Ed Miliband resigns, leaving Labour knees – The World

Le Monde | 08/05/2015 at 13:55 • Updated 05/08/2015 at 1:56 p.m. | By Eric Albert (London, correspondence)

After years of unpopularity, Ed Miliband had experienced a “good year” in recent weeks. During the televised debates, it appeared more confident than expected, surprising the British. The polls showed Labour neck-and-neck with the conservatives. Thursday, May 7 again, Miliband was confident about his future prime minister.

This rebound has been in sham. The leader of the Labour Party suffered a humiliating defeat. The Labour got almost a hundred fewer seats than the Conservatives (230 against 329, projected until the final results). It is found at the lowest level since 1987, when Margaret Thatcher dominated British politics. Friday, Miliband announced his resignation.

“It is not the speech that I wished to do” , he launched his faithful party. He added: “The Labour needs a strong leader. He needs to rebuild. “

catastrophic Review

The results for Mr Miliband is catastrophic. In Scotland, the defeat is historic. In this traditional stronghold, Labour lost 40 of their 41 seats. The separatist Scottish National Party (SNP) have swept everything in their path. “It is a calamity” , says Alistair Campbell, a former close to Tony Blair, the speedy little accustomed to introspection.

In England, the result was also poor. Labour progressing, but they earn only fifteen seats compared to 2010. At the time, Gordon Brown, the Labour prime minister, was particularly unpopular, and the economy was on its knees. This time, Labour came as an opposition party against a coalition led a policy of austerity: he should bounce

“We were rejected not only from. Scotland but also places in England where we thought comfortably win “ says Mr Campbell. The defeat of Ed Balls, the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the shadow government, which failed to win his constituency is the most powerful symbol.

In fact, Miliband never really convinced. Beginning with his election as head of the Labour Party in 2010, when he won the battle to take the leadership of the Labour beating his brother David, the favorite. He earned the win fratricide without obtaining the majority of Labour MPs, or even the majority of party members. Only unions, which have a third of the votes made the difference by supporting it.

A little clear message

Ed Miliband was immediately labeled “Red Ed ‘by the right-wing press, for being too left. Yet he long hesitated on the policy to be followed, oscillating between his instinct-a left turn – and natural prudence, acquired during his years as an adviser to Gordon Brown. His message was particularly unclear.

During the campaign, the compromise resulted in a series of measures to tax high incomes, bankers and wealthy foreigners … But at the same time, he promised to continue austerity, albeit at a slower pace than David Cameron, but to pursue it anyway.

The main weakness has always concerned the economy. He always refused to accept any responsibility of the previous Labour government (which he was minister) in the financial crisis. As the recession continued, his attacks against the coalition government’s austerity excessive working well. But with the return of growth to 2.8% last year, the argument was not working.