Miliband’s analysis simply confirms his own weakness

John Rentoul, who knows a successful Labour leader when he sees one, is having palpitations about David Miliband’s latest hustings speech. Everyone seems to be in fact. I’ve taken a look, following the Berkeleian principle that if everyone thinks something is important it invariably is.

It’s a good speech. At last, one of the Labour leadership contenders has attacked Gordon Brown. Under Gordon Brown, Miliband argues, Labour’s failings, spin and high-handedness intensified. An expression about Sherlock and excrement comes to mind, but the first stage in a party’s renewal is to admit defeat, acknowledge failure and offer contrition. David Miliband has begun that process, which can only serve him well.
 
Echoing the statements he made last night, Miliband damned Gordon Brown’s hallowed ‘moral compass’. The former Prime Minister, Miliband opined, ‘lacked moral seriousness’. Maybe David – but if the situation was so bad, why didn’t you oppose Brown? Cowardice shows a lack of moral seriousness.