In between rushing out my plats du jour and trying not to burn the toasted sandwiches I have finally got round to casting my votes in the Labour Deputy Leadership election. Here is your exclusive Pontrieux Report guide to how my votes were finally cast, with the position of the candidates in brackets before the Newsnight debate.
1 (3) Hazel Blears. At the start of the campaign I found Hazel’s endless enthusiasm and cheery disposition a little grating. However the fact that she is able to maintain this inspite of several brickbats, especially from the Labour left who usually condemn those who patronise women, yet find it acceptable to belittle Hazel as she is a Blairite. I am impressed by the roll call of Labour MPs and cabinet Minister’s backing Hazel, including John Reid, who would have been my preferred choice for Labour Leader.
2 (2) Alan Johnson. Alan has fought a very energetic campaign, also attracting an impressive list of parliamentary supporters. A master stroke was an email sent out from MPs in surrounding consituencies, to where I vote – Dawn Primarolo, Parmjit Dhanda and Ben Bradshaw. All serious politicians who bring credit and gravitas to the party. Alan could easliy have got my number one vote, but I feel that Hazel needed it more.
3 (4) Peter Hain. Nothing against Peter but I couldn’t actually envisage him in the role. He is a very capable and eloquent minister and I feel would be better suited with a ministerial portfolio. He doesn’t inspire any great enthusiasm or dislike. A bit bland really. He gained a place for refusing to play the Iraq war hindsight card.
4 (1) Hilary Benn. So where did it all go wrong? I started out with the clear intention of voting for Hilary. Unfortunately he appears to have run a ‘can’t be arsed’ campaign. No even a single email. It doesn’t say a great deal for your promised campaigning skills as deputy leader if you can’t seem to get your own campaign sorted. I have yet to hear from anyone who was contacted by the Benn campaign. Also from the TV debates he seems to be turning in to his father. Banging on about “Socialist values” may play well to the gallery, but we’re not playing a game of Buzzword Bingo.
5 (5) Harriet Harmen. Her big selling point was that she was the only woman in the contest. Well Hazel Blears blew that out of the water. Being a minister in Tony Blair’s government must have been a big strain for Harriet. As soon as she was unleased she took us back the the 80′s, conjuring up images on class war, nuclear free zones, and loony left councils. Her opportunism in backtracking on her support for the Iraq war was truly shocking.
6 (6) Jon Cruddas. If he is elected we are in trouble as we will have a leader and deputy with vastly differing visions of how the party and the country should run. It would be like electing Ted Heath as Thatcher’s deputy. Two aspects of the campaign to ponder. Boasting that you are the only candidate who is not a member of the government, is similar to boasting that you never get picked for the football team. It is not a compliment! Secondly, schoolchildren may be impressed that you are being supported by someone off the telly;I feel it is rather patronising.