Following on from yesterday's post about Hilary Benn, today's Times reports that Hazel Blears is to declare after all and she has already won the backing of Labour blogger Luke Akehurst.I have still not yet decided where my own support is going - it's between Jon Cruddas, Peter Hain, and Harriet Harman - but I thought it would be good to have a recap on how the most prominent Labour and left-of-centre bloggers are currently lining up in the race to replace John Prescott.
Jon Cruddas remains overwhelmingly the "bloggers' choice," gaining the backing of such diverse figures as Bob Piper and Kerron Cross, but Hilary Benn also seems to have significant support, once again bearing out my anecdotal hunch that these two remain well ahead of the field in terms of grassroots support.
If there are any other lefty bloggers who have come out in support of particular candidates - or if I have got anyone on this list wrong - please let me know in the comments or via email.
Hilary Benn
Paul Burgin
Mike Ion
Hazel Blears
Luke Akehurst
Jon Cruddas
Bob Piper
Kerron Cross
Will Parbury
Antonia Bance
The Daily
Newer Labour
Peter Hain
Tygerland
Alan Johnson
Stuart Bruce
I couldn't find any blogger who has come out in favour of Harriet Harman. When I first posted this I had thought Recess Monkey was planning to back her but I have since been corrected on this point (see comments.)
Sitting on the fence, but leaning towards either Benn, Blears or Johnson, is British Spin, while Tom Watson appears to be flirting with either Johnson or Cruddas.
17 comments:
I would have thought the chances of Tom Watson supporting Alan Johnson are nil.
My reading of Watson's pronouncements on the issue is that he might be prepared to back Johnson if Johnson was prepared to back away from PR. Which he now appears to be doing.
Hilton & Hilton is part of the Benn bid team.
Yes, I did know that as a matter of fact, but isn't RM a collective?
Paul, RM came out for Benn a while back.
In the old days when I actually went on the stomp at local election time, I met somebody who claimed to know the Benn clan via his job behind the counter of a high street bank.
He had a moderate opinion of Tony Benn. However, Hilary, who would have been in his teens at the time, he described as a pretentious prat.
So Paul, I recommend you support HB
Croydonian
I stand corrected and have amended post accordingly, but all I can say in my defence is that there is nothing tagged here to suggest that RM had taken a view on it.
Akehurst is joking, right?
I can report that yesterday there was a Hilary Benn campaign meeting in Brixton, and sitting on the front table opposite me (with a video camera) was someone looking very like our much-loved simian colleague.
Of course he may be doing to rounds of all the campaigns but he seemed to be enjoying himself.
PS: this seems to confirm it.
David
That sort of explains my confusion about this. Alex Hilton has stated on Labour Home that he personally is supporting Benn, but there has been no such statement on Recess Monkey, which may or may not reflect the fact that RM is a collective and that different views exist on the issue.
Blears for me.
Hmmm, It's fair to say I support Benn both individually and collectively if that helps.
On Recess Monkey, others who write generally write under their own nom de plume or if they write under mine, forego their right to have an opinion of their own.
I hope this is an emphatic clarification
:)
Harman has Jon Worth, though as he does her website that may not be too surprising. Snedds is between Harman and Cruddas. Don't think she has any other support though.
Cruddas also has Miranda Grell, ProScrybed Thoughts, Dirty Leftie, Musings of an Owl and Politics for Beginners.
I think Das 24, formerly "the Blairite blogger", has come out for Benn, but only in the MSM not actually on the blog - similar to Recess Monkey.
Most of the Blairite blogs have kept their powder dry so far.
Benn for me
In an interview with Mike Ion, Tom Watson say's he won't be supporting Alan Johnson for Deputy and that Jon Cruddas is 'leading the field'.
http://mike-ion.blogspot.com/2007/02/blogging-mp-tom-watson-answers-your.html
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