British opposition leader Ed Miliband on Saturday set out five key election pledges and cast himself as the champion of a fairer Britain, two months ahead of the May 7 general elections.
Miliband — dogged by an awkward public image since beating his more telegenic brother to win the Labour Party leadership in 2010 — said British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative-led coalition favors wealthy people and said a Labour government would lead a nation “for the many.”
“Today, we set out how we can replace a failing, tired, government for the few with a government that is truly for all the working people of Britain ... Today I urge the British people to choose optimism, to choose a country for the many,” Miliband told an audience of party faithful at a Labour Party rally in Birmingham.
Photo: AFP
Miliband pledged to achieve a strong economic foundation; ensure higher living standards for working families; manage Britain’s National Health Service so that it had “the time to care,” implement controls on immigration, and create a nation “where the next generation can do better than the last.”
He also vowed to abolish so-called “zero hours” contracts under which workers do shifts only on demand — a growing issue in a nation with a growing economy, but where living standards have been squeezed due to years of wage stagnation.
CLOSE POLLS
The Labour Party and the Conservative Party have 32 percent and 33 percent support respectively according to a rolling average of opinion polls compiled by the UK Polling Report Web site. However, Cameron has consistently enjoyed higher personal approval ratings than Miliband.
British media coverage has focused on what commentators describe as Miliband’s “gawky” manner and “nasal voice,” while last week some seized on the revelation that he has two kitchens in his home to portray him as a left-wing politician trying to play down his personal wealth.
“Clearly, the electorate has not fallen in love with Miliband, but probably that is now priced into Labour’s poll rating,” London University’s Queen Mary politics professor Tim Bale said. “We know that elections are not just about leaders; they are about what the party offers.”
RECOVERY
Labour, which governed Britain from 1997 to 2010 under former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, says it wants to share the profits of economic recovery more evenly across society and protect the state-run National Health Service.
However, the Conservatives say that Britain must continue with austerity in order to reduce its deficit, and that Labour’s pledges will mean higher taxes and more debt.
In its fight to get Miliband elected, Labour has recruited David Axelrod — the man who helped orchestrate US President Barack Obama’s presidential bid — and Miliband’s language on Saturday often echoed Obama’s 2008 campaign.
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