James Purnell is on manoeuvres. That certainly seems to be the consensus, and it’s one that I agree with. The same’s also been said of Ed Balls and David Miliband. But I’m struck by just how differently Purnell is going about things from his potential rivals. His approach could pay dividends.
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David Butterfield
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You see, the manoeuvres of Ed Balls and David Miliband have largely consisted of showy efforts of support for Gordon Brown – the kind that say “Vote for me, Labour MPs; I’m a good guy”. Hardly any print or broadcast outlet has been spared their outpourings of devotion for the Dear Leader, and they’ve managed to cram in their “visions for the future of the party” whilst they’ve been at it.
Of course, this could well drum up the support that they crave. But it risks wedding them closely to Brown; hardly a popular figure with the public.
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