New Labour leader - anyone following the candidates?

Just wondered what everyone thought of the candidates to be the next labour leader. Who would you vote for?

I think we Tories are quite please with the current crop. No matter who Labour chooses, the scale of the defeat they'd have to come to task with is virtually insurmountable in terms of 2020 (hence why you see shoe-ins like Dan Jarvis and Chuka Umunna withdrawing). Having said that, there are several points to be given on each candidate.

Mary Creagh: no-one knows who she is and why she decided to stand at all will remain a mystery akin to the Edstone's location.

Yvette Cooper: has the chops for the job, but she is tarnished by the Blair and (especially) Brown years, not to mention Miliband, and this would hurt her if she got the role. Seems to have a decent ground machine going so I wouldn't rule her out. Also, she might try to portray herself as the centre-Left candidate, but she'd be Miliband Mk II and it wouldn't end well for Labour.

Liz Kendall: the 'Blairite' candidate, which is certainly a step in the right direction if Labour intend to form a government sometime before 2030. However, she doesn't really come across as Prime Ministerial (she'd probably grow into the role); also, accusations that she's 'swallowed the Tory manifesto' will damage her in the eyes of a Labour Party dominated by people who (lucrasily) believe the answer is to move further Left.

Andy Burnham: well, what can I say? The label that he's a 'prettier version of Miliband' is pretty much on the nose. He'll almost certainly win (though I wouldn't say it's a lock) thanks, primarily, to union support - which will hurt him like it did Miliband. His history, like Cooper, would also damage him if he became leader. In the end, I think most would simply view him as the Union-loving champagne socialist who wanted to cover up MidStaffs (which the Tories would absolutely bludgeon him over): that is to say, he's hardly the unifying figure, which Labour desperately need but won't get.

So yeah, no matter who Labour chooses, it's curtains until at least 2025 - in my humble opinion that is.

Reply 2

The Legal Eagle

15

I'm a member and activist for Labour.

Frankly, the whole bunch are a pile of tosh.
Burnham is too easy a target. Kendall is the opposite of what the party needs. Cooper is the only one I'd remotely support, but that's more because I like her but I doubt her as Leader. Creagh is unknown, wants "middle England" and is as inspiring as boiled cabbage.

At this rate, I'll be posting back an empty ballot paper. Keir Starmer or Dan Jarvis are my dream candidates. With Tom Watson or Angela Eagle as Deputy.

Reply 3

A1112787

9

Original post by The Legal Eagle

I'm a member and activist for Labour.

Frankly, the whole bunch are a pile of tosh.
Burnham is too easy a target. Kendall is the opposite of what the party needs. Cooper is the only one I'd remotely support, but that's more because I like her but I doubt her as Leader. Creagh is unknown, wants "middle England" and is as inspiring as boiled cabbage.

At this rate, I'll be posting back an empty ballot paper. Keir Starmer or Dan Jarvis are my dream candidates. With Tom Watson or Angela Eagle as Deputy.

Tom Watson... a symbol of the disastrous state of the Labour Party. (Of course I say that with a strong dose of satire based solely on this (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kqtANltepC4) clip).

Also Keir Starmer won't get anywhere close to the leadership for a while (if ever) seeing as he's viewed as something of a joke at the moment for considering whether to stand for leader now after only 18 or so days as an MP.

Chuka or Jarvis are Labour's only hope for salvation after 2020.

Reply 4

The Legal Eagle

15

Original post by A1112787

Tom Watson... a symbol of the disastrous state of the Labour Party. (Of course I say that with a strong dose of satire based solely on this (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kqtANltepC4) clip).

Also Keir Starmer won't get anywhere close to the leadership for a while (if ever) seeing as he's viewed as something of a joke at the moment for considering whether to stand for leader now after only 18 or so days as an MP.

Chuka or Jarvis are Labour's only hope for salvation after 2020.

Kier isn't exactky inexperienced though. It's not like he was the DPP or anything. I've heard and spoken to so many people who've said he's so humble and genuinely kind, even during his years as the DPP. He's not standing because he's too gentlemanly to do it. He'd do a brilliant job. But I can only dream.

I'd probably leave if Chucka was elected, tbh. I can't stand the man, let alone as the Leader!

Reply 5

United1892

12

As a Labour member i'd say the candidates are all awful. I'll probably vote Burnham as hes the best of a bad bunch but if Liz Kendall becomes leader we are staring down the barrel of a shotgun which could well see many core voters abandon the Labour Party as has happened in Scotland.

Reply 6

ManyMoonsAgo

they all just sound like watered down Tories to me, very uninspiring, I'd rather they went for someone who will actually stand up to the Right Wing media & the Tories agenda, not just someone who wants to do the same things "differently" in essence.

