LABOUR NEEDS A REAL LEADER

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-storie ... -22257249/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm disappointed Alan Johnson isn't running for the Labour leadership.

Not because his middle name's Arthur, like mine, but because when the Tories begin their mass sackings of public servants we'll need leaders who understand workers and their unions.

Ex-postie Alan (left) ran the Communications Workers' Union and was the first union boss since Frank Cousins in 1964 to hold Cabinet office - and possibly the last.

The bright young things vying to succeed Gordon Brown are all very well in their own way, including the Milibairns, David and Ed.

But they've never been sacked, on strike or made redundant, never feared a powerful employer. They talk about employment in abstract, as if workers were numbers, not people with families, mortgages, responsibilities, hopes and fears. The candidate who most strongly articulates their wishes will get my vote. MP John Mann says contestants should take part in TV debates. Oh no! Not more of them! Please!

Cleggmania is bad enough, but Milimania?

[DirtyHarry]

Labour needs a leader that will always put the interests of the party's core supporters first.
What Labour doesn't need, is the continuation of "New Labour", no friend to the ordinary working man/woman.

I hope Jon Cruddas stands, otherwise it looks like same old, same old, and if that's the case, I will not be the slightest bit interested in voting for New Labour.

[kendo1]

Is their any politician of any party who will understand and represent the working man or woman and average families.

When selceting candidates
would local comitees turn their nose up at a expirenced working man with passion as opposed to a highyly articulate Universty degree educated Person from a privaledged background but with no expirence of life or the strugles of the average person .

Alas all I see regardless of party colours on MPS elected and in all party leaders are the same Privalage life uni educated,highly intelligent,articulate but
never done a days work intheir life.

[norbert]

http://libcom.org/history/posties-tippex-ballots" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Johnson 1996 Strike - he held on by the skin of his teeth with all those no confidence motions , " amazing " how New Labour parachuted him into a safe seat at Hull for scuppering strikes - the old story .

New Labour were desperate to get the Tories out after 17 years and were terrified of people playing " The Winter of Discontent " card . B-Liar and :mfo later wanted RM privatised out of spite ( even class warrior Two Shags was for it - his justification was that monies raised could fund other things ) but had to back down facing a back bench revolt . Naturally :mfo doesn't really do democracy which explains his attempt for part privatisation years later .

The laughable thing was that Johnson used to be a Tanky ( Communist Party of Great Britain ) and was notorious for strikes at Slough . Not the only one in New Labour - :mfo - Young Communists , Reid - Hard Line Tanky , Darling used to be " that Trot " - the mindset stays the same but the politics goes to the right .

Liverpool's Top Pie Connoisseur was campaigning once for Johnson to be New Labour Deputy Leader , for some reason he didn't get too much support .

[MinisterofCucumber]

Is their any politician of any party who will understand and represent the working man or woman and average families.

When selceting candidates
would local comitees turn their nose up at a expirenced working man with passion as opposed to a highyly articulate Universty degree educated Person from a privaledged background but with no expirence of life or the strugles of the average person .

Alas all I see regardless of party colours on MPS elected and in all party leaders are the same Privalage life uni educated,highly intelligent,articulate but
never done a days work intheir life.

I agree, and the only way to solve this problem is for working men and women to get themselves properly educated. If you can't understand complicated written concepts, you are no use in the fight. If the idea is for the unions to produce politicians to back the interests of ordinary working people, the unions should be making sure these politicians have their minds sharpened. I have not been impressed by the quality of politicians that our union has produced. It is still the case that the best advocates for the ordinary working person have been renegades from the ruling class such as George Orwell, Michael Foot and Tony Benn.

The unions should be encouraging members to do part time courses and carry on their education when they are adults. The unions should be putting their prospective politicians through university. Ruling caste propaganda has successfully created the national opinion that you can't be "working class" if you are educated and ignorance is something to be proud of. I wonder who this benefits?

[norbert]

Prescott went to Ruskin College and thence on to Hull

http://www.tuc.org.uk/organisation/tuc-17330-f0.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/education/ ... fm?mins=18" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ideally you take people who are instinctively intelligent , bright and sharp and you polish them up so they can hold their own better .