For a party still reeling from the Miliband of Brothers psychodrama, let alone the Blair-Brown soap opera, the idea of another family feud must feel like a plot twist too far.
Yet Ed Miliband knows he has to find a way of giving both Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls star roles in his shadow cabinet cast without creating more noises off that distract the audience.
Ms Cooper made one of her career's toughest calls this year in deciding not to contest the party leadership and to allow her other half a free run.
Partly driven by the need to spend time with her young family, she also knew the idea of a husband and wife battling for the crown would be frankly ridiculous.
A Balls v Balls contest would have made the Miliband fight look positively normal.
The supreme irony of today's hints that Ms Cooper could be offered the post of shadow shancellor is that this was the very prize on which her husband's eyes were fixed all along.
Way back in May, when he launched his leadership campaign, even his most loyal followers knew he was unlikely to win and it was merely a clever way to reinvent his political image on the road to the Treasury.
Having been foiled by a dogged Alistair Darling and wily Peter Mandelson — a setback keenly felt within the Balls household — it is hard to imagine his wife would want to add insult to injury.
When asked this week if his wife would make a good Chancellor, Mr Balls replied: “She's a fabulous, talented and gifted politician. That's why I married her.”
But the very fact that Mr Miliband is considering offering the post to Ms Cooper yet again underlines his ruthlessness and extraordinary ability to separate personal from political.
David was treated not as a brother but as a Blairite continuity candidate who stood in the way of the path to No 10.
As he proved with his swift and brutal removal of former chief whip Nick Brown yesterday, Mr Miliband is unafraid to assert the authority of a newly elected leader.
Although the general election could be as far away as 2015, Ed Miliband is already a man in a hurry.
Unlike Blair or Brown, he has very little time to plan his first shadow cabinet and he faces a tough call in balancing the array of talent — or lack of it — once MPs have chosen his top team next Friday.
With 49 candidates chasing 19 posts, Labour backbenchers will spend the next week involved in an election that is part Grand National steeplechase, part Wacky Races.
The shadow chancellor post has obvious totemic importance, given the economy will be the central issue of this Parliament, but the looming spending review on October 20 sets a tight deadline for a man who wants to reposition his party while sounding credible on cuts. It's going to be tight.
Friday, October 01, 2010
M4 bus lane comes to end of the road | News
At last the M4 Blair bus lane comes to end of the road
The M4 bus lane, which runs from Heathrow to the capital, is to be scrapped.
The 3.5-mile lane has infuriated drivers sitting in traffic jams, while it lies empty, since it was launched by the former deputy prime minister John Prescott in June 1999.
It was originally reserved for buses, coaches and licensed taxis under 50mph, but after three years motor-cycles were also allowed access and the speed limit was raised to 60mph.
Next week Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will announce that the lane will be suspended.
In his speech to the Conservative Party conference, Mr Hammond will say: “Nothing is more symbolic of Labour's war on the motorist than the M4 bus lane. It was John Prescott's idea and I think that says it all.
“I can announce today that from the end of December until the Olympics the M4 bus lane will be suspended. And once the Olympics are over, my intention is to scrap it permanently.”
The bus lane will return for a few weeks during the 2012 Games, when it will be part of the Olympic Routes Network to get people to and from events quickly.
It became known as the “Blair lane” when, within days of opening, the former prime minister's official car used it “for security reasons”.
The M4 bus lane, which runs from Heathrow to the capital, is to be scrapped.
The 3.5-mile lane has infuriated drivers sitting in traffic jams, while it lies empty, since it was launched by the former deputy prime minister John Prescott in June 1999.
It was originally reserved for buses, coaches and licensed taxis under 50mph, but after three years motor-cycles were also allowed access and the speed limit was raised to 60mph.
Next week Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will announce that the lane will be suspended.
In his speech to the Conservative Party conference, Mr Hammond will say: “Nothing is more symbolic of Labour's war on the motorist than the M4 bus lane. It was John Prescott's idea and I think that says it all.
“I can announce today that from the end of December until the Olympics the M4 bus lane will be suspended. And once the Olympics are over, my intention is to scrap it permanently.”
The bus lane will return for a few weeks during the 2012 Games, when it will be part of the Olympic Routes Network to get people to and from events quickly.
It became known as the “Blair lane” when, within days of opening, the former prime minister's official car used it “for security reasons”.
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