To be honest I am astonished that La Rantzen has decided to stand in Luton South. Either she has got friends who have given her very bad advice or her ego is bigger than we all thought. Whatever her motivation, I just can't understand the point of it. What point is she trying to make? Margaret Moran is standing down. She's gone. History. If Esther really wanted to get her teeth into someone, why not pick on someone who has done wrong but is still in situ.It's difficult to judge what effect her candidacy will have. Ladbrokes have shortened her odds to 4/1 but still make the Conservatives odds on favourites at 4/7. Conservative candidate Nigel Huddlestone has issued a 'through gritted teeth statement', as well he might. He warns that she could let Labour in through the back door.
Hopefully the people of Luton will be more sensible, although my head tells me that come the day, there won't be a candidate called Rantzen on the ballot paper. I might ring Ladbrokes and see what odds they will quote me on her pulling out before the close of nominations....
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I'm just racking my brains here, trying to work out why she makes me think of April Moat...
Oh, gawd! What's her policy on war with Iran? I think we should be told.
Oh good! The comedy candidate.
FFS, just leave us alone.
Word Ver: MINGATES
"Hopefully the people of Luton will be more sensible, .."
The triumph of hope over experience?
Question: at what point, in your opinion, does a minority or an independent become an acceptable candidate (even though highly unlikely to win) and at what point do they become ego-driven oiks?
Although I would gladly set Esther "Oh My Christ What An Annoying Voice That Old Hag Has" Rantzen on fire, it does strike me as strange to criticise her merely for exercising her legal and democratic right to stand for election.
The would-be oligarchy of British political parties has, after all, not yet achieved a complete monopoly on electoral candidacy.
Ego's landed.
Iain, She likes the attention. Two appearances on Question Time, also on Any Questions. It is another career move in this woman who just cannot get off our television screens.She will be on more and more now.
No doubt we shall see her old gimmicks, talking/ singing dogs - who will ever forget 'Sausages'??
At least Kilroy had been an MP, but I reckon we shall see a flood of applications from wannabee noticed former stars. Paul Daniels/Ronnie Corbett/Nookie the Bear/Cliff Richard/Billy J Kramer/Trevor Macdonald.Cilla Black etc.
Have you noticed how the BBC give former presenters more shows after they have ''retired'' Like the nepotism because mummy or daddy worked there. Dimbleby's/ The Snow's to mention just two families.
Then how they give former stars their own radio shows. So denying young and up and coming presenters their opportunities.
Last weekend I switched the radio on to find Cilla Black talking about Cilla Black on Radio 2. What on earth goes on in the minds of the people who book these people who should be enjoying retirement.
Bring on the new stars of Radio. Like yourself Iain?
what next?? celebrity big brother winner get crowned chancellor?? scary thing is people will vote for her cos they trust her from watchdug etc...
i say vote Jeremy Kyle for PM. hed sort the hole world out.
" Listen Iran, I dont want to hear anything from you while I'M talking" " This is MY show and I'LL decide ok?"
think of the ratings.....anyone got the number for channel 4?
It also shows how the BBC flout their own rules.
The BBC in response to a complaint about their coverage of the NN by-election told me not once, not twice but three times ( cut and paste template answers) that they give coverage to political candidates based on their prior electoral showing in that area.
Therefore the self promoting, self deluding ego on a stick Rantzen should by the Beebs own rules have no coverage. Yet she has already been on QT and AQ.
I so hope Luton South goes Conservative.
Conservatives have to win 125 seats at the next election and be at least 10% more popular than Labour on election day to form a government.
Last thing we need is this helping Labour through the back door.
Come back Bernard Braden, all is forgiven (one for the oldies).
Hopefully the people of Luton South have already worked out what a dreadful person she is.
Maybe Billy J. Kramer could stand in Richmond Park?
`Rancid` is a has been who is still an egotistical maniac and will do anything to get noticed............should fit in well in Parliment then...
I reckon we shall see a flood of applications from wannabee noticed former stars. Paul Daniels/Ronnie Corbett/Nookie the Bear/Cliff Richard/Billy J Kramer/Trevor Macdonald.Cilla Black etc.
well said. It's going to be open season for any 'family friendly' former household name with enough money to bankroll a return to the limelight.
