I have just listened to all six Labour Party Deputy Leadership candidates being 'speed dated' on Simon Mayo's 5 Live programme. You will be amazed to learn that I thought they all did really well and handled a potentially tricky few minutes with humour, wit and straight talking. Hilary Benn came across particularly well and even answered a question he might have been expected to avoid. Asked which of the other 5 candidates he'd vote for he said it would be Alan Johnson.
It is a real shame Gordon Brown isn't submitting himself to programmes like this.
19 comments:
I'm pretty sure that even if The Clunking Fist was up against other people, and even if he wasn't allowed to, he'd still vote for himself.
Did she ?
The recent Benn junior+senior YouTube video plunges new depths of yuckiness.
Hilary talking about his Daddy, Tony.
Tony reminiscing about his Daddy (pronounced "m'Daad") Lord Stansgate.
Tony talking about his favourite film, The Railway Children and how one scene invariably makes him cry - when the Daddy appears.
Labour supporters (who have managed to forget how Tony almost destroyed the party) are lapping it up…
It is a real shame Gordon Brown isn’t submitting himself to programmes like this.
Oh please! We are going to be so sick of Gordon Brown before long. Let’s just enjoy his relative quietude while it lasts.
Hil swerved the question but was flattered by being called straughtforward by Mayo and made his choice. The everypersons chose Benn (boy) and Harman (girl) with Cruddas lurking as a surprise in a good way for both.
Hain tanned toast and Blears getting there too.
I thought Harman didn't come across very well at all. But then I haven't got a vote have I!
smart move by benn. he knows it's between him and johnson so a BENN first, JOHNSON second vote is the same as just a vote for BENN. so he appears straightforward at no cost to himself. nice one Hils! good to see you have the same devious approach to Labour party democracy as your dad (and that's not meant as an insult!)
Didn't Benn avoid that question on Newsnight?
Why teh sudden change of heart?
I like Hilary Benn - and I like Alan Johnson. They're the best two out of the whole bunch...
By the way - who is third in charge of the country when the PM and DPM are 'out of action'?
They had a dry run of that question on with Paxo the other night where the only straight answer was from Cruddas. Blears, for example, tried to go round the room saying "I'd vote for him because...and her because...etc"
So they went away and practised that one in case anyone missed the shambles on Newsnight and asked it again!
It is rather a good contest isn’t it? we're fortunate to have six such strong candidates to pick between. I'm relaxed because any of them would do a good job. Dare I mention that it's a bit of a contrast with recent Tory leadership battles which seem to have been more about stopping the most hated candidate than selecting the most admired? A cartoon in the Telegraph summed things up rather well during the IDS / Clarke contest. It showed one pile of members' votes labelled "can't stand Clarke" and the other "can't stand IDS"...
This isn't a leadership contest though is it? At least the Tory Party had one, or two, or three...But at least they had contested ones. They're all just angling for a permanent cabinet position, no wonder they're all so keen.
What is he doing, running in the 1.30 at Kempton Park?
You expect Gordon, the man of destiny, son of the manse, who gave us the miracle of BOE independence to subject himself to scrutiny? Normal rules to not apply to the sociopathic scottish egomaniac, nor does reality, democracy, accountability and on and on....HIs followers are zealots too, or maybe moonies?
I really do hope Hughes Views was being sarcastic.
'It is a real shame Gordon Brown isn’t submitting himself to programmes like this'
The 'unelected' label is a godsend for the Tories, so where is the shame?
Iain, answer the question. Who did the chipmunk vote for?
Has there ever been a less inspiring or more cowardly leader than the scottish sociopath?
What a pity. I thought from your headline Benn was referring to Boris.
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