The Labour Leader race is hotting up!

Yes highlander you will, probably in advance of the vote and later more info along with the ballot paper.

Gordon Brown also increased his majority at the election.

DA - feel doubtful about her, but then that goes for all of them!

John McDonnell'sblog. He doesn't like Dave M and Ed B much, does he?

In January he wrote;

"Coming back from my friend David Taylor's funeral and reading all the usual self serving rubbish from Purnell, Balls, Miliband and Cruddas over the weekend really got my goat."

How much real chance has he got?

if you're a member, do you get stuff through the post from each candidate?

I'm pleased to see Abbott stand simply because it's good to see a black woman in the race. Having said that, I would be voting for John MacDonnell. The only real leftie out of the bunch.

Sorry, but I am just laughing at the idea of DA being Labour leader.

They each need 33 backers out of 258 MPs, so we surely aren't going to see more than 5 candidates!

(Mathematically 7 would be possible... but allowing for a good handful who are never openly going to back any one candidate...)

There are usually one or two who announce a bid but don't get any further. Diane Abbott would certainly make it a real contest.

I believe Jeremy Corbyn and Frank Dobson (both of whom were very ready to stand up to their leadership when Labour was in government) also increased their majorities in this most recent election. Perhaps there's a pattern there.

Sadly we only get to vote for anyone who secures the backing of enough other Labour MPs. In the unlikely event they both get on the ballot paper I'd be torn between McDonnell and Abbott, I don't think either will win but at least it looks like being a contest this time round - that's got to be better for the party.

Labour have got an ideal opportunity here to take a long hard look at where they went wrong recently. It has to decide where it wants to base itself.
Blair placed it at the centre, which although enraged the left, was the most popular stance for the electorate. Brown has pushed to the left, and the votes showed what the country thought of that.

Ed Balls is far too unpopular and is too associated with Brown.

Abbot would be an interesting choice. She would symbolise a move further to the left, I think. Fair enough if that's what the party decides, but what will the electorate think?

Milliband could be presented as the new moderate voice, which is what I suspect the party will go for. Vote pleaser.

yeah, and she's not been a member of the Labour party for some years, either. That really would be a shock result: non MP, non party member becomes leader of Labour.

have just checked and short stood down this election. What a pity.

Is Clare short still in parliament. She would be the best leader of the labour party.

I can't say I'm really that interested...
We know that opposition parties in our country have no power and virtually no influence. We've got a stable government for 5 years now -I might start taking an interest in four and a half years time.

@Edam, "tarred with Brown's brush" was used about all five by @BettyBizghetti. It would have been more worrying if she'd been talking about both the Balls being tarred with Brown's brush. ;P Agree with you about Naughtie, though: radio gold. He should have fielded it better than he did. I felt moved by the announcement of her candidacy.

Ed Balls would get a bigger majority as Leader of HM's Opposition, @gerontius. Tactically brilliant.

@Coolfonz, would be interested to know more about the basis for your two assertions.

If Diane Abbott a) does her research well, and b) can turn some serious Socialist convictions into party policy, I will be back on side. Could we have some nationalised industries, perhaps. Failing that, perhaps just some industry ...

How could Ed Balls get it when he's only got a small majority in his constituency? It'd be a massive risk.

CF you really are talking through your arse.

The only sensible option is Diane Abbott IMO. The others would just be more of the same. DA would be brilliant.

I think DA was entirely right to do what she thought best for her own son. Private is a more honourable choice in my book than faith schools, the route away from the herd for too many politicians.

in what way is Diane 'tarred with Brown's brush', exactly? (Actually your phrasing's a bit dodgy there, when applied to a Black woman...)

Every single one of them is tarred with Brown's brush. If I were a Labour voter, this would worry me. As a Conservative voter, I'm delighted, as it greatly reduces the chances of Labour making a comeback any time in the foreseeable future.

Very glad to see Diane Abbot standing. Hilarious when she surprised the Today programme by announcing it live on air - Jim Naughtie gulped and actually said something about 'right, I don't really know what to ask you now'.

Nice contrast to the public schoolboy love-in coalition.

Ah - didn't realise that, I stand corrected