David Miliband’s leadership bid website davidmiliband.net has gone live and his promise to listen to what people have to say is core to the new site. It borrows heavily from the innovations of Barrack Obama’s digital campaign, which can only be a good thing, and that translates into a focus on activism and getting the broadest possible base involved.
As well as all the options to donate to his campaign and the party, he is asking what people think and giving them the opportunity to speak directly to him and engage in a conversation. That’s a big step forward.
First off he is asking what the what the practical lessons that Labour should learn from the general election campaign as it prepares to renew and build a movement for change.
One website is not going to do it, but it is a start. He spoke a lot yesterday about connecting with as many people as possible, the list of those supporting him on the site includes non-party members, and how Labour now had a “responsibility to unite all on the centre and centre left as there is no one else to do it”.
He also talked about the huge challenge the Labour Party faces having, as he put it, won an election on May 1 997 it stopped renewing on May 2.
David Miliband’s site has gone live as the Labour Party site posts the scores on the nomination doors. With both Milibands easily nominated, with MPs to spare, as it currently stands Ed Balls looks like he will be nominated next — he is eight votes short. Diane Abbott has one vote — and that’s David Lammy.
There is little movement on what I wrote about yesterday on lowering the threshold of MPs needed to be nominated. There has been a letter in The Guardian today signed by the likes of Andrew Fisher from the Labour Representation Committee and Neal Lawson from Compass, Peter Kenyon Save the Labour Party and Sunder Katwala from the Fabians calling for MPs to co-ordinate their votes.
We are asking Labour MPs to co-ordinate their nominations and give all members and affiliates the broadest possible choice in the fullest debate representing all shades of opinion within our party and among our supporters.