As Ed steps up to lead, the words of Lord Bingham echo like Cassandra

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ILLTYD HARRINGTON: ‘AS I PLEASE’
Published: 30 September, 2010

AFTER endless self-congratulation and mutual admiration, the unspoken conclusion was “uneasy lies the Ed that wears the crown”. 

Labour’s act of renewed confidence might have been a disappointing introduction to a new play. The leading actor got mixed reviews. To me he was like a new addition to the health centre – a kindly doctor who helps old ladies across the street. It is a measure of a man’s integrity when the right wing savage slander and smear you. Their advice? Drive on the right-hand side of the road. I waited in vain for the Red Flag – perhaps even Handel’s  Zadok the Priest. But no, it was Cole Porter’s “There may be trouble ahead: let’s face the music and dance.”

Ed Miliband who read Marxism for Babies at his father’s knee wrote Labour’s 2010 manifesto. They claim he has allowed himself to be deflowered by the new union barons. What is flattery in the devious minds of what passes for Fleet Street? They ought to read the book. The history of the Labour party is one of compromise, spinsterish moderation and a fear of anarchy. In 110 years, its credo has been evolution not revolution. Red Ed will have to confront what is basically a party not quite reconciled to opposition. 

Alastair Campbell’s claim during Blair’s time was “we are managing change” – begging the question: “who’s causing the change?”

At the 1944 Labour Party Conference, Herbert Morrison (like his grandson Lord Mandelson later on) wanted to fix the conference. To a young bright socialist, later the veteran Tribune MP Ian Mikardo, he delivered a lordly rebuke. “Your public  support for nationalisation has just cost us the next general election.”  Evelyn Dennington later Dame and Baroness and County Hall Diva was also accused of precipitating a revolution with a programme for comprehensive schools. Morrison like a Victorian father, warned her that she was sullied – yet Labour had a landslide victory in 1945. Margaret Thatcher, a dominatrix, frightened the British people into inertia.

For over 60 years, we have not only allowed sovereign American bases to be installed here, but, as recently revealed, defer to the White House’s opinion of our own political appointments.

In 1948 Chou en Lai was asked what was the result of the 1789 French Revolution. “Too early to say,” was his reply. 

Politics needs its excitement colour and drama and a personification of ideas. 

Plump pipe-smoking Harold Wilson had it. 

Ed should leave the Lib Dems playing with their bright red ministerial boxes. Nor should he be thrown by the crowing of Clegg about the new politics of Coalition. The lion has sat down the the lamb, we are led to believe. And we all know how delicious lamb chops can be.

It doesn’t take an extremist to point out that as Ed mounted his rocking throne, a hedge fund gambler in Chelsea reached his £54million mark. That’s a lot of money to spend on himself and his companion – a dog. 

Bit it is time for Ed to bite the bullet.  Afghanistan and Iraq are shameful episodes in the Blairite annals. Two million of us took to the streets. Ed must not repeat the constant jetting which Blair presented as policy.

I hate to be the spectre at the feast but our greatest jurist Lord Bingham died last month and his words echo from the walls of Troy like Cassandra. 

On evidence taken from terrorist suspects under torture, Bingham was adamant: it was “unreliable, unfair and offensive to all standards of humanity and decency.” He was no less strong on the Iraqi war: “A serious violation of international law”. Later in private he elaborated on that: ”I am entirely free from legal doubt.” This from the man who created the new Supreme Court is a chilling indictment which Mr Blair and the Labour party cannot answer with the arrogance of Blair’s “I have no regrets”. Nor did Edith Piaf.

Bingham died last month but no one can doubt his gigantic impartiality. 

There were no slogans at the Labour Party conference I notice. So here’s one: Nemo est supra leges. Nobody is above the law. Not a bad slogan as we remember cash for honours; the ignoring Foreign Office advice and some other acts of grand larceny.

I had a dream the other night that I was addressing the Labour party conference. “Madam chairman, may I, in my dotage, draw your attention to the fact that our party is led by the middle classes. We wooed them to exhaustion.”

I went back to sleep.