Raffles For Leader

Another 'story' which broke over the festive period is that the new Labour leader - Ed Miliband - apparently plans to sever his party's 'big money' ties with the trade unions.

Now call me cynical if you want.

But if someone is serious about such an important and long overdue reform - do they really leak it on an unattributed basis - while everyone's getting stuck in to their turkey and mince pies?

I think not.

Yet Miliband junior - or at least his friends says he will distance Labour from its union paymasters by diluting the party's financial dependence on them - and reducing their role in electing the party leader.

Well let's see what happens.

Ed Miliband also wants to change the way the Labour party chooses its leader - by making things more not less complicated - would you believe.

Instead of just going for One Member One Vote - Miliband apparently plans to give 25 per cent of the votes to non-party members who register as Labour supporters.

So the great reform would be an electoral college with four instead of three sections:

1 Individual party members
2 MPs and MSPs
3 Trade Unions
4 Registered party supporters

Each of the four sections would have a quarter of the votes - instead of a third as at present.

At this rate - the labour party should just have a 'raffle' or 'tombola' to decide who should be leader - because that would make just as much sense and be just as fair - given different weights of different votes.

But a raffle or tombola would have the great advantage of raising party funds - instead of costing the party money.