My email from Ed

[Rum]

I got a really special email from Our Leader yesterday. I'm sure it was just for me...
--

Keith,

We've made real progress today - 291 new Labour councillors elected, gaining control of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, Labour Mayors elected in Doncaster and North Tyneside and the fantastic Emma Lewell-Buck winning the South Shields by-election.

That's good progress for Labour. You should be proud of what we've achieved today - I know I am.

We need to build on this now if we're going to win in 2015. So please dig deep, and donate a few pounds to build a stronger party that will win where we came so close today.

Money raised now is worth a lot more to us than money we raise in 2015. With your help we can build a stronger campaigning organisation, and make a difference where we fell short today.

If you've done something to help these campaigns over the last few months - thank you. You've taken us a step closer to kicking David Cameron's Government out in 2015. Over 80% of the areas that voted yesterday are represented by Tory MPs - and the results in places like Cannock, Crawley, Harlow, Hastings, Ipswich and Stevenage show that your hard work has paid off.

But today's results show that some people are still asking if Labour can turn Britain around. They know the Tories can't, but we've still got a lot of work to do to win their trust before 2015.

I passionately believe Labour can make a difference, and bring real lasting change on the big issues that people worry about, and we can make that case together.

But I need your help.

action.labour.org.uk/team2015

Thank you,

Ed

[tattuchu]

Seems like a nice fella

[cronus]

Seems like a nice fella

Standard 'personalized' email, I used to get them quite often after local elections when I was with Labour. The older you get the more easily you are fooled by advertising, email scams and political junkmail.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

No special mention of winning back Dartford North-East? I iz unappreciated voter...

[tattuchu]

I get e-mails from a very nice young lady named ANNA. In them, she begs me to befriend her on Facebook, and very thoughtfully provides links for me to click on. She says she misses me terribly and wishes I would come back, and she always seems very excited to speak to me since her messages are always in full caps. She sounds awful lonely. She wants terribly for me to click on her links and get in touch with her. Unfortunately I think the dear sweet thing has me confused with someone else, since I've never used Facebook

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Just check that the bank account to send your donations to isn't in Nigeria.

[JimC]

Have you printed then framed it and put it in a prominent place on the wall, Rum?

[Rum]

Have you printed then framed it and put it in a prominent place on the wall, Rum?

I think I'll wait. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 'Come home Dave, all is forgiven' message going out to his brother in due course. Ed isn't making the impact he should. Much as I like the guy's style and approach he doesn't come over as heavyweight as he needs to.

Edit: It occurs to me that many people may not be aware of the background. Briefly Ed Miliband and his brother David were in competition for the leadership of the Labour part here. Much to many people's surprise Ed won, in part due to the Union vote. Ed is perceived as a result as more to the left (which he isn't really). David was a senior minister in the last Labour government and is widely perceived to be more talented, so it was something of a surprise he lost out.

Since then the gossip and press mill of course have tried to make a story of the competition between the two. David recently moved to New York to head an international organisation, in part to get out from under all that.

[cronus]

Have you printed then framed it and put it in a prominent place on the wall, Rum?

I think I'll wait. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 'Come home Dave, all is forgiven' message going out to his brother in due course. Ed isn't making the impact he should. Much as I like the guy's style and approach he doesn't come over as heavyweight as he needs to.

Edit: It occurs to me that many people may not be aware of the background. Briefly Ed Miliband and his brother David were in competition for the leadership of the Labour part here. Much to many people's surprise Ed won, in part due to the Union vote. Ed is perceived as a result as more to the left (which he isn't really). David was a senior minister in the last Labour government and is widely perceived to be more talented, so it was something of a surprise he lost out.

Since then the gossip and press mill of course have tried to make a story of the competition between the two. David recently moved to New York to head an international organisation, in part to get out from under all that.

What do you expect Brains to do? He knows his brother better than any.

[Hermit]

Have you printed then framed it and put it in a prominent place on the wall, Rum?

You're being mischievous, yes? Which recipient would print out, frame and hang a pro-forma begging letter addressed to likely targets in a prominent place on the wall?

[Audley Strange]

Have you printed then framed it and put it in a prominent place on the wall, Rum?

I think I'll wait. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 'Come home Dave, all is forgiven' message going out to his brother in due course. Ed isn't making the impact he should. Much as I like the guy's style and approach he doesn't come over as heavyweight as he needs to.

Anyone who supported Blair is going to be treated with some suspicion by the other branch of the party faithful, which I think was one of the reasons D Milliband never got the vote, that and he expected it. Frankly neither Milliband is great, but while Ed may be a Walter the Softy style place holder, I genuinely cannot think of anyone prominent in the party that would make a better leader, only worse (that is not a compliment on Ed, more a criticism on the state of the Labour Party).

(Truth be told, from what I hear the party is, like the Tories, at each other's throats atm and that throughout Westminster, there is an increasing paranoia amongst the 3 main parties about what's going to happen at the next general election given the increasing rifts in ideology.)

Might as well just ask us to tick a coloured box until we get this sorted out.

[mistermack]

I don't believe that Ed Milliband WILL win the next election with Labour.
People know perfectly well that he was put in charge by the unions, and they just don't like it. And he didn't help his cause by appointing Ed Balls as shadow chancellor, or by claiming that Britain has moved to the left.
It just shows who is still pulling his strings.

Labour should cut the strings permanently from the unions. They imagine that they can't win without the union money, but I don't think that's true at all.

A Labour party truly independent would be very hard to beat in a general election, especially if they chose a leader with a bit of mass-appeal.

[JimC]

Have you printed then framed it and put it in a prominent place on the wall, Rum?

You're being mischievous, yes? Which recipient would print out, frame and hang a pro-forma begging letter addressed to likely targets in a prominent place on the wall?

Moi?

Mischievous?

[ronmcd]

I don't believe that Ed Milliband WILL win the next election with Labour.
People know perfectly well that he was put in charge by the unions, and they just don't like it. And he didn't help his cause by appointing Ed Balls as shadow chancellor, or by claiming that Britain has moved to the left.
It just shows who is still pulling his strings.

Labour should cut the strings permanently from the unions. They imagine that they can't win without the union money, but I don't think that's true at all.

A Labour party truly independent would be very hard to beat in a general election, especially if they chose a leader with a bit of mass-appeal.

I agree Labour probably wont win the next election, but I dont think its the link to the unions. Tony Bliar did just fine with the same links to the unions.

No, the reason Labour will likely lose is Ed Miliband, pure and simple. Middle England don't like him and won't vote for him in enough numbers.

Public think Labour twice as likely as the Conservatives to be in government after the next general election – but a majority think Ed will never be Prime Minister

[Rum]

Having seen him talk and shaken hios hand, I really did not see a Prime Minister in waiting.