Monday, June 25, 2007

Harman may have won, but the Labour bloggers seem flat

I'm sure there is one out there, somewhere, but I'm having real difficulty finding a Labour blogger who is really pleased that Harriet Harman won. Sunny, over at Pickled Politics, seems to be the closest thing to someone who is pleased but even he's circumspect saying it is "probably" the best outcome. Apparently apologising for Iraq is important.

Most posts seem to be about how Cruddas did so well, and obviously there are some sour grapes out there. Kerron Cross said "God help us all." Whilst Hamer Shawcross said he was going to pub after which he would "cancel the small donation I make to the Labour Party whose membership.... it would appear, is entirely comprised of people who think that being A Woman (what is Blears then?), and having Nice Shoes but an Inexpensive Handbag, is what political discourse needs."

Tom Watson hasn't really said much other than to link to Luke Akehurst and appear to agree with his sentiment. Meanwhile, Bob Piper posts saying Harriet Harman won in the title and then simply says "Congratulations to Jon Cruddas". One of Bob's commenters simply says "I think I feel physically sick".

Meanwhile at LabourHome there is some introspection with one commenter saying "Better her than Johnson. Still, I don't think this is a great thing to celebrate". Obviously there is one person who is very happy, and that's Jon Worth the guy that did Harman's pink website (but a member of Team Harman doesn't count).

After six weeks of campaigning it does seem like there is very little excitement or passion out there about the results.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Hmm, I spotted quite a few during the afternoon/evening. Try putting "Harman" into the search box at B4L.

dizzy said...

Done that. Don't see much tubthumping or excitement. Mostly introspection.

Chris Paul said...

Hi Dizzy

I'm not only happy with the result but predicted it. Wifey voted Harman 1 and for no other. I had Harman and Cruddas 1 and 2.

Alan Johnson didn't even get a 5 or a 6 ...

Harriet's only serious error was not resigning over single parent benefit cut of £6 but she has a strong record on equality, has been sacked by Blair (!), has some quiet influence over Brown, and is more ahem embedded in the Labour Movement than all but Cruddas of the others ... and I include Johno in that.

He didn't exactly save the Post Office now did he? And his pronouncements on cutting the TU role in conference were hostile.

Blears has enough un-support in the party to be a Home Secretary. Hain has reaped what he sowed as an eye brow raising maverick. Benn too quite and a rubbish campaign.

Cruddas failed to mobilise the TU vote.

I'm satisfied with this result. The party is satisfied to have achieved this selection proces with no blood on the carpet and rocketing polls.

Best w
Chris P

dizzy said...

You didn't predict it at all. You speculated that Cruddas and Harman "could" come through the middle. That is not a prediction at all.

Old BE said...

I think she's an excellent choice. You can debate her intellectual prowess, but at least she's got some scruples.

Just as Labour seem to be realising their errors, the Tories seem to be diving off the cliff.

Anonymous said...

Didn't seem to look very hard. My response to Harman was very positive and posted early on. Her acceptance speech was excellent. But as the most recommended blog on B4L it must have been an easy miss for someone who knew what their story was before they wrote it.
http://humanistsforlabour.typepad.com/labour_humanists/2007/06/congratulations.html

dizzy said...

I had a look, couldn't see very much at all. Still can't in fact. And anyway, I didn't say there were not any positive one , I mean I started with Sunny.

"it must have been an easy miss for someone who knew what their story was before they wrote it."

Oh what a load of complete bollocks. You'll be telling me next I'm just part of some big grand Tory conspiracy.

Bob Piper said...

I did congratulate Jon for winning the argument, but he also won the vote for Harman. It was the Cruddas transfers that defeated the right wing Blears/Johnson crew.

I don't think it is a big Tory conspiracy.... why, Iain knows best, it is just a media plot run by KGB supporters in the media.

Hee Hee. 10 more years!

Anonymous said...

You're as bad as the BBC. Continuously running Labour stories. Labour this. Labour that. Labour the other. I'm ashamed to a a Tory Boy Blogger alongside you. You are a pawn in the BBC/MSM military-industrial complex. You are a closet Marxist. Albeit a Groucho Marxist.

Enough of the Labour party already. Turn your magic on the Conservatives.

Anonymous said...

Labour just can't stop spinning can they?

"Labour's new deputy leader Harriet Harman has denied saying the government should apologise over the Iraq war.
She told BBC Radio's Today: "I've never said the government should apologise."

During the closely-fought campaign she said "I agree" when rival Jon Cruddas told a Newsnight hustings event that the Labour Party should "say sorry".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6236412.stm