Thoughts
In the increasingly small gaps in my day when I’m not a) working b) eating c) sleeping d) leafletting or e) canvassing, the occasional small thought appears, lingers for a moment, and then disappears into the reality of the boxes of election literature that have taken up residence in my front room, my car, my hallway and my stairs.
Here are a selection of those thoughts from the past few days.
Am I the only one who would actively like Alan Milburn to stand against Gordon Brown? The prospect of a Blairite ultra forcing Mr Brown to look to his left for the votes, allies and policies he needs rather than to the right when challenged by a Campaign Group type seems great to me. Just as long as we get an election, not a coronation.
In what way is this a story? Those of us who have major disagreements with our party on Iraq have been making it clear for years, and since when is it a surprise that the party of local and national government would quite like the electorate to make up their minds on the issues of the election, the issues that the people being elected might actually be able to affect, and not well-printed but content-free puffs about “Blair’s man in (insert constituency)”?
I spent Sunday stomping around my (hoped for) patch leafletting in a state of supressed fury as well-spoken “friend of the royals” after well-spoken “friend of the royals” queued up on Radio 4 to excuse Prince Harry’s end of term excursion to Spearmint Rhino. Given that I disagree with the existence of a royal family altogether, why his latest outrage should surprise me I don’t know.
And this morning, I see that the Tories have joined the civilised world and realised that child poverty is a blight on our nation. Despite their support for the Labour target to end child poverty in a generation, though, they won’t sign up to it, just make it an “aspiration”. Nothing ever changes there then.
So, that’s that. Prepare for another week-long gap until more thoughts appear on this blog. Seeya.
Alan Milburn vs Old Man Brown sounds good to me as well. If Brown wins he’ll have been forced to veer left and away from electability!
Don’t worry, we’ll leave the Oppposition benches in a better state than we found them!
I’m sure the Liberals would take them in any state
You think you’re going to do that badly? Maybe you need Milburn and a perpetuation of Not So Very New Labour after all! :p
I’d like John Prescott to stand against Gordon Brown.
I’m sure Labour members across the country were inspired by his flawless performance at PMQs… a true example of political oratory.
Oh shush now Tim!
Just imagine John Prescott as Prime Minister.
He could take lessons in speaking clearly from Dubya!
Rather have John P than shister Cameron born with a silver spoon in his mouth and talks as if he has one up his ass.
Personally I prefer Brown, for the sake of the Party I would prefer it to be contested, but either way I will be happy to see Brown succeed Blair and will likely vote for Brown in a contest.
But I don’t think he will be quite the PM the left or right expect!
Gordon won’t veer to the left, he’s not that stupid. he’d be forced to out Blair the Blairite, simple as that. Which is why he hates the idea.
Anyone who dreams that Gordon is of the left has their head in the clouds. In many ways he is more to the right that Blair - he certainly doesn’t think markets can be moderated in the way Blair does. The Labour party sees this as a hostility to markets, but it is not.
I know a senior member of GB’s team who loves to tell people “you can’t be too right wing”.
By the way, if you consider voting for Meacher you are either a plant or a vegitable.
Six month’s after Tony has gone you’ll be begging him to come back
Hello “head verus heart” (my system thought you were spam with a name like that!),
Can you expand on “he’d be forced to out Blair the Blairite”, please? I’m not sure why you think that.
I’m not convinced that labelling other party members “a plant or a vegitable (sic)” if they back another candidate in an internal party leadership election is particularly constructive. I doubt I’d back Meacher anyway.
“Six month’s (sic) after Tony has gone you’ll be begging him to come back”
Whilst not envisioning the Brown era as a socialist utopia in the making, I still doubt that.
Its funny but sad how people like Antonia are critical of our PM.
Umder Tony we have had 3 election victories, unprecedented stuff.
TB moved Labour to an election winning force and we have the chance of a 4th victory under Gordon who is just as much New Labour as TB.
As for Iraq well I supported the overthrow of a fascist thug and still do.
The left in our party only crave the barricades and people like Antonia have a rude awakening if she thinks the party is going to shift to her muddled anti war anti New Labour agenda.
Okay if Blair is still such A Good Thing, why were so few Labour candidates in the last election putting his picture on their literature? Contrast that with the way nearly every Conservative candidate had at least one leaflet or website page featuring them with Howard.
If Blair hadn’t made his pledge to go at some point Labour would have done worse in the election - as conceded by the high profile role given to Brown in the election. Blair is now damaged goods and there will be much rejoicing when he retires.
And Chris have you been calling for UK troops to be sent to other parts of the world? How about “a liberation” of Zimbabwe from Mugabe?
Chris,
Yeah yeah yeah, mate. I can’t bloody win. Not bloody left enough for some, far too left for others. ‘Spose that makes me the sensible centre-left. As I say to all the new Labour twits that turn up here and insult me, how many hours have you done on the doorstep this week? Usually makes them shut up and go away with their tails between their legs. I mean, I can understand how you would mistake the doorsteps of the ward I hope to represent for the barricades, of course…
Chris,
Antonia is too left-wing and anti-New Labour? Bloody hell, don’t meet me, you might have an aneurysm….
Matt
Ba’athist thug Chris.1930s Europe- different time, different place!
Antonia is a Labour centrist, the best sort of position to have IMO! So leave her alone
Thanks for the support, Comrade J, though I’d probably express it as centre-leftist!
Would also be nice to see Milburn take an absolute pasting, and the Blairites marginalised.