How To Take On Your Own Party, And Other News

It may seem a rather odd exercise, but it is one every party leader must master: and this week, David Cameron needs to re-learn it rather quickly. Thatcher managed it for over a decade, as did Blair: Major and Brown did not, and fell by the wayside. It is of course, the art of leading your own group first, and the country second.

Cameron of course, is relatively experienced at this. But with proposals to make dissolving Parliament more difficult - that is, make it so that a combination of both Conservatives AND Lib Dems would have to dissolve Parliament - some of his backbenchers are not best pleased. 55% is the percentage of MPs proposed, which would mean that the Tories would not just be able to dissolve Parliament, hold an election, win handsomely, and leave Clegg and the Lib Dems in the lurch. This, I would argue, is quite a good situation: it means that Conservatives will actually have to change their way of thinking a bit. Surely a good sign.

Labour, of course, are not best pleased: but then, they're having to watch as the third-biggest party holds a fair amount of power, while the second-biggest party holds none. So you can understand the irritation. But until Labour actually get a permanent leader capable of taking this "Con-Dem nation" on, there's not a lot of good that will come from their protesting. Speaking of which...

Miliband vs Miliband

In quite possibly the weirdest leadership contest the country has seen - and indeed, the first one we've seen since Nick Clegg took charge of the Lib Dems in 1997 - Ed Miliband has declared he's running against, um, his own brother.

Who also appears to be the only other candidate standing.

Hmm.

Awkwaaard...

Dave is still the fave to win the contest, with Jon Cruddas (notable left-winger) and Ed Balls (notable Gordon Brown fan) being the other two probable candidates. Jack Straw, Alan Johnson, Harriet Harman and Yvette Cooper (the wife of Ed Balls) have all ruled themselves out. After all, brother vs brother is strange enough, but husband and wife?

MP Stephen Timms recovering after knife attack

Unfortunately, the new Parliament very nearly suffered its first casualty, after the Labour MP for East Ham, Stephen Timms, was attacked at his own surgery by a local youth.

Attacks on MPs are thankfully few and far between, and Timms is now recovering in hospital, but it is not exactly a good example of the regeneration of the East End. The Evening Stanners spent a large amount of time in the area, and can recommend much of it: until, of course, it starts to get dark and you're on your own. This is not always true of Shadwell, but is DEFINITELY true of Wapping.

Mind you, you probably know that from watching Tuesday's completely uninterrupted episode of Eastenders. Wait...

The Evening Stanners