Further reports of a Cruddas-Purnell partnership

Purnell is a dead duck for any number of reasons.

For example, I just found out that James Purnell nominated one of his properties as BOTH his main AND his second home enabling him to claim the second home allowance, as per that property's mortgage, and simultaneously avoid capital gains tax when he eventually sells that property! And this from the man who is supposed to be anti-benefit fraud and anti-benefit dependency!

You really couldn't make it up could you!

Still, every cloud has a silver lining. The truth of the matter is that camp and smirking figure of little James Purnell is finished in the Labour Party for forcing his ridiculous and draconian welfare "reforms" down the throats of the Parliamentary Labour Party during the worst recession in sixty years AND with the Tories, which party I believe he might have tried to have joined post 2010, because he has been shown to be a dishonest individual and a fraud!

Let's hear no more nonsense about Purnell as a future leader.

The poor little amoral guy is a busted flush!

PLEASE no more leftovers from the old court of Blair. Purnell and others who started working for TB in the nineties were never natural Labour supporters nor even Party members before embarking on their careers in the Leader's office - for the sake of appearance many only joined the Party on joining Blair's staff. I seriously doubt many will hang around beyond the next General Election in pursuit of well-paid consultancies. We need someone who is instintively Labour with a broader understanding of the electorate than the cosseted Oxbridge educated careerists TB surrounded himself with - many of whom now sit around the Cabinet table. For a Leader with life experience and genuine charisma look no further than Alan Johnson...

Surely Johnson is 'court of Blair'?

Purnell is part of the Oxbridge nomenklatura who believe they have a right to rule. I had the misfortune of playing the Red Menace football team which included a number of
aspiring politicians of his ilk

I think Joe Fraud's assessment is spot on. Time to clear this clique out as ruthlessly as they cleared out Kinnock and Smith supporters in order to create space for themselves to climb up the greasy pole .

Jon Cruddas seemed to me when the deputy leadership was run to be a man of integrity and some charisma. Certainly he may be a little on the old Left, but there's nothing wrong with that. Dear Duchess Hattie won that - and hasn't she covered herself with distinction since? - but Purnell is an oleaginous creep who is interested in James Purnell and very little else. Don't do it Jon!

You all say Cruddas is left wing but, as far as I know, he enthusiastically voted for and supported Purnell's dreadful Freud (or should I say "Fraud") inspired welfare reform bill. If you were to expect great moral authority from Cruddas you're on a hiding to nothing I'm afraid!

Alan johnson would be my choice, this is a man who worked his way up in the world ,has had a real job and knows what its like in the real world,he is not a university buff who has no grasp of the working mans life.

I would be more interested in who else may be standing when the time comes. Hilary Benn I hope will stand, but understand if he chooses not to, Alan Johnson's intriguing,the next leader may well be a current unknown! Lets see how things pan out!

Idea,lly, it would be somebody totally ffree of the sleaze surrounding the Blair/Brown New Labour years - but I don't think now is the time for a VERY young leader. At least somebody not in the current government front bench - which for me would be Jon Cruddas, but he must not contaminate himself with Purnell under any circumcstances: for one thing Purnell is the cabinets biggest benefits scrounger, and for another, Purnell would be the senior partner in any collaboration - and he is Blairite red in tooth and claw. Alan would be a good caretaker, I think, and Hilary Benn as well as Ed Miliband (pity you can't say the same for his brother!) have, like Alan Johnson, not been greedy where expenses are concerned.

The next leader doesn't matter much.

Start planning for 3/4 terms.

If you are wise, instead of panicking over short term issues you will plan ahead - I don't expect anyone here to acknowledge it, but the fact the tories have several past leaders gives them some relatively heavy weights to call on in the background.

Labour let brown kill off any potential competition to himself - so have nothing in place or in the pipeline. Start now - plan to have at least half a dozen decent people around for three parliaments time... Between now and then, looking at anything else is just a diversion.

In your dreams.

