Chris Gilson, Paul Rainford and Amy Mollett take a look at the week in political blogging.

Weekend

The big story of the weekend was of course Ed Miliband narrowly seizing the role of Labour party leader with 50.65% of the vote. Representing himself as the “candidate of change”, Left Futures consider four key areas in which this change should come about.

Soon after the announcement much speculation was made as to who will take the key roles in the new shadow cabinet, with Ed Balls being touted as the next shadow chancellor.

Coming under fire was the Labour party’s voting system and the disproportionate power that MPs wield under it. Diane Abbott, who was eliminated in the first round with 7.4% of the votes, actually won 35, 259 individual first preference votes – more than Andy Burnham (28,772 votes) and Ed Balls (34, 489 votes).

Left Foot Forward named their top 10 left thinkers of 2010.

Monday

Sam Bowman at the Adam Smith Institute’s blog congratulates Ed Miliband on his leadership win, and says that he has a chance to help the UK’s poor. Ed Jacobs at Left Foot Forward outlines the challenges for Ed Miliband in Wales and Scotland.

Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com looks at whether or not David Miliband will be a part of the shadow cabinet under his brother Ed, and Nick Robinson says that David Miliband still matters.

John Woodcock at Labour Uncut says that Labour must be supportive of their new leader, and look closely at how David Cameron acted after he became leader of the Conservatives. Mike Smithson at polticalbetting.com says that Labour are now in the lead after their first post-Ed Miliband poll.

Guido Fawkes examines how the unions helped Ed Miliband to win the leadership, and Alex Barker at the FT’s Westminster Blog looks at whether union’s spoilt ballots may have swung the leadership election for Ed Miliband. Dizzy Thinks talks on electoral reform with reference to the leadership outcome.

Tim Worstall thinks that Labour’s current economic polices are not sensible if they are to return to power in four years. Toby Thomas at Left Foot Forward says that Labour’s deficit reduction policies are yet to be nailed down. Guido Fawkes reckons that Ed Milband’s economic policies are at odds with the IMF.

Jeff at Better Nation muses on the possibility of a Labour-Green coalition in the UK, while Guy Shrubsole at Left Foot Forward says that the coalition’s cuts of environmental Quango’s will not help its green credentials.

Wat Tyler at Burning our Money looks at welfare provision and finds it too generous. Robert Robinson at Left Foot Forward examines the gender gap in support for the coalition’s cuts.

Tuesday

John Redwood warns of business flight from the UK unless taxes are cut, while Tim Montgomerie at ConservativeHome says that George Osborne needs to be bolder if he wishes to stop this.

Wat Tyler at Burning Our Money says that the Bank of England is not doing enough to protect people’s savings from inflation. Malc at Better Nation talks benefits.

Michael Meacher at Left Futures talks about what was wrong with the Labour leadership election, while Kevin Meagher at Labour Uncut examines Ed Miliband’s in-tray.

Nick Robinson calls Ed Milband’s first speech a ‘break from the past’, with Hopi Sen finding it ‘excellent’ and Iain Martin at the Wall Street Journal giving his approval.  Will Straw at Left Foot Forward also gives the speech a ‘thumbs up’, but Iain Dale calls it ‘downbeat’ and ‘ponderous’.

George Eaton asks if David Miliband has ‘wrecked’ his brother’s big day with his conference aside to Harriet Harman on the Iraq war, while Mike Smithson suggests that today may have been the end of David Miliband’s political career.

Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com is backing Andy Burnham for the Shadow Chancellor’s position and Will Straw at Left Foot Forward makes the case for AV.

Wednesday

John Redwood says that the way the defence review is currently being conducted is doing it damage, while Paul Goodman at ConservativeHome comments on the leaked letter from Liam Fox to David Cameron which criticises the scale of defence cuts. Iain Dale is interested to know who leaked the letter. Samira Shackle at The Staggers wonders if Fox will be the first Cabinet Minister to resign.

Michael Harris at Left Foot Forward says that Ed Miliband has ‘detoxified’ the Blair-Brown authoritarian brand of Labour, and Carl P at Though Cowards Flinch looks at Ed Miliband’s atheism.

Toby Thomas at Left Foot Forward says that the right-wing media is struggling to define Ed Miliband, while Dave Osler at Liberal Conspiracy warns Labour’s Blairites not to destabilise Ed Miliband.

Anthony Barnett at The Staggers says that Ed Miliband was right to say that the Iraq war was wrong in his speech.

However, Paul Linford summarises the Labour party conference as ‘little short of a disaster’ for the party, while Anthony Wells at UK Polling Report finds that Ed Miliband’s conference speech did not result in a bounce in the polls for him (though this is not the case by week’s end), with the Tories still 2 points ahead on 41 per cent. Iain Dale regrets David Miliband’s withdrawal from frontline politics.

Duncan Weldon at Liberal Conspiracy thinks that the UK is entering an ‘economic danger zone’ with the release of new GDP figures, as Tony Dolphin at Left Foot Forward reckons that a weakening UK service sector highlights the risks to growth.

Kate Green MP guest blogging at Left Foot Forward says that the coalition is intent on destroying the welfare state.

Thursday

Political Betting puts Labour on a two point lead over the Conservatives in the first phone poll after Ed Miliband’s election victory, with Next Left predicting that the public will give the new Labour leader a fair hearing over the coming months.

James O’Keefe at Labour Uncut argues that both Eds – Miliband and Balls – were big winners from the Labour leadership contest. The Staggers suggests that Ed Miliband now faces a tax dilemma.

Left Foot Forward comments on statistics that show that ethnic minority candidates are still suffering at the polls and suggests that Labour’s immediate future lies in community campaigning.

The Coffee House believes that the MoD leak suggests that Liam Fox doesn’t have David Cameron’s confidence.

Liberal Conspiracy looks at different ways to respond to the cuts.

openDemocracy forwards the argument that a Big Society needs republican values and puts forward a defence of the role of quangos.

thetorydiary comments on reports that senior BBC figures have warned against strike action during the Conservative Party conference.

Kailash Chand at Tribune attacks Andrew Lansley’s proposed shake-up of the NHS.

Friday

Hopi Sen looks at Labour’s next steps as John Redwood ponders why the Tories are behind in the polls and The Coffee House discusses Cameron’s “vital” conference speech.

Left Foot Forward fears that cuts to mental health services could have “devastating consequences”.

Jim Pickard at the Westminster Blog says that the IMF’s endorsement of George Osborne’s austerity package should be taken with a “pinch of salt”.

thetorydiary reports that the 1922 Committee Secretary claims that the Liberal Democrats are holding the Tories to ransom.

openDemocracy reminds us of the importance of trade unions.

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