An independent hatchet job?

The Parliamentary sketch is an enjoyable thing, and there are many good sketch writers. A view of the previous day in Parliament with a witty take on it lightens up news that would otherwise consist of death, disease, famine, poverty and global warming.

This is especially the case if you read The Independent which is not so much a "newspaper" as an left wing op-ed masquerading itself as news. The sketch is often the best bit of it, except for today.

Today the sketch, by Simon Carr, was odd. Odd because it did not sketch out the previous day or events in Parliament at all. It was instead a complete hatchet job on David Miliband.

Now don't get me wrong, I can't stand Miliband, and frankly the thought of him being near turkeys worries me as much as I imagine it worries the turkeys, but still, this sketch was just a pop at him, which made me wonder, why?

The sketch was titled, "Why Miliband can never be prime minister", called him "an excitable, foxy little 12-year-old" (true) who does "far too much thinking of "Little Miss Me" (probably true). He then all but said he was liar in his statement to the house on Hungarian imports (which might also be true). He's certainly been weaselly with his words in that respect.

The question remains though, why the sudden attack on Miliband in such scathing ways? Has someone leaned on Simon Carr? After all, the Independent represents the tree-hugging lefty wing of the country, and Miliband has been doing lots of tree hugging recently, you'd think it would be tub-thumping for him?

Maverick sketch writer? Or Brown supporting "not so Independent" editorial line?