I HAVE been a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party. Once in a while politics throws up a person you know will make a great leader and the Labour Party had such a person in David Miliband.

I was certain he would be elected and was devastated when he lost to his younger brother.

Why Ed Miliband chose to run only he will know. Maybe he never expected to win and only wanted to raise his own profile as a politician.

Under David Miliband, the party would have been rejuvenated and could well have won the next General Election.

Instead, we have a party divided in its loyalties – much to the delight of the Tories.

Personally, I will never forgive the younger Miliband for depriving the party of a potentially great leader. We now have an apprentice in charge while his already widely known and highly respected brother, surely a future Prime Minister in waiting, looks on from the sidelines.

We have witnessed a political tragedy of gargantuan proportions and the Labour Party and the country have suffered as a consequence.

However, politics is a funny business and we may yet see David Miliband realise his ambition and become the rightful leader of the Labour Party.

Hugh Pender, Darlington.

THERE seems to be rather a lot of resentment from certain sections of the press and, indeed, the Labour Party that the trade union vote secured Ed Miliband victory in the recent Labour Party leadership contest.

There was even a suggestion from former Chancellor Alistair Darling that the voting system should be changed, so that trade union members don’t get to vote in the leadership elections.

This seems extremely petty and unfair. After all, the Labour Party relies on trade unions, such as GMB, Unison, etc, for funding. It is, therefore, only fair that fee-paying members of the trade unions are allowed to vote.

Personally, I sincerely hope that Ed Miliband lives up to his nickname of “Red Ed” and takes the Labour Party back to the left so we can have a real alternative to the Tories, Liberal Democrats and New Labour.

David Lowdon, Sunnybrow, Crook, Co Durham.