The Labour Party Leadership Contest

[OldBlueLady]

You don't like Ed then? ;)
I see him as a(considerably)posher,smoother and more intelligent version of that other (alleged)working class warrior,John Prescott.

He's a prime example of the "do as I say rather than as I do" lot, a hypocrite whose values are totally at odds with the Labour party's main ethos. I know there's a lot of politicians like this but I really abhor those, like him, who've had a hand in as Education Minister, preach about what state schools should be like then weigh them down with rafts of idiotic initiatives and reams of paperwork, then have their own kids privately educated.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Schools would probably be considerably better if teachers and support staff didn't spend all their time on holiday, posting on internet message boards and going on phantom quiz shows.

 

[Pubey]

And if they did their job well, then they wouldn't need all the paperwork so people can check up on then.

;)

 

[canveyshrimper]

You don't like Ed then? ;)
I see him as a(considerably)posher,smoother and more intelligent version of that other (alleged)working class warrior,John Prescott.

You mean Lord Prescott of Hull, the man who apparently detested everything about the House of Lords yet has now proudly taken ermine, rather like many other Labour hypocrites such as Kinnock. FWIW Balls is probably more intelligent than Prescott, but that's not difficult as most single cell entities have more intelligence than this discredited buffoon.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

You mean Lord Prescott of Hull, the man who apparently detested everything about the House of Lords yet has now proudly taken ermine, rather like many other Labour hypocrites such as Kinnock. FWIW Balls is probably more intelligent than Prescott, but that's not difficult as most single cell entities have more intelligence than this discredited buffoon.

Funnily enough I heard one account of the leadership contest which suggested that Andy Burham was the only genuine working class candidate on offer.That was Mr Blunkett talking on Sky News.I don't think so.I suspect he was somehow confusing Northern with working class.
FWIW, I'm no fan of JP's.I did however think Steve Bell's Guardian cartoons of him as a tame bulldog in TB's kennel were hilararious.
Kinnock,though a windbag,was(and still is)fundamentally, a Labour man at heart.
I agree unreservedly however that no self-respecting Labour politician should ever,for whatever reason,accept a seat in the Lords.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Andy Burnham always reminds me of a poor man's Jim Hacker.

I think the Tories are probably glad Ed Balls stood as in doing so it blocked Mrs Balls from standing and she would have been a more intriguing choice.

As for the Milbands, I think David is probably the more able, but Ed comes across as more human which is the more important attribute in an age when GMTV carries more weight than PMQT.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Andy Burnham always reminds me of a poor man's Jim Hacker.

I think the Tories are probably glad Ed Balls stood as in doing so it blocked Mrs Balls from standing and she would have been a more intriguing choice.

As for the Milbands, I think David is probably the more able, but Ed comes across as more human which is the more important attribute in an age when GMTV carries more weight than PMQT.

Agree with you about Yvette Cooper.She would have been an excellent candidate.
You're certainly right about EM's humanity.I hope not about his ability.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Agree with you about Yvette Cooper.She would have been an excellent candidate.
You're certainly right about EM's humanity.I hope not about his ability.

And another vote for Yvette Cooper, Labour had to have a female candidate, and Diane Abbott ticked more boxes than Ms Cooper apart from having ability.
I'm not sure YB was referring to Ed Miliband's humanity, more his likeness to being something human, rather than the candidate from planet Geek.

 

[Mad Cyril]

You mean Lord Prescott of Hull, the man who apparently detested everything about the House of Lords yet has now proudly taken ermine, rather like many other Labour hypocrites such as Kinnock.

I despise the House of Lords but as private members drinking/dining clubs go I doubt they come any better.

If I was offered a seat I would be sitting in a leather chair by a fire drinking a fine single malt before you knew it.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

As for the Milbands, I think David is probably the more able, but Ed comes across as more human which is the more important attribute in an age when GMTV carries more weight than PMQT.

Interestingly, I understand (from someone who worked in David M's office) that Ed is by far the brighter of the two - a real A* student, whilst David was more an A- / B+ student...

