Ballot for Labour leadership and Mayor of London candidate?

[Harry_Perkins]

Have any members received either of these yet? Not sure about the latter but I know the former has been open for a couple of weeks now.

[DirtyHarry]

Trying very hard to think of something that would be a bigger waste of my time, nope, it has to be voting for the new Labour leader.

Will vote for Ken Livingstone in the London Mayor nonsense, though.

[Harry_Perkins]

Trying very hard to think of something that would be a bigger waste of my time, nope, it has to be voting for the new Labour leader.

Will vote for Ken Livingstone in the London Mayor nonsense, though.

I don't like Ken but that is pretty much a no brainer versus the largely unrepented Blarite Oona King.

There is actually more choice in the leadership contest and a vote in that will not be a waste of time at all. And Union voters could make a big difference.

[Postman Plodd]

Well that f*cker David Miliband dodged the issue when i wrote and asked him to oppose the privatisation, hedging his bets no doubt.

[Harry_Perkins]

Well that f*cker David Miliband dodged the issue when i wrote and asked him to oppose the privatisation, hedging his bets no doubt.

Yep, he's an uber-Blarite tosser.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010 ... rship-race" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The increasingly bitter "battle of the Milibands" reaches new heights today as younger brother Ed dramatically ditches New Labour and calls for an end to the party's drift towards "brutish" and "unjust" US-style capitalism.

As the two brothers enter the final lap of the Labour leadership race, David Miliband, by contrast, declares New Labour to be "living and breathing in every community" as he announces himself "ready to lead" its renewal.

All five candidates will step up campaigning this week as ballot papers are sent out to some 200,000 Labour supporters. The winner will be announced on 25 September, the day before Labour's annual conference in Manchester.

Writing in today's Observer, Ed Miliband raises the stakes as he positions himself firmly to the left of his elder brother, who is more closely associated with the Tony Blair era. Drawing a deliberate distinction with the joint architect of New Labour, Peter Mandelson, who once said he was "supremely relaxed about people getting filthy rich", the former energy and climate change secretary also promises an assault on pay inequality that will consign such views to history.

"It is plain wrong to think that we can build a stronger society when we are relaxed about bankers paid 200 times that of their cleaners," Ed Miliband argues. In his article the younger Miliband says that, while New Labour achieved "great things", in the end its limitations were exposed.

He argues that, under Labour, society became "more unequal as a country and many middle and low income families were left feeling squeezed, part of a society where we work the longest hours in western Europe". In terms that will endear him to many on the left, if not to the power brokers in Washington, he calls for a new kind of capitalism that rejects the US model that many in New Labour wanted to imitate.

"We need a different approach. Britain's big question of the next decade is whether we head towards an increasingly US-style capitalism – more unequal, more brutish, more unjust – or can we build a different model?"

David Miliband, who concedes that New Labour was far from perfect, insists, however, that it should be proud of its record and is determined that it should remain a party of broad appeal among both its traditional supporters and the middle classes.

The shadow foreign secretary, who has the support of most members of the shadow cabinet, will send out letters and leaflets to Labour supporters this week asking for their vote.

In a race that has created real tensions between the brothers and their camps, he will call for unity and claim to have the necessary experience to defeat David Cameron, a quality he believes his brother lacks.

"There has to be a new era of politics. We need to be fighting the Tories – not each other," he will say. Focusing on the need to reorganise the party and learn from US President Barack Obama's methods, he will promise "a new type of leadership that gives party members, our greatest asset, the recognition and support they deserve".

In private, backers of David Miliband accuse his brother of making a brazen pitch for the second preference votes of leftwinger Diane Abbott and the other candidates, Andy Burnham and Ed Balls, in a desperate attempt to catch up with his brother, who remains the narrow favourite. Second preference votes will be crucial if the vote is close.

Some close to David Miliband fear, however, that the publication on Wednesday of Tony Blair's memoirs could harm his campaign as the former prime minister rakes over the party's past and returns briefly to the limelight. Blair will also appear in a special BBC programme with interviewer Andrew Marr to promote the book.

