tallying up. Miliband’s message on the economy could be more resonant, but his call for a fairer capitalism appears to have some resonance, and as the coalition’s cuts continue to arguably hit the poorest families hardest, this message will only strengthen. On phone hacking and on bankers’ bonuses Ed has shown he is far more aligned with public opinion. On the issue of the NHS, he could strike this note again. Come the election, if he continues on this trajectory, it is these victories that will be important.

One response below. Comments are open.

1. Ahahahahahahaha says:

   February 17, 2012 at 2:21 am

   Ahahahaha. Ohohohohohoho. Ahehehehehehaha.

   Oh my.

   Could Nouse get any closer to the Guardian if it tried?

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