Step forward Andy Burnham, British prime minister in May 2020

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Keep up, wages are rising faster than inflation.

Not if your pay has been frozen and CPI is 0%

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Not if your pay has been frozen and CPI is 0%

Sure, my wife works in the Public Sector, and hasn't had a wage rise for two years.

However, on average, wages are now rising faster than inflation. As I say, on average.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Michael Foot was a brilliant orator who stood by his principles , if the daily nationals with a rightist agenda slag you off there isn't much you can do about it.

I don't disagree with the first bit but to claim "if the daily nationals with a rightist agenda slag you off there isn't much you can do about it" is disingenuous. Foot's vision of a socialist Britain - whilst deeply intellectual and worthy I am sure - just didn't earn broad support. Gerald Kaufman famously called the 1983 Labour manifesto "the longest suicide note in history."

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I don't disagree with the first bit but to claim "if the daily nationals with a rightist agenda slag you off there isn't much you can do about it" is disingenuous. Foot's vision of a socialist Britain - whilst deeply intellectual and worthy I am sure - just didn't earn broad support. Gerald Kaufman famously called the 1983 Labour manifesto "the longest suicide note in history."

Labour were already up against it in 1983 with a jingoistic fervour sweeping the country after the 1982 result of Maggie 1 Argentina 0

 

[Buzzer]

I don't disagree with the first bit but to claim "if the daily nationals with a rightist agenda slag you off there isn't much you can do about it" is disingenuous. Foot's vision of a socialist Britain - whilst deeply intellectual and worthy I am sure - just didn't earn broad support. Gerald Kaufman famously called the 1983 Labour manifesto "the longest suicide note in history."

Indeed (although I think it was Denis Healey who said it, wasn't it?). The Gang of Four split away to form the SDP directly because of this lurch to the far-left and took a further 24 Labour MPs with them. That was sod all to do with right-wing papers and more to do with the fact that the likes of Foot and Benn were making Labour unelectable.

 

[synavm]

Interestingly, many economists are predicting just that. The gdp growth slow down that we saw last quarter was predicted about a year ago. It was that reason that the labour and tory manifestos looked like cross dressing. Labour couldn't over promise and bribe as they really believe the economy will tank.

I'm not saying they're right, but just saying thay eminent economists do think this will happen and that austerity has impacted our ability to withstand it.

Do you have an article about this by chance? Sounds interesting

 

[ROSM]

Do you have an article about this by chance? Sounds interesting

I have an internal assessment produced by pwc. The economist has a review from 1st may which is on the same theme but less expressive

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Chuka Umunna is a shoo-in for this role i would imagine, a smooth and eloquent operator and much more centre ground.

Shame David Milliband is not standing this time around, would have been a great leader of the party, his interview earlier today just re-affirmed that, very personable.

I like Andy Burnham but not sure he is leadership material.

 

[jamie the seagull]

Please let it be Burnham....it will guarantee a Conservative government for many years to come. Happy Days...

Cut Child Benefit so those that spend their lives breeding pay for it themselves.
Cut Public Sector and their Final Salary Pensions...let them out to work in the real world.

 

[London Irish]

Again I have answered all this, you only have to read.

And you seem to have confused a temper with my mild frustration at your inability to read and/or interpret opposing points of view. I'm sure it's not your fault, I think you must do it subconsciously.

But I can only imagine how you'd react to people ignoring your dreary lecturing you like to dress up as intellectual thinking. And believe me, it's hard work reading your posts. I really struggle to believe you're a journalist to be honest. You can spell but your writing style is woefully lacking any sort of bite, beyond an ability to grate that Katie Hopkins would be proud of.

oh lord, you've gone off on one again - it was actually a genuine question, I think Cooper is talented but vulnerable alas to Tory press definition. If only you put as much effort into constructive ideas as typing these spittal-on-keyboard anger management case studies--- but it's your funeral I guess, it must give people a laugh reading them, cheerio then til the next paranoid rant

 

[London Irish]

Peter Oborne's attack is two years old now but it's a fair assessment.

