It is done
Finally, one of my votes appeared (don’t know where the T&G Unite or the LCLGR ones are, mind), and I bit the bullet.
1 - Cruddas
2 - Benn
3 - Harman
4 - Johnson
5 - Blears
6 - Hain
Cruddas was obvious. Benn has a grasp of the poverty and inequality issues that matter to me - he was marvellous on Question Time last week taking down a young woman who seemed to think that Iraq was more important than tackling world and domestic poverty. Harman’s said some interesting things during the campaign, even if I think the wisdom of basing your campaign on standing up for women and poor people, when those were exactly the groups you shafted last time we let you do something important, is questionable. But she’s a woman, so she gets my 3. Johnson’s a real person, with a great backstory. Blears is a firecracker, and has been an impressive candidate. I do not wish Peter Hain to be my umbilical cord.
What the hell’s a backstory?
I agree on your top two choices.
It was good to see Benn actually come up with a good hustings performace for once!
I’m really looking forward to the result now.
I think it’s going to be fascinating. First of all, if you relied on blogs to sense the way the wind was blowing you’d be convinced Cruddas has it in the bag - but I think that’s misleading.
But what you can learn from the Blogs is that a lot of the bloggers etc who are backing Cruddas are second preffing either Blears (then often Benn) or Benn.
I think that’s an interesting factor it this - if Benn can keep ahead of Cruddas and Harman he’ll run Johnson very close. I think Johnson will get loads of seconds from Benn - especially in the MPs - so niether Cruddas or Harman could beat him.
In the short term Iraq is more important than world poverty.
I disagree, Ian. Defeating poverty at home and worldwide is far more important, will have longer-lasting consequences and improve more people’s lives. Iraq may be more *politically important* in the current climate, where Labour has demonstrably failed to capitalise on the political difference between them and all the other parties on tackling poverty, but that’s quite a separate matter.
We are still at the beginning of the conflict in Iraq.A conflict which will spread and result in a conflagration of the whole of the Middle East.
I think Pickles makes an excellent point. Blogosphere is hugely behind Cruddas. But then that was also teh case for Howard Dean in the last US primaries.
How the MPs transfer will be critical in deciding the outcome. In many respects, the election won’t be “won” by the most popular candidate, merely the least unpopular, ie who is best placed to pick up transfers.
I don’t think anyone can call it at present for any candidate though my money would be on either Benn or Johnson. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cruddas finished 4th.
Just why in your considered judgement do you say that “Hain’s an idiot”? When you express strong feelings, these are in need of strong explanations.