Labour Party leadership election 2015

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He certainly was a bit louder than he needed to be. Were the mikes not working properly?

Jamie Reed has resigned as Shadow Health Minister; didn't even wait until the speech finished.

He has lost the endorsement of the Jedi:

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/have-caused-a-stir-in-parliament-young-jedi-1.425528

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Shame about Reeves ruling herself out, I like her. I do think a lot of Labourite frontbenchers are shooting themselves in the foot here. It's like they want a "stabbed in the back" mythos to emerge.

Btw, I don't think it's very realistic but if Corbyn ends the SNP menace I take back every note of scepticism I've said about him.

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Diane Abbott is not a great person, but hardly a racist.

Very male-dominated cabinet especially in the big roles.

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Did not expect De Piero to make an appearance.

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Indeed, we weren't helped in the public perception from that "hilarious joke" Liam Byrne made back in 2010.

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They mean the Great Offices of State - the shadows of the the Chancellor of the Exchequor, the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary (the three most powerful and senior members of the cabinet aside from the drop dog himself) are all male.

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They mean the Great Offices of State - the shadows of the the Chancellor of the Exchequor, the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary (the three most powerful and senior members of the cabinet aside from the drop dog himself) are all male.

I know this may be old fashioned but shouldn't people focus on whether or not those members of the shadow cabinet are up to the task rather what they have between their legs?

People normally like the government to be representative of the nation as a whole. Much like he'd raise eyebrows if he only appointed people from London to his cabinet, having a severe deviation of women from 50% would be unrepresentative.

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Well I have some affection for Twiggy - he's a local boy, went to my primary school in fact. And T Hunt was a marvellous piece of satire, I assume by some method comedian.

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Yes, the name. And he is a very, erm, tin-eared politician even moreso than Kendall (who I eventually grew fond of, purely because of how terribly lousy her campaign was) and Ummuna.

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corbyn's best hope is doing a Trump. Break all the established "rules" of politicking and see how things go from there.

Anyway, I don't blame him for not singing the anthem, which is infamously a lousy dirge. There is only one good part of GStQ, and that's the duhduhDUHDUH crescendo before SEND! HER! VIC! TORIOUS!

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Labour have announced that Corbyn will be singing at future events after all.

For what it's worth I've never sung the national anthem, even when I was in the company of the Queen. I think if I was ever in a position of power I wouldn't sing it either. Why people can't equate silence with respect I'll never know.

Perhaps we're becoming Americanised. You obviously don't love your country unless you refuse to shut up about it... (Ironically enough, the person who would be most irritated by such boorish behaviour would be the Queen herself)

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The soft left were the people who supported Foot but got cold feet around the Benn leadership challenge. It's largely a difference in style rather than in substance - while a soft lefty may support rail renationalisation and disarmament, they view the primary aim is to keep the party united (partly due to residual guilt for their part in the disasterous Foot leadership) so they went along with the Blairite reforms. (Although of course, throughout the New Labour years, the soft left gee dissatisfied again; with Short, Cook, and the "new labour diarist" Chris Mullin drifting away.

In fact they can be compared with the Trad Right, who view the entire point of the party is to get power and then remain in power. They opposed the Hard Left during the 80's, because they viewed them as a distraction on achieving power (although they stayed loyal, as that wing view loyalty as sacrosanct). However, they have increasingly started to contrast themselves with Blairites against the Left (witness Burnham appearing to be the candidate of the left before Corbynmania swamping the soft left) as now Blairites seem to be the one obsessed with ideological purity tests above achieving power.

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Isn't it curious how most people of all factions' conclusions from the elections happen to suggest that if the party was primarily dominated by their faction the loss would never have occurred?

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The trouble is fear of the SNP is a good scare tactic for the right and their organs, even more effective than red-baiting Corbyn. after all, Corbyn is merely loony left, SNP are both loony and will be seen as openly favouring the country they represent.

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It's interesting that Greens are polling pretty much as they always did.