Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Labour fightback has started, Ed Miliband claims

Pa
Friday 29 October 2010 16:22 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said today the party's fightback to power had begun.

Mr Miliband insisted that with him at the helm the Labour Party would be true to its ideals.

He also used his speech to the Scottish Labour conference in Oban to launch a fierce attack on the Conservatives, whose programme of spending cuts he branded as "economically wrong" and "grossly incompetent".

Mr Miliband used much of his conference address to set out the differences between his party and David Cameron's Tories, portraying Labour as optimists with a "different view of society" from the Conservatives with their "pessimistic idea" for a "big society".

Labour, he said, believed in "acting together so we can change the world".

But he said that the "forces of pessimism tell us that a belief that our world can change is a flight of fancy".

And he added: "I'm afraid that is today's Conservative Party. That is David Cameron."

The Labour leader insisted his party was ready to "take on the pessimists".

He said: "There is no role for this party as one of protest - we must be a party of government again."

With Holyrood elections just six months away, Mr Miliband said that vote would be "a vital moment in Labour's rebuilding across the United Kingdom".

He said Britain could not afford for the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government to be "anything other than a one-term coalition".

He told party activists: "We are ready to take on the pessimists. There is an alternative.

"Labour's fightback has begun. We are ready for the fight. Let's fight for the people we came into politics to serve."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in