Given the state of the country that lead should be bigger. Maybe some advice is in order?

This is the thing with politicians if they have a problem they can't just let them know in person and give advice, they have to spout of little soundbites to the media.

Labour's problem was electing wet Ed as leader when the ideal candidate was only half his genes away from perfect.

In this day personality or a polished persona unfortunately counts for something, Ed is just so dreary it makes him difficult to vote for.

As a Labour supporter of many years and left leaning, Ed Milliband worries me as leader. He does not possess the gravitas you would expect of someone hoping to become PM (mind you it didn't stop 'call me Dave) and whenever he speaks he says the right things, but does not come across as though HE believes in them. I honestly think he will be an election liability and seeing as the Lib Dems have blown themselves up, we could end up with a majority Conservative government, despite what the polls say.

The Libs will have lost the majority of their core support come the generals, the trouble with the Tories is UKIP (the only party with a charismatic leader) will steal votes off them.

I do wonder if the greens will pick up some of the disenfranchised leftie votes.

I haven't read Blair's article yet as my copy of the New Statesman arrives on Saturdays these days (it used to arrive on Thursdays).
I very much doubt that Grant Shapps (quoted in the Daily Mail article about the New Statesman article) had read it either when he was asked by The Wail for a predictable quote which he duly gave.

If Blair's article really is accurately summed up by the soundbite "Labour should be the seekers of answers rather than just a repository for people's anger", then it's a fair point, Labour shouldn't be letting the tories set the agenda, as they'll just be seen as negative nay-sayers of tory policy.
If you only react to what the Tories do, then you are letting them determine what you talk about and all the Tories have to do is point at each example of Labour's nay-saying and add it to a list of money-not-saved.
Labour needs to start revealing policy now, at least in general terms. Obviously detail can't be brought out now because, not knowing what the situation will be like two years hence, you can't cost accurately this far ahead of an election.

Milliband isn't Labour's problem. It's Balls.

I probably disagree, as I think he is one of the few politicians in Westminster who actually knows more about economics than is contained in Economics for Dummies ... but I am interested in why you say that.
Please expand.

Could be argued that he knows the same amount as any of the many other MPs, from all parties, who did a PPE at Oxford.

Like in so many things, the world and it's people just seemingly look like card board cut outs, generic and boring.

I want my MP's bordering on unpopular with the courage of their conviction. Thatcher had it, Blair had it.

Brown was a ditherer, Cameron is a popularity seeker.
I don't like the career politicians either, good school courtesy of mummy and daddy, GCSE, A-Levels, Degrees, Houses of Parliament.
Where's the life experience part, living in the real world part?

It could be argued but Balls actually taught economics at Harvard.