Miliband's Stalinist grip on the Labour Party

The story about the resignation of Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont is still fast developing. Today's Observer notes that 'civil war' has broken out in the Labour Party. It also furnishes a piquant detail of Lamont's resignation. Only days ago, the General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party was apparently asked to come to London 'for a chat'. This 'chat' must have gone badly, since the office of Miliband then called Lamont to say that 'we have just sacked your general secretary, sorry'.

Apart from the brusque disregard for political hierarchy (the Scottish Labour Party is supposed to be independent from London), the episode is also eerily reminiscent of the relationship between Moscow and its satellite Communist Parties in Easter Europe. The preferred way of dealing with wayward children was usually to ask them to come to Moscow for a meeting. Anybody who did so, was then usually 'disappeared' to Siberia or arrested and subsequently shot for various crimes such as having entertained 'bourgeois ideas' or the like.

The kiss of death... Miliband and Lamont - Foto: Andrew Milligan/PA

Although nothing has been heard of the Scottish General Secretary as of now, I think we can safely assume that he is still alive. The Labour Party leadership's manner of dealing with intra-political dissent however would still make Stalin proud.