Miliband falls into the European statist trap

Britain's Labour party has chosen an opposition leader over a would-be prime minister. The decision drives it into an electoral cul-de-sac. A glance at the dismal condition of centre-left parties across Europe explains why. Railing against unfettered capitalism and promising to put up taxes does not do the trick.

Ed Miliband's defeat of his elder brother David suggests Labour is about to repeat the mistakes of its Continental cousins. The new leader has shown he prefers to denounce the wicked spending cuts planned by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition than to acknowledge any uncomfortable choices of his own.

Some of his colleagues are already muttering as much. The narrowness of Mr Miliband's victory, his reliance on the support of the trade unions and the possible departure of his brother from frontline politics has left many at the party's Manchester conference in sombre rather than celebratory mood.

Foolishly, Mr Miliband has encouraged such pessimism by proclaiming the conference a requiem for New Labour - overlooking the inconvenient fact that the broad coalition assembled by Tony Blair won the party three general elections.

Tony Woodley, the joint head of the Unite union and one of Mr Miliband's principal backers, goes further. New Labour's time in office, Mr Woodley told the Financial Times this week, had been "a dark period for our party and our country". Better to embrace the purity of opposition than the awkward compromises of government.

Labour is thus heading into the trap that has snared parties of the centre-left across Europe.

(...)

Capitalism may yet claim another political victim.

Ooooh, Europe's statist trap. A party of the left pushing ideas of the left like increasing taxes on the rich rather than cutting services for the poor? Unsustainable "purity" Oooh.

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