Ed Miliband goes for the personal touch
Ed Miliband's new front bench team is remarkable not just in the number of new MPs who got jobs, but also because Ed Miliband spoke to each of the new appointments personally, right down to the lowest level.
In nearly every case he contacted them by phone between Friday and Sunday.
This was a surprisingly difficult exercise, one of his aides tells me, because a lot of MPs didn't answer their phones straight away, which held up the process.
It's very unusual for a prime minister or opposition leader to do this.
Normally, with the more junior appointments, the lucky person will be contacted by a senior whip, or a Cabinet level figure, to be given the good news.
In this case Ed Miliband managed to speak to every single one, though in some cases the conversation was pretty brief.
One shadow minister told me this means the team is very much Ed Miliband's, not the result of factional horse-trading, as used to happen in the Blair-Brown years.
I can't, however, imagine that the new Labour leader will be able to maintain this level of involvement.
Mind you, the announcement of the Shadow Cabinet results was all a bit of a cock-up.
The defeated contender Barry Gardiner had the results on his blog around 7pm, an hour or so before most of the candidates heard the news, and two hours before the official announcement, with the result that several contenders only heard how they had done from party activists and friends.
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Comment number 1.
At 11th Oct 2010, barriesingleton wrote:BLESS!
How did such a sweet man rise through the rank ranks of Westminster? You don't suppose he is an actor do you? Tony was an actor. (Brown couldn't act.)
HAVE WE GOT ANOTHER ONE?
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Comment number 2.
At 12th Oct 2010, JunkkMale wrote:In nearly every case he contacted them by phone between Friday and Sunday.
This was a surprisingly difficult exercise, one of his aides tells me, because a lot of MPs didn't answer their phones straight away, which held up the process.
Yup. List, phone, dial-up. Tricky.
I can see how the answering bit may not have gne quite as hoped... Early Sunday lie-in, phone rings, hesitant pause followed by odd English. Had a guy t'other week introduce himself as 'Clive'. All I could do not to reply with 'Of...?'.
I hang up on those too.
Unusual? Possibly. Remarkable? No. Newsworthy? Well, in certain places... unless we are to be encouraged by a system that emulates the Japanese diplomatic service the day before certain days that will live in infamy.
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Comment number 3.
At 12th Oct 2010, stanilic wrote:I am all for courtesy as it induces appreciation and respect.
Does this signify that Ed is a people-person? It would be nice if he were.
Never mind: this shows him to be potentially a good manager. Labour is well overdue for one as is the country.
Perhaps New Labour can transform into Team Ed? A government needs a good opposition which was why the Blair-Brown disaster went on for so long.
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Comment number 4.
At 12th Oct 2010, Edith Crispin wrote:I find it astonishing that other Labour leaders didn't speak to new little people, only their Front Bench. Did they believe themselves to be running a royal court rather than a team of ministers?
I can imagine that Ed opened the conversation with 'hello, you don't know me but my name's Ed' or 'Hello, it's the other Miliband here. You didn't vote for me and you might not even like my style, but I'm giving you a job so just remember that'.
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Comment number 5.
At 13th Oct 2010, Smeagol wrote:Polite yes, but are we to assume that the current Prime Minister didn't pretty much do the same thing? Does anyone actually know?
I guess it could be a way to inspire loyalty and appreciation, but perhaps also there could be said to be a bit of 'I know where you live, I'll be watching you' about it too!
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