Shadow Cabinet

A Message from David Miliband

Labour Party

I am putting this letter from David Miliband on my blog as it’s important that as many Labour Party members as possible see it.  Please do read David’s message and circulate it as widely as you possibly can. 

David is saying:

“It’s a privilege and an honour to be nominated as a candidate for the leadership of the Party I love.

Yes I’d like your vote. But I’m not writing about that today – this is about something bigger.

 I’m writing to ask you to join me on a journey to examine, redefine and rebuild our Party. Because to be frank – I need you.

 Robin Cook was exactly right when he said that “Political parties do not achieve renewal by shuffling staff in their Leader’s office, but by changing the culture, priorities and direction of the organisation.”

 And I believe that the change we need can only happen if each of us come together to rebuild our Party from the grassroots up.

 So I come to you with a single and simple request. To ask you to join me in our campaign to rebuild our Party:

 http://www.davidmiliband.net/RebuildOurParty/

 For too long Labour has failed its members. We’ve hidden you away in the shadows – when you should’ve been the heart and soul of our movement.

 This cannot and should not go on. By coming together I believe we can unite every part of our Party.

 Together we’ll guarantee that members have a central role in Labour – and the first step towards that is an elected Party Chair.

 We’ll fight the Tories tooth and nail as they try to gerrymander the political system including our link to the Unions.  We’ll rebuild, with 1000 future leaders across the length and breadth of Britain trained in community organising, and we’ll double our membership.

 We’ll reinforce the vital role that local elected representatives play by welcoming the Leader of Labour’s Councillors to the Shadow Cabinet.  And we’ll make sure that Scotland and Wales have an active role in the NEC.

 But I don’t want our Party to just be a reflection of my ideas – I want it to be a reflection of yours.

 The first step in that conversation is joining me in our campaign to rebuild our Party:

 http://www.davidmiliband.net/RebuildOurParty/

 I know that the road ahead is difficult. But we need to change politics not just policy. Dialogue not deals is the key to our future.

 Throughout my adult life, Labour has given me so much. It is truly humbling to be considered as Leader. But this campaign means more to me than that.

 Win or lose I want this campaign to leave a lasting legacy that defines where our Party goes in the next few years – and that means putting you at the heart of our movement.

 We cannot wait for someone else, somewhere else to fix our Party – it’s up to me and you. And we don’t have a moment to waste.

 Please join our campaign to rebuild our Party now:

 http://www.davidmiliband.net/RebuildOurParty/

 I believe I have the values and vision to inspire our movement to dream of a better future.  I believe that I have the character and judgement to turn those dreams into reality. I want Labour to win again. I believe we can.

 And I want to do it, with you, together.

Thank you for your time.

David Miliband”

 www.davidmiliband.net

David Miliband – EPLP Leader should sit in the Shadow Cabinet

Labour Party

Speaking to the European Parliamentary Labour Party yesterday, David Miliband, frontrunner in Labour’s leadership contest, told Labour MEPs that he believes the EPLP Leader should sit in the Shadow Cabinet team. 

David wants to bring European matters closer to our politics at home. European issues deserve a strong voice in Brussels inside Labour’s Shadow Cabinet team. Having the EPLP Leader in the Shadow Cabinet also sends a signal to the wider movement – from the shadow cabinet to our CLPs and activists – that Labour is a party that wants to lead in a strong, outward-looking European Union.

David argued strongly that it is important for Labour to listen and engage on Europe. British engagement can see us leading and supporting an agenda of economic reform and social justice at home and hard-headed internationalism abroad.

We need to put to one side institutional squabbles and focus on the substantive issues facing the EU.  With a strong EU we can achieve more on climate change, energy security and international crime. Leading in Europe we can further our foreign policy objectives in the Middle East, on Iran, Pakistan and Russia.  As far as economic policy is concerned, we need a Europe-wide growth strategy not competitive austerity.

It will be no good at all for the British Prime Minister to be sitting in the corridor at the forthcoming European Council while the other heads of Government, all of whom occupy places in the centre of European politics, make the real decisions and invite him in afterwards for the toast.

However, whether the Tories move back to the centre of politics in Europe is ultimately a matter for them.

I am supporting David Miliband principally because I believe he is the best candidate to win the next general election for Labour.  I am also pleased that he is so positive about Europe and about the importance of Labour MEPs.