Burnham condemned the way the favourites were conducting the debate. "There is a real danger for Labour that the frontrunners are beginning to make this race look like a battle between old and new Labour. That suits the media, but not the Labour party. Party members want us to move beyond all that stale old debate.

"We can't have more of the same. I have always spoken for the Labour mainstream, and that is the voice we need to hear now. I am neither Old Labour norNew Labour, but true Labour. That is the clear message I will be taking into the final stages of this race."

[fishtank]

Beware of this Ed "i'm a lefty" Milliband crap.
Ed is only in there to muddy the waters and split the left-wing vote.
He couldn't be more working for his brother if he were wearing a "Vote Dave" badge.

[Harry_Perkins]

Beware of this Ed "i'm a lefty" Milliband crap.
Ed is only in there to muddy the waters and split the left-wing vote.
He couldn't be more working for his brother if he were wearing a "Vote Dave" badge.

There is no issue of splitting the left vote 'cos of the single transferable vote in operation (which is what we should have nationally).

[fishtank]

Beware of this Ed "i'm a lefty" Milliband crap.
Ed is only in there to muddy the waters and split the left-wing vote.
He couldn't be more working for his brother if he were wearing a "Vote Dave" badge.

There is no issue of splitting the left vote 'cos of the single transferable vote in operation (which is what we should have nationally).

It's still an elimination game Harry and he's after Abbot's second preference with David after Burnham's which will effectively shut Balls out.

My prediction for what it's worth.
1.David Miliband
2.Ed Miliband
3.Ed Balls
4.Andy Burnham
5.Dianne Abbot

[Harry_Perkins]

Beware of this Ed "i'm a lefty" Milliband crap.
Ed is only in there to muddy the waters and split the left-wing vote.
He couldn't be more working for his brother if he were wearing a "Vote Dave" badge.

There is no issue of splitting the left vote 'cos of the single transferable vote in operation (which is what we should have nationally).

It's still an elimination game Harry and he's after Abbot's second preference with David after Burnham's which will effectively shut Balls out.

My prediction for what it's worth.
1.David Miliband
2.Ed Miliband
3.Ed Balls
4.Andy Burnham
5.Dianne Abbot

Yes but you can list preferences one to five - so no one is shut out. I'm under no illusions about Ed Milliband but to say he's in the race to help his brother win is just absurd. If he was then he's not doing a very good job as most polls and the bookies reckon it is neck and neck between them!

I'll go:

1) Ed Milliband
2) David Milliband
3) Andy Burnham
4) Diane Abbott
5) Ed Balls

[Big Daz]

Have any members received either of these yet? Not sure about the latter but I know the former has been open for a couple of weeks now.

Ballot papers are due for despatch later this week for full members and affilated members.

[Big Daz]

Have any members received either of these yet? Not sure about the latter but I know the former has been open for a couple of weeks now.

http://www2.labour.org.uk/leadership-timetable" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

September
Wednesday 1st September: Ballot begins to drop
Wednesday 8th September: Freeze date for new members to join.
Saturday 25th September: Announcement of ballot result.

[Harry_Perkins]

Ah, righto... thanks. Must be getting dates mixed up.

[Big Daz]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11134604" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Harry_Perkins]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11134604

What a truly massive phallus Peter Mandelson is! If Ed trys to create a pre-New Labour Party then "this will lead down an electoral-cul-de-sac"? Oh yes, not like the glories of May this year eh Mandy?

[dvbuk55]

I don't think labour lost because of New Labour. Ask yourself how many years "old" labour was in the unelectable wilderness.

Two issues lost labour the election, which under the circumstances, was not a major defeat insofar as there was no clear winner and there has had to be a compromise with a ConDem coalition: the bank fiasco coupled with the onset of recession and people wanted change BUT not enough to cause a Tory landslide.
Personally I couldn't give a toss who the Mayor of London is, something I probably have in common with 99% of the country BUT it is important to a elect the right leader of the labour party.

Much, of course, will depend on how well the coalition performs/lasts - little has changed yet but next year will see fiscal retribution for the incurred debt and probably much higher unemployment.