Dianne Abbott has unexpectedly thrown her hat in the ring for Labour Leader. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out there is not room for two lefts on the ballot.
I'm disappointed Dianne has done this. I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Unlike John McDonnell she does not have grassroots support in the trade unions or much support in the CLPs across the country. If she does make the ballot, I fear a bad result for the left.
But we will just have to see what happens.
All I will say is this. That for the past 24 years I have fought in the Labour Party for socialist policies. And splitting the votes in this way will not be helpful for any of us.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
TWO LEFT CANDIDATES......
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5 comments:
If anyone in your party votes for that wretched humbug you're in bigger trouble than you imagine!
David Duff
Ignoring Duff...
It's a shame that the parlous state of the left in Parliament and the nature of our internal democracy means that we can't bear two left candidates, yet we can bear 4 or 5 right ones...
I've no objection to Diane being a candidate - though it would have been helpful if she had expressed her intentions much earlier so some sort of discussion could take place on the left - but the real problem is the nominations; otherwise it would just be case of members transferring their votes to each other.
It seems daft really that when we had no internal democracy to speak of, we could have Benn and Foot contest the leadership against various people left and centre, but now we're democratic there's no room for the left!
But she has a higher public profile - and I think would get more votes than John McDonnell. He may have a very enthusiastic core but Diane could bring others over
Feel free to ignore me, Mr. Hall, but will you also ignore Brian Sedgemore:
"Fellow Hackney Labour MP Brian Sedgemore condemned Abbott for the "hurt and harm she had caused to local people in Hackney" who didn't have the means to make a similar choice, suggesting that Abbott would "never be taken seriously again".
From Wiki.
David Duff
Looks like a Moocher, sorry Meacher, to me!
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