I confess to having had a soft spot for David Miliband as he linked my blog to his website as Environment Secretary (I thought he was impressive), and later Foreign Secretary (not so impressive), and I considered this quite an honour, especially as I was endorsing his rival political party.
When he and his wife Louise adopted two children from America in 2004 and 2007, it aroused considerable media interest. It would have touched the hearts of many other anguished couples who were trying to adopt themselves, or struggling with IVF. However, he refused point blank to discuss it, citing “security and privacy reasons”, yet there was a great need to talk openly about these issues to help others.
This Daily Mail reported at the time:
In a statement, the Foreign Secretary’s office said: “David and Louise Miliband are pleased to announce the adoption of their second son, Jacob.
“They are delighted by the new arrival and Mr Miliband will now be taking a period of leave. They ask the media to respect their privacy during this time.”
Today, David Miliband clearly has no such qualms about his privacy as he battles for the Labour leadership. He talks candidly about these experiences which are reported in a double page spread in today’s Times. I find this smacks of double standards and desperation, and I don’t think it was necessary. What made him change his mind?
If he has serious designs on power, why on earth would he go for the leadership now? He’ll just end up spat out and chewed up by the slavering jaws of political history, like John Smith, william Hague and others. Maybe he’ll get another cabinet post in time (because the present coalition are going to be so unpopular after the necessary cutbacks they pledge to impose nobody will vote them in again bar a massochist) ~ but you only ever get one shot at prime minister. That is the received wisdom, and it appears to be true.
Don’t you think it’s cute, that ostentatious and obviously fake grey flash in the public schoolboy hair over his baby face?
It doesn’t make him look any more statesmanly. It just looks like he wasn’t paying attention last time he slapped on the Grecian 2000…
Odious little man , almost as bad as Blair coming out with the mug in his hands that had a photo of his children on it .
Diana Abbott mght yet win the day against these male plonkers.
And dont talk to me of Ed ( I really didnt like the war or approve of letting in all these foreigners )Balls ( has he got any ? ) at least what you see is what you get with that gal.
It seems that a lot of former ministers are discovering their second face following their party’s trouncing.
He only seconded Diane Abbott because if he wins, he’ll get her as a deputy, I think.
Let’s see if he campaigns to make adoption easier in the UK