Ugh.
At least we should be spared Jim Davidson standing as a candidate in Barking & Dagenham on a platform of unalloyed racism, although it could happen.
The thing is, if she wants to stand, stand where she lives, not Luton South.
I was waiting for you to write something on this. Esther Rantzen's entry into this contest is just ridiculous.
She did enough harm through the hysteria her Childline project generated.
I won't forget how she added to my difficulties as a parent bringing up young children.
Staggering that some who, lets plastic surgery face it, has spent her entire career being overpaid with tax payers money, for rather poor quality television, thinks she is acting responsibly by putting her self forward. Ego, ego, ego. She won’t need a second home, we’ve already paid for that.
She would probaly make a greater contribution than a 27 year old who hasn't had a proper job since leaving university . An Oxford graduate with just the sort of background and interest that we need in the Commons. At least she will be able to weigh up the arguments on issues rather than being told how to vote by the whips. Give me rantzen before any robot who wants to be a minister. She might have her faults but at least she seems human.
SAUSAGES!
People are like sheep, you know.....
I guess she's a bit bored in her retirement and needs something to do. Why doesn't she shake up the BBC though? If ever there was an institution that needs to be overhauled radically, that is it.
Lets hope we'll get to see more funny shaped vegetables in parliament as a result. Lord knows we need them.
Well obviously ego. And my guess is also a few doorsteps in the constituency and she’s caught an early case of candidate-itis.
But she’s effectively retired. Her TV career was over and she was reduced to doing the odd tacky ad.
But it works. And how else did California end up with Governor Terminator?
How very different to the inestimable Glenda Jackson who left her career and was the genuine article.
But win or lose, if it keeps the Tories out, it’s no bad thing.
Another finger-wagger? Haven't we enough of those in parliament as it is?
Actually, I wouldn't be suprised if she mops up the Labour vote. I don't doubt she'll be a campaigning headache but with a bit of luck the lack of an issue will stop traction being gained.
Good news as far as I'm concerned.
Anything that breaks the tired old routine where the same basic policies hide behind different faces. And as for the new breed of careerists coming through, it makes you want to give up. I suspect it will show just how disaffected a large amount of the populace are with our current MPs, their policies and their outlook.
And it's great to see all the politicos on here going apoplectic.
is the cross eyed bloke from her 1970's show going to be her agent?
our parliament will be reduced to a laughing stock if she wins
This woman is a champagne socialist whose ilk inhabit in numbers in Hampstead and who took advantage of choices that the Thatcher govt offered in respect of schools, the grammar and independent schools and edicated their children to send them to Oxbridge. She craves for attention and is Labour hiding behind her slogans and when chips are down in the next parliament will vote with the Labour. Luton is a fertile ground for the BNP with its large extreme Islamic militants who will drive even the moderate citizens of all colour in voting for a BNP candidate if its puts up one. She will be a spoiler, and personally I would think some one who has a track record like Ian Gibson would be an excellent choice as an independent candidate.
I do not know the Tory candidate, and Cameron should ensure that some one who has done other work in the real world not as a student activist be selected to stand in a place like this.
A pathetic vanity exercise. I hope you are right, and her name isn't on the ballot when the day comes...
Has politics in this country sunk this low? Yes, the 'Ego has landed'.
We can only hope the people of Luton see this publicity stunt for what it is, and vote accordingly. The audacity of hope, or should that be hype????
She won't make so much as a dent. She won't even be that familiar except to people over 35. And most of them will be voting conservative. As you mentioned Iain, she'd be far better off running against someone who's 'got away wit it' so to speak. She could have run against any one of the cabinet's flippers and given them a run for their money.
He may have gritted teeth, but this is going to be the bane of Tory candidates up and down the country. UKIP's showing in Norwich North suggested that.
With certain minority parties being better funded and the public quite keen on anti-sleaze, I think David Cameron has his work cut out defending his position. That of allowing some MPs to fall into a bottomless pit and others to continue to sit around him at high table. One set was dispensable the other was not.
In that, he is little different from Gordon Brown's cavalier treatment of Ian Gibson. Quite honestly, Gibson should still be there and the dissembling Brown should have gone.
