It wasn’t quite a Clause IV moment, but we shouldn’t underestimate the importance to Ed Miliband’s leadership and Labour’s future of the PLP’s vote on abolition of elections for the shadow cabinet. 

The trade unions face some very difficult tactical and strategic dilemmas at the moment. The first phase of their campaign in response to the assault their members face from the coalition's cuts culminated in the march through London on 26 March. It's not so obvious what the next phase should consist of. I was concerned by the tone of parts of Dave Prentis' speech to Unison conference yesterday.

It’s been an interesting week ... though not in a good way

No sooner does one round of debate over constitutional reform – AV – bite the dust and another one starts, this time over the House of Lords. Labour’s constitutional conservatives are gearing up for another rearguard action. At this point I should say that some of my best friends are constitutional conservatives, and yes I do forgive them for rubbing it in that I live in one of only 10 bits of the country – Hackney – to back AV – magnanimity in victory is a tough ask when you’ve pulverised the opposition and ended a debate that has been going on for decades! 

This was the question I was asked to answer as part of a panel at Saturday’s Progress annual conference. I thought I’d share my response with a wider audience here.  The short answer is ‘no’.  The evidence I would cite is twofold.

Labour’s National Executive Committee met on 17 May in contemplative mood following the mixed election results - NEC member Luke Akehurst presents his report of yesterday's meeting

Luke Akehurst pores over last week's results and asks whether Labour's results in the south and against the Tories were really as feeble as the emerging consensus holds them to be.

On Saturday I got on a train at Fenchurch Street station with a dozen other Hackney Labour activists, went to Ockendon station in Essex and knocked on doors for Thurrock Labour party. Hundreds of members from London, where we have no elections, have been canvassing in key councils like Thurrock where we hope to take control.

I wasn’t going to write about the AV referendum again. For one thing, I don’t think it’s as important as the local, Welsh and Scottish elections happening on the same day.