At the moment, he's clearly unelectable as PM - but then let's see what he's like in 4.5 years time...

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

You mean Lord Prescott of Hull, the man who apparently detested everything about the House of Lords yet has now proudly taken ermine, rather like many other Labour hypocrites such as Kinnock. FWIW Balls is probably more intelligent than Prescott, but that's not difficult as most single cell entities have more intelligence than this discredited buffoon.

My Dad - who is normally polite about almost eveyone he meets - had to sit next to Prezza at lunch when the latter was visiting Qatar as part of a British trade delegation there. This was while Prezza was still Deputy PM - i.e. the man in charge of the country when Tony wasn't around. When I asked Dad what he thought of Prezza, he replied that he found him a "stupid, boring, egotistical, talentless oaf", and said that he had spent most of the meal trying to work out how a man with no obvious discernible ability or charm could have risen to such high office in the land.

Ho hum.

 

[Rob1920]

Sorry to spoil this intriguing political debate, but does anyone else think Ed Milliband has something of Wallace (as in Gromit) about him...?

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

And another vote for Yvette Cooper, Labour had to have a female candidate, and Diane Abbott ticked more boxes than Ms Cooper apart from having ability.
I'm not sure YB was referring to Ed Miliband's humanity, more his likeness to being something human, rather than the candidate from planet Geek.

Apparently when EM used to visit Blair's office his backroom staff would say that the visitor from planet **** was calling.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

He's a prime example of the "do as I say rather than as I do" lot, a hypocrite whose values are totally at odds with the Labour party's main ethos. I know there's a lot of politicians like this but I really abhor those, like him, who've had a hand in as Education Minister, preach about what state schools should be like then weigh them down with rafts of idiotic initiatives and reams of paperwork, then have their own kids privately educated.

Had no idea Ed and Yvette were doing this.Obviously don't read the right papers.:winking:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Apparently when EM used to visit Blair's office his backroom staff would say that the visitor from planet **** was calling.

I didn't call Ed Miliband human, I said he was more human than his brother. It's all relative, geddit?

 

[Mad Cyril]

My Dad - who is normally polite about almost eveyone he meets - had to sit next to Prezza at lunch when the latter was visiting Qatar as part of a British trade delegation there. This was while Prezza was still Deputy PM - i.e. the man in charge of the country when Tony wasn't around. When I asked Dad what he thought of Prezza, he replied that he found him a "stupid, boring, egotistical, talentless oaf", and said that he had spent most of the meal trying to work out how a man with no obvious discernible ability or charm could have risen to such high office in the land.

Ho hum.

Did Prescott pinch any of your dads chips?

 

[canveyshrimper]

I despise the House of Lords but as private members drinking/dining clubs go I doubt they come any better.

If I was offered a seat I would be sitting in a leather chair by a fire drinking a fine single malt before you knew it.

I agree I've attended a few dinners at the House of Lords and it's a great place to take your punters, the food and wines are excellent. Although they neglect the strong lager market by not dispensing Stella on tap.

 

[canveyshrimper]

My Dad - who is normally polite about almost eveyone he meets - had to sit next to Prezza at lunch when the latter was visiting Qatar as part of a British trade delegation there. This was while Prezza was still Deputy PM - i.e. the man in charge of the country when Tony wasn't around. When I asked Dad what he thought of Prezza, he replied that he found him a "stupid, boring, egotistical, talentless oaf", and said that he had spent most of the meal trying to work out how a man with no obvious discernible ability or charm could have risen to such high office in the land.

Ho hum.

:hilarious: That's a wonderful description. When I was based in Hull he was the guest of "honour" at dinner at a manor house hotel called The Willerby Manor. He was rude, arrogant and offensive from the moment he arrived until the moment he left. Highlight of the evening was his speech, where he showed the assembled that most of his soup went down his shirt front rather than his capacious gullet.

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

People should go easy on Prescott, the man's a fanny magnet.

 

[Swiss Tony]

People should go easy on Prescott, the man's a fanny magnet.

Just a fanny i reckon.