"Running scared from Ukip,
Giving in to his party,
Can't deliver for the country."
The biting words of opposition Leader Ed Milliband last week, as he harangued the Prime Minister over his decision to give in and hold a referendum on the UK's position in Europe. I have wanted to do a blog on Mr Milliband for a while but there never seems to be quite enough substance to any one thing he says. Which I imagine sums up how many might feel about him.
For example he gave a speech a couple of weeks ago to the Fabian Society where he said:
"Britain is in danger of having two nations divided between those who own their one homes and those who rent.
If we are going to build One Nation, people who rent their homes should have rights and protections as well.
That’s about rooting out the rogue landlords.
Stopping families being ripped off by letting agents.
And giving new security to families who rent.
So we will introduce a national register of landlords, to give greater powers for local authorities to root out and strike off rogue landlords.
We will end the confusing, inconsistent fees and charges in the private rented sector.
And we will seek to give greater security to families who rent and remove the barriers that stand in the way of longer term tenancies"
http://www.labour.org.uk/ed-miliband-speech-fabian-one-nation-labour-change
As a current long-term renter with no security and young children to worry about I actually felt like a Politician was speaking to me and perhaps speaking sense. Regulation of this market is desperately needed, prices should be fairer and I believe long-term lets are the only solution to the housing crisis.
However, 'one nation' was not really hitting the spot. It feels like just another hollow sound bite thought up in a marketing office somewhere far away from Liverpool, Edinburgh, Leeds and SNP Perthshire. Again I'm not saying I'm voting Yes in 2014 but it needs more than Ed repeating 'one nation' over and over for it to be true. We are divided, as he just said, by those who rent and those who own. By those who work and don't. By those who believe in God and don't. And now it seems by those who want a chance to say they don't like that pesky EU and all its laws and migrant workers and business.
Mr Milliband in many ways I do want us to be 'one nation' but I'm yet to understand how you want to make that happen. And cliched as it is we are more than a nation. We are the European Union, we are NATO, we are human. I have more in common sometimes with friends in the US, or with those I support working in Pakistan. Sometimes I want to protect the goat famer in Greece because I love his feta or the wine maker in France. This is our world, we interact every second across the internet, falling in love, bullying people, encouraging one another and learning all the time. We need laws, regualtions, and parliaments that understand this.
Which brings me back to the original quote and how I found myself in agreement with Ed and giving him another chance! Cameron is running scared from Ukip, but worse than that he is giving them power and legitimacy they don't deserve. If Hitler had never been imprisoned but just sent home he would never have recieved so much attention, noteriety or increased support. More than giving in to his party Cameron is also pulling a well worn magic trick. Sleight of hand, distraction, illusion call it what you will. But we are all looking one way, and he's pulling something out of the bag somewhere else. And in this way, yes David Cameron is failing the nation because I'm pretty sure it's not a nice fluffy rabbit.
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