I'd always rather liked Ed, several times on interviews I saw him being frank rather than toeing the party line, something that was otherwise endemic to nearly stalinist extremes under both Blair (ok, campbell) and Brown. David was only ever heir to blair, even down to his mannerisms and faux glottal stops, he makes me want to punch him with gloves of sharpened glass. Ed hasn't transferred well to leadership, you can see his instincts are all wrong for the soundbite friendly, charming smile dependent image politics of today, but I do have some admiration for the guy, especially his repositioning of Labour (though quite possibly to a place where only defeat awaits). Leaving politics, if sincere he is, may well be the making of David; after all the once loathed Portillo is one of my favourite broadcasters.