The Party's Over

In the Mail on Sunday, James Forsyth tries to insist that all parties have links to Murdoch, but can cite only the attendance at a Murdoch party of Douglas Alexander (against whose betrayal of Brownism the abolition of Shadow Cabinet elections would largely seem to be aimed), Tessa Jowell (apparently still in the Shadow Cabinet - who knew?), the late Lord Mandelson, and someone called David Miliband, presumably an obscure relative of the next Prime Minister.

Those very real links are yet another reason for that party within the Labour Party to be expelled. All that the Militant Tendency ever managed to do was build a few council houses. (Incidentally, the most powerful man in the voluntary sector, and old university mate of Tony Blair's, the recently knighted Sir Stephen Bubb, was one of the surcharged and disqualified Lambeth councillors.) They never did anything like this.

Is Ed Miliband afraid of Murdoch? No, of course not. Without the News of the World, what will fund The Times and the Sunday Times? Perhaps Unison, Unite and the GMB could get together and buy them, thus saving them for the nation? Then again, as with Sky, how about good, old-fashioned nationalisation? At this rate, the stock will soon be worthless, anyway.