A well-coiled Miliband ready to spring

It seems Gordon Brown is doing his best to curry favour with the delegates at the Labour Party conference. After a summer of a little discontent, he is trying to re-establish his authority. Labour MPs are relatively cheered and Brown is getting a "bounce" in the opinion polls. Apparently some members of the British public think he is handling this present financial crisis well. Well enough to know spivs when he sees them. My only complaint on this subject is that he isn't doing much to contain them. OK, the short selling system has been defused, but the guys involved in all this are really Del Boys with computers. I know it sounds a bit snobby, but one of the problems with the Thatcher years was letting those that were used to market stall trading move into the computerised world of banking unchecked.

So Brown gets a little bit of peace coming his way. Doesn't stop those seeking to replace him from moving the chairs in the Cabinet Room. David Miliband is seen as an obvious choice by the media. But I think he will not have voter appeal at this time. However, he will be a contender, and he is like a jack-in-the-box currently. My hunch is that Alan Johnson will come through. He is a man who can sup with all kinds and still seem like one of them. He would give Labour back its working class inheritance whilst giving it the veneer of New Labour modernisation. But, unlike Miliband, is he ready to spring?

Posted in: Alan Johnson,David Miliband,Gordon Brown,Labour leadership