Miliband the Limp

If I were a Labour supporter I would be somewhat dismayed by Ed's opening salvo of the new political season. He is demanding a vote on the issue of reducing police numbers when we know that the police have overstaffed the back room and could easily reduce their numbers without affecting front line services. Why did Ed not instead attack on the economy and the need for growth or attack on jobs? Oh dear, I suppose he could not attack on either of these issues as (a) the other Ed's suggestion to cut less and over a longer period has pretty much been proven wrong and (b) the private sector has been creating jobs as Osborne said it would. Due to the last Labour government's decisions though something like 90% of such new jobs have gone to foreign workers. Why doesn't Miliband attack the minimum wage which of course stops employers taking on more staff in tough times? But of course he could not do anything sensible like that as the minimum wage was introduced by Labour. Why doesn't he at least demand the minimum wage level be reduced or even for certain categories of unemployed abandoned altogether? I suppose that would smack of pragmatism rather than ideology and might lead to shouts of u-turn if he were to make such a proposition and he would not want that. Has he no thoughts for how things might be improved that would put the government on the back foot? What about a radical shake up of taxation starting with the abolition of all the stealth taxes his party introduced whilst in office? That would open up an interesting debate.