Yvette Cooper attacks Labour rivals for 'swallowing Tory manifesto' | Politics | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... iz-kendall

Can't say I've followed her career, but Cooper is currently the only one who doesn't look overtly like a muppet. Burnham has shown his willingness to jump on any bandwagon going and should have been in the Conservatives really, with his two-sided NHS patter and negligence. He's another Big Society berk, frankly.

Kendall is already coming out with corkers like

Liz Kendall 'will back white working-class young' | Politics | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... lass-young

Cooper seemingly at least has the wit to realise that standing apart from the Tories would be a good thing - being distinct now is what will count. There's nothing to be gained by being Tory-Lite, especially not with varying degrees of nationalism on the rise.

Wider view, she might appeal to more 'progressive' voters who have given up on the Lib Dems, would probably like to see a female leader and those who have yet to fully appreciate the Tory machinations on austerity, the EU and indeed the state. So far, IMO, she's the best of a bad bunch.

Ed Balls!

Have any of them actually officially accumulated the 35 nominations (I know's it somewhere in that region) to actually stand? I'm sure Cooper and Burnham will get the votes easily.

I'm still waiting for any of them to come out with a sensible and coherent response over the deficit, it's not even that hard. They need to stop looking like rabbits caught in the headlights and come out fighting - yes the defecit went up but it did so in a large part because the government bailed out the banks not because they spent to much. Anyone who can argue that the Tories (or anyone else for that matter) wouldn't have been in pretty much exactly the same position is frankly fooling themselves.

I think it probably would be beneficial to have a female leader from a demographic point of view but only if they can actually hold their own in PMQ's etc. And anyone who suggests coming up with anything like a pink bus to get the womens vote should be quietly taken out and shot for their own good.

Oh Jesus. If they put Harman in charge they might as well pack up and go home.

How about someone who isn't basically a Tory?

Good luck with that. The election result seems to have convinced a depressing number of Labour MP's that that's exactly what they need.

Maybe they shouldn't re-litigate expired arguments. The UK public wasn't convinced by the anti-austerity platform, but that row will be pointless and stale by the next election anyway.

They have 20 years of bickering about how to fund pensions, and how to deal with spiralling healthcare costs ahead. All against a toxic background of an electorate that will bluntly refuse to allow enough youthful immigrants in to balance the demographic difficulties of an ageing workforce.

Nothing the Tories can possibly do will bring UK govt spending beneath 40% GDP when healthcare and pensions will soon reach to 20% on their own. Likewise, Labour won't have room to do anything much elsewhere unless they find frugal solutions in those areas.

If either party can't abandon aged shibboleths of the 70s and 80s, they aren't going to be much use in the coming decades. Labour will have the first crack at finding a new leader with some actual vision. Hopefully it won't be pointed at the rear view.

I was going to cheekily suggest that David Cameron and Nigel Farage are doing a pretty good job of telling the Labour Party what to say and in which direction to go, and then tripping them up. It’s not like they have handed Labour some golden ammo to use against them in the last few years, but Labour’s leadership has been absolutely incapable of using it for anything other than the sole purpose of shooting itself in the foot.

none of the ones standing for the labour leadership they all carry to much baggage

they need someone with a totally clean slate who that is, shrug ...

Heather. (Though she may disapprove of this posting.)

Mark

Whoever it is they have a problem. Go left wing and you lose English votes. Go centre and you won't get the Scots' vote back.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn to run for leadership on anti-austerity platform | Politics | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... y-platform

Sadly, I doubt he has a hope.

Basil Brush! He'd make more sense than any of the goons in Parliament

Boom Boom!

it reminds me of that black mirror episode where a puppet gets voted as PM.

Guy Fawkes FTW! Boom boom!

JK Rowling donates to Tom Watson's Labour deputy leader campaign | Books | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/j ... r-campaign

I like them both

I see what you did there.

Mark