I detect that the public may well give enough votes to Esther for the Luton waters to be muddied.
Iain you're not scared she might upset the old political cabal are you?
I agree with many on here that she is hideous but if she is prepared to put the interests of her constituents first, country before petty party politics, and be an honest politician I'd vote for her.
I am thinking of standing myself at the next general election on the basis we have been betrayed by the present political system, and if I can bring about a better society for my grandson to inherit the sacrifice will have been worth it.
David Cameron has yet to convince me he is to be trusted with the sort of majority Tony Wots His Name got in with.
The next general election and the mood in the country give us all an opportunity that may only come once in a lifetime. Lets hope we do not squander this opportunity.
am i missing something?
is she not more likely to attract labour votes?
the tory candidate should demand to see her expenses when she was milking the tax payer on her show on the bbc,or will that all be stitched up?
Egotrip. I guess she hasn't got any more reality TV shows to go on.
I expect her campaign to be about as effective as Craig Murray's was. Would be quite amusing if I'm wrong though, she'd be very out of her depth in Parliament.
What the hell is she trying to achieve here? Moran's gone for God's sake. Still, at least we can look forward to the presentation of humourously shaped vegetables in the HoC.
Good press release from the Tory actually.
She's always been more about self-promotion than real views. It was the same with Childline - whilst that is a worthy organisation, the credibility that surrounds it was always something she was able to bask in.
I don't think she will stand down though - so much publicity to be gained as she goes along and her spin is always skilfull enough to explain away her (inevitable) minor placing.
She must have found out about the latest 'all you can eat' MP expense allowance.
Don't forget your knife and fork, Esther.
...so, Mr Speaker, with those words I commend this Bill to the House...and now here's a carrot that looks like a cock.
She seems to have had her teeth done since I last saw her 30 years ago.
Although I would not like to see a huge number of independents in parliament, I cannot help thing 10 or so people who are not just lobby fodder might not be a bad thing..
I realise that such MPs might lack an overall political perspective, but frankly a lot of MPs (from all major parties) aren't that impressive.
As to the residence issue. I think it's a false one in UK politics. In the US elected representatives have to have a house/home in whatever district the run for *before* they run for office.
This very recent British innovation of having a 'consituency home' is a farce. Did Churchill ever live in Oldham for example?
Eff me Iain, you scared me then. When I saw that hair I though Hazel Blears had risen from the dead and was leading a zombie takeover of Westminster .
In many ways Rancid represents all that's worst about the mass media, with its obesession with everything that is sensational and simplistic, and its disregard for awkward things like the facts.
I suppose on that basis you might say that she'd make an ideal MP...
But the most likely effect of her involvement would probably be to assist Nulabor.
I suspect though, as Iain does, that she will not make it to the start line.
Never mind incompetency, what about her ethical credentials? Someone needs to look more closely into what was going on at Childline. This is ripe for a bit of investigative journalism!
Salmondet 2.09
"Come back Bernard Braden. All is forgiven".
Braden's mistake was in not sleeping with the producer Desmond Wilcox.
Rantzen is a pushy, attention-seeking, self-righteous cow. She's too insensitive to realise how much the public despise her.
Will this harm the Tories?
I'd have thought it more likely that she would attract Labour voters, they're the ones who are disillusioned with Labour but could never bring themselves to vote Tory. I suspect most of my friends are Tories; I am certain that none of them watch her on television and there is no reason to think any would vote for her if she were to stand in their constituency.
Don't be daft Iain, her ego is bigger than anyone could imagine!
@ Simon Gardner
"How very different to the inestimable Glenda Jackson who left her career and was the genuine article."
That's "different from".
Sheesh, the grammar schools are missed!
Dear Ester Rantzen is just another drone set in place to get the silly and evil people who will vote for the BNP to vote for her in order to save our democracy from doom....
If we can have a Lord Sugar why not Ester Rantzen MP same sort of load of pants!
Where's Cyril Fletcher running?
Another holier-than thou ex tv presenter who can't face obscurity.
Please Esther go away and leave us in peace.Does anyone else remember how she pinched Desmond Wilcox from his former wife?
My public absolutely adore me - they are begging me to stand and I can't disappoint them.
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