Is the Miliband challenge a big misunderstanding or part of a PR campaign to destabilise the PM?

He seems to be playing the "I meant nothing by it card" at the moment following the article his article in the Guardian. He saw this as a constructive piece in giving input into the future of the Labour party.

Surprisingly Tory uber blogger Iain Dale says that, rather tamely, that Miliband announced he would be making a series of speeches this summer on what the Labour Party needed to do to win a fourth election. This article, presumably, is part of that initiative.

I tend to think that, as with all PR, it is all about the timing and context.  I agree with Guido Fawkes, who thinks that the "game is definitely on".

Nick Robinson hit the mark when he said Miliband could have indicated that speculation must stop and for everyone to get behind Gordon Brown (he didn't).

Also, the timing of his piece was significant after the Glasgow East election result and a campaign of off-the-record briefings about leadership speculation to the Sunday newspapers over the weekend. Therefore, the timing would indicate a considered and well-planned attack. One thing for sure is that Miliband will get 1,000s of column inches this week.

Make no mistake about it, Miliband is a slick operator (a la Blair), but you have to wonder why he wants what appears to be a poison chalice.   

Did Blair see the train crash coming with Economy and step off just in time, to give Gordon a hospital pass? If so, is Miliband man enough to take the hit for Gordon?

The speculation has reached such a pitch that Miliband appears to be retreating, saying: "Can Gordon lead us into the next election and win? Yes. I'm absolutely confident about that."  Whatever he says now, however, Miliband has made his point and set out his stall.  Too late for retreat now!

If you thought boxing was a brutal sport, then just be glad you were not in the presidential race in the USA!

Barrack Obama managed to edge it against a doggedly determined Hilary Clinton and many, including the Independent, are putting their money on bloggers winning it for him.

Why? Well, as a politician you cannot get away with white lies or falsehoods. The level of online media intelligence is just too great. Many politicians (Tony Blair springs to mind) have very strong links with main stream media and are savvy PR's. Mainstream may be easier to distract or divert from a bad story, but the millions of bloggers online, have the time and the determination to drill down into a story.

Therefore my advice to politicians when engaging with social media would be:

1) Check your facts and avoid temptation to exaggerate

For example, Hilary Clinton was caught "manipulating the truth" about her visit to Bosnia "under sniper fire". Within hours several people had posted the reality on You Tube and as a result this was picked up by the main stream media with damning results (see below)

2) Try to engage with your electorate if you have a social media presence

Many politicians have taken up using Twitter and Facebook, but when using these tools traditional media avoidance doesn't work.

Therefore, don't try to hide behind "no comment" and ignore your audience.  The best example of this is Gordon Brown's Twitter.  I have blogged about this in the past and asked a question about Gordon Brown's intentions about supporting Ken Livingstone in the London election.

The stock answer to this, and other sticky questions, seems to be: "We are civil servants and are unable to comment." So what exactly is the point of having a social media presence if you refuse to engage with your virtual electorate?

3) Be transparent and genuine

Transparency obviously has its drawbacks. A liberal MP in Bristol was caught foul in the PMQs, regarding the Terror detention debate, with Gordon Brown quoted a poll on his blog stating that the vast majority of his electorate were in favour of the 42 days.

But at least that MP was seeking public opinion! Also, I think that the tack taken by Boris Johnson, with an emphasis on honesty and owning up to your mistakes, has gone down well with the electorate.

I think the best exponent of this approach is Obama - the video below, which includes voters' opinions on health care and lacks spin and soundbites, is very powerful. Perhaps all politicians should go back to sound intelligent debate rather than just taking a pop at the opposition?