I will never, ever understand this idea that David Miliband has any value as a politician: to my mind, he's' the epitome of a talentless party hack. For all his faults, Ed is miles ahead of him as a statesman and today's interview is a reminder of his inadequacies

Yep - always came across to me as a massively entitled lightweight. His best friends in politics are Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander, if "David Milibandism" surely had any resonance with the public, then surely it wouldn't take some unknown 20-year-old Scottish lass to send them packing.

 

[London Irish]

I think the one very positive thing we can take from the past few days is that 22,000 people have signed up to join the Labour party since last Thursday night. This is reminscent of the numbers that flooded into the SNP last year in the wake of their referendum defeat. The SNP were able to turn the disappointment of defeat round very quickly by using the energy of their new activists to make a difference in their communities - Labour must now the harness of the energy of their new activists

 

[Gwylan]

I think the one very positive thing we can take from the past few days is that 22,000 people have signed up to join the Labour party since last Thursday night. This is reminscent of the numbers that flooded into the SNP last year in the wake of their referendum defeat. The SNP were able to turn the disappointment of defeat round very quickly by using the energy of their new activists to make a difference in their communities - Labour must now the harness of the energy of their new activists

But, but, but we kept hearing in the run-up to the election of how Labour had the numbers on the ground; how the Tories had the money but didn't have the volunteers; how the grassroots movement was going to sweep Labour to power. It didn't in the election, how will even more activists make a difference?

 

[Chicken Run]

I think the one very positive thing we can take from the past few days is that 22,000 people have signed up to join the Labour party since last Thursday night. This is reminscent of the numbers that flooded into the SNP last year in the wake of their referendum defeat. The SNP were able to turn the disappointment of defeat round very quickly by using the energy of their new activists to make a difference in their communities - Labour must now the harness of the energy of their new activists

I'm hearing that the Lib Dems have 8000 more members too,

 

[Ken Livingstone Seagull]

We must have a representative democracy in this country, not this shambles we have at the moment. We are the laughing stock of the world.

Er, actually, you're not.

 

[glasfryn]

The perfect man to make mincemeat of the Cameron/Buffoon Boris reign of incompetence and elitist spite over the next five years.

The NHS will be the No1 issue for the British public and there is not a man in Parliament better equipped and with more passion to lead the fight to save Britain's best loved institution.

Andy will sail through the Labour leadership campaign given all the Tony Blair soundalikes will end up acheiving backing from the Tory press but from sod all else.

Best footballer in Parliament too so shitty rags like the Sun are going to have to think up new lines other than too geeky, too nerdy etc

To my fellow NSC lefties, we've had a few days licking our wounds but enough of that - the fightback starts now and we never give up!!!

The days of the NHS privatising, fox hunt restoring, human rights abolishing shower are numbered

after watching him on the Andrew Marr show this morning, I think you might just be right, best of the bunch

 

[London Irish]

I'm glad to say my initial assessment that he would walk the leadership contest is coming to pass. The Blairites are in full meltdown mode now that one of their own Rachel Reeves has declared for Andy

 

[Soulman]

after watching him on the Andrew Marr show this morning, I think you might just be right, best of the bunch

He seems a nice chap, with the others falling by the wayside, backing out etc, he seems the only choice. The Labour party are in a mess, and they felt they were in a position to run the country.........

 

[London Irish]

He seems a nice chap, with the others falling by the wayside, backing out etc, he seems the only choice. The Labour party are in a mess, and they felt they were in a position to run the country.........

Just wait til the Tories realise they will have to elect the philandering buffoon with way more skeletons in his cupboard than poor Chuka, then you will see a proper meltdown

 

[Soulman]

Just wait til the Tories realise they will have to elect the philandering buffoon with way more skeletons in his cupboard than poor Chuka, then you will see a proper meltdown

Well i suppose the country have been waiting for the last year for all these polls and prophecies of a Labour win to come to fruition, meanwhile we wait for another "realisation" /prophecy to emerge... or not.
I think Andy Burnham is the only choice, i think the fact that Balls could not win his seat in Leeds (the North Labour heartlands) shows that the voters had no faith in Labour, felt the Tories were the less of the two perceived evils.
Labour candidates really should get out and listen to the people, seems they did not.