Harman to the barricades

Harriet Harman , class warrior in a reticulated giraffe pattern jacket, has just been speaking to the TUC Congress. Quite a lot of blow about her speech re-introducing the "class war" in this morning's papers and the broadcasters are looking at that as a possible line.

Emphasising the difference social class makes to your life chances in education and health is hardly class war, especially when you're talking in front of trade unionists who came to the political barricades to fight the battle against inequality.

In the policy part of her speech she announced an Equality Panel to see where the government has not made progress on wages, discrimination and fairness. She also had a real go at David Cameron - "he only wants women for one thing - their votes". Ouch. The Tories will have something to say on that and her claims that the opposition are "lurking around womens groups" like false friends.

Oh, and she let slip that Treasury Minister Angela Eagle, who is openly gay, is to "marry" her long time partner. Colleagues are getting very excited about this because the civil partnership, the first by a female Labour MP as far as we know, was meant to be "secret".

This is 2008, should we really be that excited? If Harriet has told the world before Angela wanted it announced I guess we should.