To wonder why the Labour Party isn't replacing Ed Milinand

[Albertatata]

Title says it all really. The election in May should really be Labours for the taking, Lib dems are nowhere, conservatives struggling with the UKIP brigade and yet labour just seen to be limping along, not taking the bull by the horns, not really producing much to attract voters in fact seem very detached from their core voters.

I think politics is so uninteresting to many as we are so disconnected from the main parties full of white, male career politicians. Ed is definitely quite uninspiring (although he seems like a lovely man &, intelligent politician) & I don't think he is the right man for the job.

I want to vote Labour, I really do, but good god - come on they do need a kick up the bum.

Any labour MPs out there willing to take over the reins - Harriet, Andy, yvette?

I don't know if there is a worthy replacement though? Can't stand Ed, hate the look and the sound of him, and if a man can do the dirty on his own brother can you trust him with your country? Would have voted for David in a heartbeat.
Maybe they can go cap in hand and bring him back?

David is much, much better than Ed. Can we not spirit him in to take over?

But why did they vote for Ed when David was the obvious choice? (wasn't he?) It's really odd. Is there something we don't know? I'm not looking for some sort of conspiracy, but was there a strategy of some sort behind that choice? Baffling!

Ed struck a deal sold his soul to the unions in return for their support and votes. Henceforth known as the union puppet.

I don't think any of the likely replacements want it right now.

I think Yvette Cooper would rather wait til her DC are a little older and her DH is firmly in the background.

Yeah, it would be a poison chalice at the moment.

Urgh no, David is appalling - he comes across as so hugely pleased with himself, so arrogant even more so in real life, it would be like Blair#2. And god help the Labour party of all parties if the replacement for the upper-middle-class-child-of-leading- left-wing-figure who probably only got where he got because of his name and is his brother. They'd have to rethink their values statement for a start - 'opportunities for the few not the many', perhaps.

I've always liked Yvette Cooper, though her marriage to the repulsive Ed Balls must mean she's unelectable as leader. I heard OOna King speak recently and thought what an indictment of the Labour party it was that she's no longer in frontline politics. She would have been an intelligent and charismatic leader.

No he doesn't Father. As a non labour voter the one PM tolerable to me in labour government would be David. Ed is ......ineffectual and bleugh.

I share your pain OP.

A lifetime of supporting the Labour Party was flushed down the crapper with Blair. And I hated the soap opera of the Milibands vying for leadership. Not an admirer of either of them and the 2 Eds have been a disaster.

The prospect of a Britain misruled by a coalition of Tory and UKIP arseholes makes me physically nauseous.

Well I will be voting for Ed. Gordon Brown would have been my first choice. Very saddened to read that the intelligent thinking people of mums net are not keen on him. OK he isn't slick and a showman like David Cameron but I thought that we wanted a genuine bloke who believed in the principles of socialism. I think if he was elected he would grow into it and acquire the confidence of a true statesmen.
No to Chukka-boring, uninspiring,
No to Yvette-lacking in charisma
No to Harriet- patronising and smug
No to David- too tory Blair
No to Oona -too irritating
No to Dianne- unprincipled and annoying.
Yes to Alan Johnson-likeable and down to earth
Yes to Andy -likeable and charismatic and think he does a brilliant job.

I worry about Alan Johnson.

He is immensely likeable and unlike much of the current Labour elite he has actually had proper jobs - but his track record has been patchy.
Health sec, Home sec, Education sec and shadow chancellor - not terribly successful in any roles. In fact the wrangle he had over drug classification was very dodgy IMO. He didn't want independent advice he just wanted evidence to prop up govt policy - which is completely arse about face.

The Torygraph seem to have taken to him which is a worry.

Ah John Smith where are you when we need you .....

The Greens have shown themselves to be incompetent in Brighton, and don't have adequate policies for for running a country anyway, just some "nice ideas"

My vote for the Greens would be a protest one, hoping that enough people would do the same to let the "major" parties know that the environment is a massive issue and I'm pissed off with the way they ignore it. We ignore it at our peril.

I know full well they won't end up with any actual power and I'm not convinced by some of their actual manifesto, their policies on immigration for example. But I'd hack my own head off before voting for Ukip.

It really is impossible to call at this stage. Can't see anyone with an overall majority, but will there be anyone to make a coherent coalition with? Poor LibDems sacrificed themselves to make the coalition work (I really feel sorry for them, the way their supporters have reacted - WTF were they actually supposed to do? We needed a functioning government, of course they had to make massive compromises.)
There will probably be quite a few Nationalist MPs - not easy bedfellows for anyone I'd have thought. And I can't see either Labour or Tories wanting to work with UKIP.

Urgh. What's the least worst option?

Errol I see where you're coming from re the LibDems.

I think probably the best of a bad job will be a Lab/Lib/Nat Coalition.

But how the fuck would THAT work?

Yes I voted for Andy last time round - he's good

I also think a Lib/Lab pact will be the way forward next election

That does depend on Lib support in their existing seats not deserting them.