The failings of those around Ed Miliband are numerous. From the Edstone to the interview with Russell Brand, the disconnection between Team Miliband and the real world was one of the key factors contributing to Labour’s defeat last month. But I now understand they committed a far graver crime: taking Dr. Eoin Clarke seriously.
Clarke, or @LabourEoin as he is better known, spends his days tweeting poorly produced infographics about various public policy matters — mostly related to the NHS. With 42k followers, plus 25k through his ‘think tank’ @LabourLeft and 10.4k with @LabourAndy, he has a decent reach within the hard left. Although there are a group of Labour MPs who retweet Clarke, such as Andy Burnham’s PPS Debbie Abrahams, most dismiss what he has to say — not least because it has consistently proven to be inaccurate (see his apologies for Lord Ashcroft, Virgin Care and Anna Soubry for example).
But it transpires those around Miliband actually listened to him.
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