Labour leadership

[William of Walworth]

You can have Jim Murphy if you like, we don't need him anymore

I've seen some absolutely brilliant odds on him becoming next (UK wide) Labour leader. I'll definitely be down the bookies tomorrow.

 

[andysays]

I've seen some absolutely brilliant odds on him becoming next (UK wide) Labour leader. I'll definitely be down the bookies tomorrow.

Before you part with any money, check the eligibility criteria - I'm pretty sure the UK Labour leader has to be an MP, which Murphy obviously isn't anymore.

 

[William of Walworth]

Check my own pisstaking criteria?

 

[JHE]

Ben Bradshaw announces he's standing for deputy; like annoncing you'er prepared to come second in an egg and spoon race.

I don't think that's fair. It seems to me more like saying he's willing to play Prescott to someone else's Blair.

 

[Vintage Paw]

This leaves the as-yet undeclared T. Hunt as the odds-on "Him? He's in the Labour Party??" candidate.

I find it amusing there could be a race between a knight and someone called Tristram.

In other news, tonight Mr Hunt announced at his constituency party meeting that he has nothing to announce. He's still taking counsel on it, apparently.

 

[Kaka Tim]

Christ - what a gallery of dismality. If the labour party had anyone who could come across as a normal person with the ability to articulate arguments in a half convincing way, they'd wipe the field.

 

[Belushi]

Fairly good article by John Harris who has at least been thinking about the task Labour face http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/15/labour-history-leadership

 

[William of Walworth]

Christ - what a gallery of dismality. If the labour party had anyone who could come across as a normal person with the ability to articulate arguments in a half convincing way, they'd wipe the field.

Are you including Burnham in that dismality spectrum?

(Not disagreeing with you generally, just not sure about Burnham because I don't know much about him. He sounds a bit Northern for what that's worth).

 

[weepiper]

Are you including Burnham in that dismality spectrum?

(Not disagreeing with you generally, just not sure about Burnham because I don't know much about him. He sounds a bit Northern for what that's worth).

Cambridge graduate.

 

[William of Walworth]

Oh noes!

 

[kebabking]

Oh noes!

more importantly, Health Secretary when the wheels started coming off the NHS - Stafford, gagging clauses for whistleblowers, PFI etc...

if Labour thinks that having a northern accent trumps being a conspicuoius failure as a Secretary of State, then thats up to them. disenchanted northerners might flock to his whippet and flat-cap manifesto (i rather doubt it, but i won't pretend to speak for them..), but those southern/midlands marginals Labour needs to win in order to, err... win, won't.

if he does get elected leader, then you can expect a story every single day for the next five years in the Daily Hate/Scum/Times/Torygraph about Burnhams failures while in office.

 

[William of Walworth]

kebabking -- Thanks for that, useful.

 

[Libertad]

(Not disagreeing with you generally, just not sure about Burnham because I don't know much about him. He sounds a bit Northern for what that's worth).

disenchanted northerners might flock to his whippet and flat-cap manifesto

What the fuck is going on here?

 

[DotCommunist]

You can have Jim Murphy if you like, we don't need him anymore

what did we do to deserve him?

 

[treelover]

Caroline Flint is now standing for Deputy Leader, its a Gadarene rush to the Blairites, and she is one of the worst

 

[danny la rouge]

what did we do to deserve him?

What did we what did we what did we do to deserve him?

 

[billy_bob]

Cambridge graduate.

Well, decent edumacation notwithstanding, he does seem and sound more 'normal' than some of the options. It's barely more than window-dressing of course, and kebabking is obviously right that he's too allied to the previous regime. He and Cooper seem to be the least biggest cunts of the lot so far but both are in this position where the papers will never let up for a moment on their past inadequacies in office and it'll just be 'clearing up the mess the last lot left' all over again.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Caroline Flint is now standing for Deputy Leader, its a Gadarene rush to the Blairites, and she is one of the worst

Didn't her and Purnell jump ship from Brown's cabinet as part of a failed coup?

 

[billy_bob]

Anyone who can appear in a sentence with Purnell without an intervening verb involving physical violence is scum.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Didn't her and Purnell jump ship from Brown's cabinet as part of a failed coup?

I thought Purnell went on his own?

 

[belboid]

I thought Purnell went on his own?

she went the day after him, and for the same stated reasons

 

[kebabking]

What the fuck is going on here?

you don't think that - were Burnham to win - Labour wouldn't desperately campaign on his 'northernness' in contrast to both the Tories 'southern poshness' and the previous Labour metropolitan, latte-drinking, Islington-living image?

it'd be like Monty-Pythons 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch, tales of Burhams family being so poor he couldn't afford friends, that he didn't know that telly had colours before 1997, that he and his 87 brothers and sisters lived in a matchbox at the bottom of a pond...

its an everyday story of living amongst the Dark Satanic Mills: leaving town to seek his fortune at Cambridge University, as an MP's researcher, a SPAD, an MP and then a Secretary of State who couldn't find his arse with both hands - every school must have dozens of such stories every year. (if you listen carefully, you can hear the Hovis music playing in the background...)

 

[cesare]

I've got no idea about Burnham's specific background, but it is possible for working class people from the north to go to a top university and keep their accent before, during and after. Kinell.

kebabking Not sure how you were meaning to come across but you sound like a right fucking snob.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Maybe Labour needs to split. Liz Kendall can run Southern Labour, Burnham can run Northern Labour, and some poor sod can have the thankless task of wooing the Picts away from nationalism. Each of the three parties can determine their own policy agenda and, with enough seats, they could govern in coalition. At least it would mean that each party could have a coherent message which would knock out Tories in one patch, maintain the core and defend against Kippers in another, and perhaps reclaim a couple of seats in Scotland.

 

[cesare]

Maybe Labour needs to split. Liz Kendall can run Southern Labour, Burnham can run Northern Labour, and some poor sod can have the thankless task of wooing the Picts away from nationalism. Each of the three parties can determine their own policy agenda and, with enough seats, they could govern in coalition. At least it would mean that each party could have a coherent message which would knock out Tories in one patch, maintain the core and defend against Kippers in another, and perhaps reclaim a couple of seats in Scotland.

I still reckon you're Guido Fawkes ... are you?

 

[Maurice Picarda]

I still reckon you're Guido Fawkes ... are you?

There are enormous differences between me and Staines. For a start, he used to promote raves. I would have had them suppressed.

What's wrong with my suggestion, though?

 

[cesare]

There are enormous differences between me and Staines. For a start, he used to promote raves. I would have had them suppressed.

What's wrong with my suggestion, though?

This talk of raves is pure camouflage, dust thrown in our eyes

 

[Mr Moose]

Christ - what a gallery of dismality. If the labour party had anyone who could come across as a normal person with the ability to articulate arguments in a half convincing way, they'd wipe the field.

Coming across as 'normal' takes quite a lot of doing. Cameron can't even remember which team he supports when he tries it. Ed seems ridiculous in retrospect.

The leader needs a lot of positive attributes, the ability to strategise and convince others of the effectiveness of their strategy. They must be charming and charismatic. Only exceptionally charismatic people look 'normal' under such scrutiny.

Above all he or she cannot be pug ugly. I am and therefore I know my limitations. Some of those putting themselves forward clearly don't.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Burnham can have Wales and the South West. Kendall's mandate would stop at Chippenham.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Southern Labour gets the business cash, Northern Labour the union cash.