Unlike 1979 (or indeed 1997) the entire economic drift of the Western World has shifted drastically to the left in economic terms (away from free market fundamentalism). The idea that the Tories can either return to Thatcherite values, or emulated Blairite Triangulation, is pure pie in the sky. If they get a working majority (a big 'if') my guess is that British politics will go through something like the early 70s, with coalitions and ideological cross currents creating a series of fairly unstable administrations.

Of course, feel free to pattern the future entirely on the last 30 years. But I would wager that you'd be missing a huge historic shift, not just in Britain but the rest of the world.

Peter, when Labour are defeated, Brown will be out. As new ideas / potential leaders have been stifled, their is no real obvious future for Labour. TT is right at least 2 terms in the wilderness (1 to rebuild and 2 to sell it to the electorate), by which time you could be suicidal facing such a long stint in opposition (AKA the wilderness).

I guess someone's got to 'lead' Labour in opposition during the next couple of decades.

Personally, I would hope Jon had more sense than taste than to associate himself with Purnell: Purnell the cabinets biggest benefit scrounger, who even charges us for his groceries.

Jon is supposed to be on the left of the party - he can have nothing in common with extreme right-winger Purnell, who has been exposed for what he is - a hypocrite of the first stripe. He shouldn't touch him with a bargepole

I can't think of anyone less I would like to lead the party than Purnell and there was a lot of competition.

Ahh grubby Purnell the man that played the system on the rent for his flat. Lets face it this generation of MPs are busted, they will forever be associated with Blair/Brown and snouts in the trough. Time for Labour to go back to its roots and recruit real people as candidates, not 22 year old wanna bes but honest real working class people.

Hmm, looks suspiciously like a Purnell plant. Guaging opinion perhaps?

Why would Cruddas want to split a ticket with him? One represents the market, and the other is a sceptic.

Two points:

Cruddas was Brown's protegé, seems odd he would wield the knife.

Secondly those who wield the knife, never get the job.

The pairing is by no means naive, Cruddas would get the votes of almost all those on the left, and Purnell those of the right. Definitely a power-pairing.

Perhaps a certain Mr. Brown is standing down before the election, or perhaps they know they won't get the job, but want to topple Brown?

"The pairing is by no means naive, Cruddas would get the votes of almost all those on the left, and Purnell those of the right. Definitely a power-pairing."

But they would always be at loggerheads. There are still too many Blairites fouling the cabinet. Jon would be mad to be associated with them, but I really don't think he'd do it.

Recalling the hype around Duke Nuken Forever, development hell, and subsequent collapse of 3D Realms, this potential leadership team may have some traction. I like the general idea of "invest in loss", and Cruddas has the style and Purnell has the intellectual capital to deliver a blockbuster. Whether this GB (Gordon Brown) can rekindle his spark or be quitely put out to pasture like the other GB (George Broussard) remains to be seen. Whatever happens, now is usually a good time.

I like the basic idea of "invest in loss" but the implementation and media storm is getting in the way. I'd already decided in my own mind that if Gordon Brown didn't put in a convincing performance at the last PMQ he should leave. While I had hopes he'd rise to the occasion I'm more interested in the goals happening than propping up an individuals ego. Like Broussard, Brown may have aimed to high and just got tangled up in the realities. This happens but the world moves on. Sometimes, you have to cut your losses and get with that.

Hail to the King, baby!

Yes and I will vote Cameron. Cruddas has done nothing in office each time he was offered he said no, so we will vote him in what second in command. Or have they had a meeting to discuss how long reach will lead while the other waits his turn, remind you of anyone.

What we need these pair to do is to offer up what they will do for Labour if elected at the next election give the party somethinmg to bother voting Labour.

get elected by the people and take labour forward, because right now we are returning to the last term of Wilson and that kept us out for a very long time.

Policies lads we need policies not sound bites, what is the future of Labour, what will you do, how will you do it, and these days how will you pay for it.

you want policies from Labour or else you'll vote Cameron, a policy-free zone?

I'm voting Cameron. Instead of listening to Brown "Do nothing rhetoric" I had a look and liked what I saw. You vote for useless wars, degree's for all, sleaze and economic meltdown. There's a good boy.