Reply 7

username878267

15

We won't win 2020, there are hardly any marginals any more.
Best we can do would be to turn the tory majority into a hung parliament.

Reply 8

gladders

16

I'm finding Liz Kendall encouraging. She seems at least to know what she wants, and not simply seeking what's popular. People appreciate a leader who leads and fights for their cause, rather than meekly jumping on bandwagons.

Reply 9

L i b

19

Original post by Bornblue

We won't win 2020

Many commentators said the Conservatives wouldn't win a majority, and yet it happened. If you look at Scotland, who could have foreseen the SNP go from six seats to 56, often rising from fourth place in constituencies to win with comfortable majorities?

Give a decent message, set out decent policies, and there is very little that isn't open to you.

Labour can win the next election. I say that as a committed Conservative. They just have to do better.

Reply 10

username878267

15

Original post by L i b

Many commentators said the Conservatives wouldn't win a majority, and yet it happened. If you look at Scotland, who could have foreseen the SNP go from six seats to 56, often rising from fourth place in constituencies to win with comfortable majorities?

Give a decent message, set out decent policies, and there is very little that isn't open to you.

Labour can win the next election. I say that as a committed Conservative. They just have to do better.

It was a weird election in which we solidified our majorities in our heartlands and safeseats but we fell behind in most marginal seats.

Bolton West for example had a majority of 96 in 2010, now the tories have a majority of 3000. Seats which were in touching distance with a majority of less than 500 now have tory majorities of around 3-4000.

Also I am not convinced that any Labour leader is capable of winning 2020.
Burnham might do a decent job but can't see him winning 2020. Dan Jarvis was the only one who I thought stood a chance.

At the 2020 election we need to turn a tory majority into a hung parliament and get within touching distance in the marginals again, ready to win in 2025.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 11

mattcar904

1

Original post by JeffreyR

Just wondered what everyone thought of the candidates to be the next labour leader. Who would you vote for?

The line up for the leadership is a joke, have you seen how many women are there? Labour needs a strong man to lead not a bunch of weak feminist women.

Reply 12

username878267

15

Original post by mattcar904

The line up for the leadership is a joke, have you seen how many women are there? Labour needs a strong man to lead not a bunch of weak feminist women.

Nothing like good, old fashioned bigotry.

Reply 13

mattcar904

1

Original post by Bornblue

Nothing like good, old fashioned bigotry.

Stating the facts! Humans have evolved as men being leaders not women!Yes there are few exceptions but these women who are running are not the exception.

Reply 14

username878267

15

Original post by mattcar904

Stating the facts! Humans have evolved as men being leaders not women!Yes there are few exceptions but these women who are running are not the exception.

Or how about we judge someone on their merits, about what they stand for rather than on gender?
Just a wild suggestion you know.
I don't care if the leader is male, female, black, white, Asian, or green with yellow spots.

Reply 15

jamestg

21

The only way they can win 100 seats is with a disastrous Conservative government and bad SNP MPs.

This is pretty much the end of Labour for at least 10 years if both don't happen. For sure though, with a successful Conservative government - there will be even more Labour losses.

Reply 16

mattcar904

1

Original post by Bornblue

Or how about we judge someone on their merits, about what they stand for rather than on gender?Just a wild suggestion you know.I don't care if the leader is male, female, black, white, Asian, or green with yellow spots.

Most women in the labour party did not get there on merits! Lot have got in using all women short list!Get your facts right...I am done with you.

Reply 17

username878267

15

The only way I can see a Labour victory in 2020 is if some truly catastrophic Black Wednesday type event happens under the tories watch.
2020 is about getting close for Labour. This last election was so bad for us it has set us back ten years. Seats which were marginal are now way out of reach.

Reply 18

Catholic_

12

Labour is just the party of racist minorities.

Reply 19

ThatPerson

18

Original post by A1112787

Liz Kendall: the 'Blairite' candidate, which is certainly a step in the right direction if Labour intend to form a government sometime before 2030. However, she doesn't really come across as Prime Ministerial (she'd probably grow into the role); also, accusations that she's 'swallowed the Tory manifesto' will damage her in the eyes of a Labour Party dominated by people who (lucrasily) believe the answer is to move further Left.

There is literally no point for Labour to move to the right. Labour supporters want a left-wing government, not Tory lite. I certainly consider myself left-wing, but I don't think I'd vote for Liz Kendall in 2020. Frankly the only person Labour has who I could see myself voting for is Dan Jarvis.

Labour should've stuck with Ed Miliband, because a) they have no one better b) he did make a decent impression during this election campaign that contradicted the media's image over the past 5 years, and he would've been able to build upon that.

(edited 8 years ago)

New Labour leader - anyone following the candidates?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you