Labour Deputy Election Facebook Update (4)

This post includes some comments posted by members of each of the groups, to give you a feel for their nature as well as their size. If you support one of the deputy candidates, please join facebook and join oneof the groups (you no longer need to be a university or shool student to join and there is a wide range of people on there, but none of the weirdos who stalk myspac, thankg god!) - the groups can be found by a simple search once you are a member, the title for each groups is given below when I post some comments from each of them. There has been some change since my last post, so without further ado.........

(numbers in brackets indicate membership size from labour facebook update (3) which dates from 02/12/2006). I've also just added tags for all my posts on this topic, for easy reference. I'm a hard-working,happy bunny of a Scrybe. ;P

Alan Johnson - 233 members (218)
Jon Cruddas - 45 members (39)
Hazel Blears - 15 members (15)
Peter Hain - 11 members (7)
Harriet Harman - 11 members (6)
Hilary Benn - 9 members (0)

I'll update (as an edit) this post shortly, giving details of how the groups have changed in size since update (3).

Jon Cruddas has very kindly agreed to do an interview with the members of his group - if you join, you too can submit questions to him.

Now, for some posts from each group (in the order given in the membership list above).

Johnson for Deputy:

M****** A******* (York UK) wrote
at 1:24am on December 6th, 2006
Despite the fact that his secretary told me he was "too busy to visit" out uni the man is a Legend and proper Labour! Vote Johnson for deputy!

K*** M****** (no network) wrote
at 1:09pm on December 1st, 2006
If he becomes deputy won't this be the first time in history that neither the Prime Minister nor Deputy Prime Minister went to an oxbridge university. Good thing, or not?


Cruddas for Deputy:

S*** T***** wrote
at 12:43am on November 29th, 2006
I don't know [in reference to when Cruddas might himself join the group], but he was speaking at a Young Fabian event tonight and was really impressive. We hit the pub for a post-event drink (sans JC, of course) and he was all anyone would talk about...so good...leadership qualities..you could really believe in him...etc. Even those whom I did not think would have been supporters of him beforehand.

someone asked him which leadership candidate he supported. fortunately, Conor did a wonderful job of chairing and cut the question down as being utterly irrelevant to the debate topic (how labour reconnects with the working class).

J*** G***** wrote on Nov 29, 2006 at 5:02 PM
I think that it is important for the Labour Party to conduct the elections for Deputy Leadership in an open and friendly manner. This is a desperately needed opportunity for the Party to "renew" itself in office; to take an honest and genuine look at its strengths and weaknesses and to act accordingly to improve its fortunes. If we do this successfully we have every chance of beating the Tories at the next general election and thus securing a fourth term of Labour government. However, if the election for Deputy Leader is seen as a divisive event the chances of Labour success will be severely jeapordised. A Labour Party full of incoherence and bitterness is obviously not going to look good next to Cameron's smoothly rebranded Conservatives.

The vast majority of Labour Party members acknowledge this. I'm sure that everyone is aware of how Labour infighting in the 1980s contributed significantly to 18 years of Tory misrule. It seems that - so far at least - everything is being conducted in a friendly manner, and this is certainly to be welcomed. Candidates and their supporters should concentrate their energies on trying to convince members of their individual merits and on articulating their vision for the future of the Labour movement. This is much more constructive than engaging in any sort of negative campaigning.

The Alan Johnson facebook group slightly worries me by making comments such as "If you want a Deputy Leader that listens and doesn't just say what he/she thinks grassroots members want to hear (Hain, Cruddas, Harman) Vote Johnson for Deputy". Of course I accept that it will be required to sometimes criticise the other candidates to an extent, but this claim is just so disingenuous and unnecessary that I think it reflects badly on the Johnson group. Cruddas is the only candidate for Deputy Leader who has outlined a clear policy platform that he would pursue if elected. Much of this concentrates on reinvigorating internal Labour Party democracy - such as allowing party members to elect the party Chair, rejuvenating the National Policy Forum, making sure local parties will be provided with more funding, and increasing the power of Conference over policy - which will undeniably empower the grassroots. It is therefore clearly false to accuse Cruddas of deceitfully only saying what he thinks the grassroots want to hear. I am yet to hear the other candidates (including Johnson) explain how they will give a greater voice to ordinary party members. I think Alan Johnson is a fine politician with admirable qualities and I would definitely want him to retain a high-profile position in any future cabinet. However, as someone who is convinced that drastic change is needed in the Labour Party structure and policy direction if we are to remain in government, it is obvious to me that the only candidate who seems to genuinely want to address those concerns is Jon Cruddas.

p.s I would also like to state that the badtempered post made on our group's profile by the founder of the Alan Johnson group is a very very bad example of conducting this competition in a comradely manner!


Blears for Deputy:

D*** T***** (Texas) wrote
at 2:26pm on November 20th, 2006
You must be joking. All politicians are masters of spin but you'd need a whole new term to describe the rubbish this woman comes out with. Haven't you ever seen her interviews? She never gives a straight answer. The public hates that sort of thing. "When did you decide not to renew the existing legislation?" "Well we've decided to bring forward this new legislation because..." Just answer the damn question!
Message - Report

L**** W**** (London) wrote
at 6:23pm on November 13th, 2006
Sista Blears is just amazing!!
I wonder if she would be the smallest deputy leader ever??? For that reason alone, she should get our vote!!!!


Hain for Deputy:

D** C****** (Kingston) wrote
at 7:50pm on December 3rd, 2006
Anything that will improve politics in this country has my backing. Even if I am not a Labour supporter per se.
Message - Report

Z** P************ (Surrey) wrote
at 1:23pm on December 1st, 2006
hey i love hain! go hain! x

Harman for Deputy:

C** S**** (Lancaster) wrote
at 10:08pm on December 6th, 2006
9 members now... one more, and we'll be in double figures!

T** F***** (Edinburgh) wrote
at 2:58pm on November 23rd, 2006
4 members, wow we are going strong!

Benn for Deputy

A*** H***** (no network) wrote
at 8:25am on December 6th, 2006
Check out www.labourhome.org/2ndgues
s it's a leadership/deputy leadership predictor and you have to guess which mps will support which other mps for the positions
Message - Report

A***** K**** M***** (Kent Uni.) wrote
at 5:05pm on December 5th, 2006
yeah I wish hils was running for leader, and i am really torn on who to vote for but I think it will be either hilary or harman. I am surprised that hils is so low on the membership, seeing as he is front runner for the race! i thought he would have a lot of appeal amongst the students, but (possibly because of HULC) it is johnson who leads the pack, strange considering he is the education secretary.