Wednesday, May 16, 2007

So who's Gordon supporting, then?

For a long time I have believed that Jon Cruddas might be the secret Gordon Brown candidate in the Labour deputy leadership election, mainly because he doesn't want to be DPM and Gordon doesn't really want one. Analysis of the nominations, however, strongly suggests that Harriet Harman is the favoured one.

Although Brownite blogging MP Tom Watson is indeed supporting Cruddas, the nomination list for Harperson looks like a roll-call of Brown's inner circle.

Key lieutenants of El Gordo plumping for Mrs Dromey include: Douglas Alexander, Nick Brown, Tom Clarke, Yvette Cooper, Alistair Darling, Nigel Griffiths, Geoff Hoon, Kevan Jones, Ed Miliband and Michael Wills.

Watson aside, the only ones among the Chancellor's intimates standing aloof from the Harman campaign are Ed Balls, who plumps for Alan Johnson, John Healey, who goes for Hilary Benn, and Doug Henderson, who is yet to nominate.

Continued May 17. Following on from the above, I supopose that if it is the case that Gordon is backing Harriet the obvious question is why? If he thinks that she is the candidate to help Labour reach the parts of the electorate that he himself can't reach, I fear he is much mistaken.

For once, I agree with Tony Blair in his assessment of Harman's claims to represent the voice of Middle England. "Middle England? Middle Islington maybe."

In fact Harriet Harman is regarded by much of Middle England as a champagne socialist - a breed they despise with far more venom than straightforward cloth-capped lefties like John Prescott. I may not like her boyfriend much, but Fiona Millar is spot-on with this piece on CiF today.

As it is, I don't think the unofficial "endorsement" of the Brownite camp is likely to be helpful to HH. Having been deprived of a contest for the leadership, I think Labour members are slightly in the mood to be counter-suggestible where the deputy leadership is concerned.

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7 comments:

James Higham said...

Chipmunk no chance then? And it's a serious question.

Harry Barnes said...

Perhaps Gordon believes that Harriet is better than having no Deputy PM. She will look like she is Deputy PM, but politically she will continue to act as if she does not exist.

Dead Dog Bounce said...

Two strategic points:

1. Gordo wouldn't to make an enemy of Dromey.

2. He would want to hedge around, so he has a go-between/spy for each major candidate.

Anonymous said...

And yet key Brownites, Cooper and Balls, are husband and wife and chose differently.

There is no conspiracy here, just personal choice!

Anonymous said...

Stalin's Gran will be proud!! Her boy done good. All we need how is Blair to be entombed in the manner of Lenin, perhaps the only life peerage Blair is still interested in. The politburo to appear in the Garden of No 10, due to expenditure cuts no Kremlin Wall will be available until the National Plan a.k.a. Public Expenditure Round has been completed. Thoses closest to the glorious leader a.k.a. Deputy Leader, will be sent to the gulag a.k.a. Guantanamo Bay

Anonymous said...

James - yes chipmunk is in with a chance, certainly after her combative performance at the Progress debate yesterday.
Kieran - I don't think Gordon gives a toss about whether he makes an enemy of Dromey.
However I wonder if he favours Harriet, as Paul suggests. She is a bit gauche and her awkwardness will be pointed out frequently if she gets the job. But when you think about it, that was Prescott’s value to Blair - to make him look strong in contrast to the buffoon.
Having said all this I was given a strong indication a few weeks ago that Johnson was The Favoured One. Maybe Gordon has changed his mind, or maybe he thinks they are all pretty useless anyway

HenryG said...

Ken Livingstone to back Jon Cruddas


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6668443.stm