Who should be the next leader?

princeofpounds

Well, looks like Chuka has thrown his hat in the ring. He went and videoed himself on Swindon high street along with real ordinary people out shopping.

antrobus

princeofpounds wrote: »

Well, looks like Chuka has thrown his hat in the ring. He went and videoed himself on Swindon high street along with real ordinary people out shopping.

Chuka is in. As is Cooper, Burnham and Kendall.

Hunt appears to be thinking about it.

princeofpounds

And just like that, Chuka is out.


I almost feel a bit sorry for him, despite stating that he was not the right person. Some are saying he might try for Mayor instead... it would certainly be better suited to his metropolitan style.


Wonder if we will ever find out what caused him to fall on his sword.

chewmylegoff

princeofpounds wrote: »

And just like that, Chuka is out.


I almost feel a bit sorry for him, despite stating that he was not the right person. Some are saying he might try for Mayor instead... it would certainly be better suited to his metropolitan style.


Wonder if we will ever find out what caused him to fall on his sword.

His excuse is that he didn't like the level of scrutiny his family was subjected to after he declared himself as a candidate.

Who knows what the real reason is but that seems unlikely given that the worst offender appears to be a nobody Tory blogger who wrote a blog saying that he should be married by now (sounds like a boring old hag).

My guess is that he may have realised after initially testing the way that he will either not be able to secure the support of 35 labour MPs or more likely that he doesn't stand a realistic chance of winning. Perhaps his mates Mandelson and Blair told him to wait until next time as the coming period is going to be a shambles for labour and he should avoid tainting himself with failure...

wymondham

chewmylegoff wrote: »

His excuse is that he didn't like the level of scrutiny his family was subjected to after he declared himself as a candidate.

Who knows what the real reason is but that seems unlikely given that the worst offender appears to be a nobody Tory blogger who wrote a blog saying that he should be married by now (sounds like a boring old hag).

My guess is that he may have realised after initially testing the way that he will either not be able to secure the support of 35 labour MPs or more likely that he doesn't stand a realistic chance of winning. Perhaps his mates Mandelson and Blair told him to wait until next time as the coming period is going to be a shambles for labour and he should avoid tainting himself with failure...

maybe he realised its a poison chalice!


Whoever gets in has a monumental task of making Labour appeal again and be modern, something that's not easy when your backers (unions) have one and half feet in the past....

princeofpounds

Who knows what the real reason is but that seems unlikely given that the worst offender appears to be a nobody Tory blogger who wrote a blog saying that he should be married by now (sounds like a boring old hag).

You are right that it was a nobody Tory blogger. The slightly interesting thing is that the people making the biggest fuss about those comments were actually prominent Labourites from other wings, like Owen Jones.


I'm ripping this off from Guido Fawkes but it's important to be clear this isn't really something that has come from the conservative establishment.


I suspect it's not that anyway.

antrobus

chewmylegoff wrote: »

....My guess is that he may have realised after initially testing the way that he will either not be able to secure the support of 35 labour MPs or more likely that he doesn't stand a realistic chance of winning....

That would be my guess too.

princeofpounds wrote: »

You are right that it was a nobody Tory blogger. The slightly interesting thing is that the people making the biggest fuss about those comments were actually prominent Labourites from other wings, like Owen Jones.
...

In the Labour Party, you biggest enemies are always sitting right beside you.

antrobus

Mind you, it's a bit of a disappointment that Chuka's pulled out. Just after I'd found a source quoting him as saying "No, I'm not a Blairite", and stating that he "prefers not to be described as a socialist".:)

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/who-can-lead-labour-chuka-umunna-can-6555803.html

Sapphire

padington wrote: »

Tristan Hunt, very very solid candidate. When I first saw him talking I thought 'why the fracking hell is this guy not running the show'. Total no brainier.

Got what's needed in spades.

Disagree. To me he always seems rather wet, with little charisma, and he doesn't have any particular skill as a speaker.

To stand any chance of winning an election, labour need someone completely new, not connected with the current bunch/Gordon Brown et al. – and with considerable charisma and economic and other policies that appeal to many people in the United Kingdom. No one comes to mind at all.

wymondham

Sapphire wrote: »

Disagree. To me he always seems rather wet, with little charisma, and he doesn't have any particular skill as a speaker.

To stand any chance of winning an election, labour need someone completely new, not connected with the current bunch/Gordon Brown et al. – and with considerable charisma and economic and other policies that appeal to many people in the United Kingdom. No one comes to mind at all.

Maybe someone from business can take up the challenge, someone famous and respected - big guns! - how about Alan Sugar ... oh, maybe not!