Aibu to think that it is about time Labour had a female leader ?

[frumpet]

And if they did who should they pick in your opinion ?

Gender isn't relevant

I'm not sure they would go with Rachel Reeves. I have known her personally and IRL she has a very difficult, strident personality, doesn't listen and is v egotistical.

I don't think they would risk her after Ed.

Gender isn't relevant

Gender is clearly relevant, demonstrated by the very low number of female leaders we have ever had to choose from.
It's very important to me to see women's interests well represented in parliament. Female MP's are important to me.

OP why is having a female leader so important?

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Liz Kendall.

I wish Alan Johnson would go for it but maybe, like some of the other names here, he is too 'old labour'.

I found myself nodding when Tristram Hunt was on TV on Friday- he appealled to me.

Nicola Sturgeon. I wish she were Labour- I truly do.

I would like to see more female leadership across the political spectrum, however, if Labour want to return to office, they had better have Dan Jarvis as the leader. That way, they stand a chance of convincing some of the Conservative voters to switch allegiance, as well as potentially clawing back some of the Kippers.

Please, please no failures from the Blair/Brown era. I mean you Burnham and Cooper.

It is a complete lie, the debt and the deficit aren't really Labour's fault but ex cabinet ministers from that era open up the attack of 'when the leader of the opposition was in power they maxed out the credit card' bullshit Cameron is fond of prattling out. Also there is age. Cooper and Burnham will be into their 50s by the time of the next election. It is very difficult to position yourself as offering dynamic change when you are a career politician well into middle age.

Rightly or wrongly the public regard labour politicians from that era as damaged goods. They need to look to the 2010 intake for new leaders. Ummuna would be a good choice , has links on both wings of the party, presents well. Build a team around the likes of Reeves Creasy and Jarvis et al.

As for the clusterfuck that is Scottish Labour, there just doesn't seem to be the leadership talent to save it from oblivion. But should serve as a warning as to what can happen when you end up with a second rate Blair era politician in charge.

Oh and my gran voted for Hilary Benn in the Labour deputy leadership election as she wanted a woman to get the job.

I too want Alan Johnson, I think he is just what is needed. Sadly I don't think he wants the jon.

I think Dan Jarvis is well worth considering. He lacks experience but that might be a good thing so long as he can fight back across the despatch box.

I can see no way yet in which the press can relentlessly attack him for the next 5 years as would happen to Yvette Cooper. They're already revving up for that by calling her Mrs Balls which is demeaning but also a millstone if the media forces her to defend him as well as herself all the time. She also hasn't stepped outside politics but I think she would make an excellent Chancellor.

I'm not at all sure about Tristram. I really go for him as a historian but he does seem to make some gaffes. Not impressive enough.

Chuka is very able but I think his sleekness will not appeal widely. Home Secretary perhaps.

Last time the leadership contest took so long that the Tories had time to build up the myth that the economic crisis was caused by Labour so maybe a quick change of leader would be wise now.

Choose someone who has had a life outside politics, is not descended from one of the Labour dynasties, and has done nothing in the previous Labour government which can be twisted around and cast up against him or her forever more.

We need someone who can build bridges with the LibDems. We need a party we can work with to oppose in parliament what is to come and while both parties try to recapture hearts and minds in Scotland.

In short! We're looking for someone who will perform well in parliament, come across well on TV, control factions in the party, appeal to people from London to Scotland and all points in between, articulate a coherent economic policy, reassure the money markets as well as people in need......

*job

I disliked Jim Murphy the moment he declared he was running Scottish Labour and wouldn't take instructions from the national Labour leadership. That was going to work well, wasn't it?

Hmm, just reading up on Liz Kendall and Chuka Umunna. Interesting candidates. Umunna does seem too YOUNG, though most policemen do as well these days

YY to getting it all over asap. The LP likes nothing better than an excuse to sit around arguing ideologies. It's only 5 years since the last time, and the long drawn out process which meant the Tories got a headstart in creating the 'Britain is broke' narrative and embedding it in the nation's psyche.

We should know what our policies are. Surely they haven't changed since last week. And I don't think it was the manifesto that lost us the election.
Lots of external factors, of course, but you do need someone who can put the message across with some sort of flair.

Remember, unless something untoward happens to him - I wish - it'll most likely be Boris leading the Tories in the next election.

I forgot about Alan Johnson. He would be GOOD. The man has integrity by the bucket load. Sadly, I think he's done with front bench politics.

Stella Creasy would be great. She's my local MP and is a brilliant local MP - has a weekly surgery in the shopping centre, responds to any queries, is always at local events - but is also super smart and knows how to play the Westminster game.
However it's probably unlikely to be her this time however I also think it's unlikely Labour will get in in 2020, especially with the redrawing of the constituency boundaries planned by the tories, so maybe she could take over in 5 years.
She may be from a fairly privileged background (though I went to oxford after my local comp in wales and don't consider myself provileged - Oxbridge doesn't equal privilege) but she doesn't come across as 1 iota entitled in her dealings with local people here in Walthamstow so I actually don't think it matters at all.
I also think Chuka Umunna would be great though. He wrote a great piece in the Guardian yesterday on where Labour went wrong - www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/09/labours-first-step-to-regaining-power-is-to-recognise-the-mistakes-we-made

Sorry, too many greats!

I want a move back to Old Labour. Sadly I think they are all dead.
Chukka's problem is he thinks he's Chukka, as someone on Hignfy said. Too ' hellair, look at ME! I'm a superstar politico and I'm BLACK too!'

Alan Johnson may come back if we ask nicely.

I hope Alan Johnson has a role behind the scenes, but he's ruled himself out on the basis that they need someone to steady the ship over the next decade not just short term. Sensible chap.

Chuka doing well on Andrew Marr as I type.

He is apart from the use of "look" , Fuck off with the Blair look talk.

I wish Nicola Sturgeon would forget the independence thing and defect from the SNP.

I wouldn't care if she went Labour, Lib Dem, Conservative, independent, whatever. I think she's good and she would do good things in a political party everyone could actually vote for.

I've just posted this on another thread but it's relevant here so reposting - hope that's ok

I think it has to be Dan Jarvis. Relatively politically inexperienced but he's led men in war zones. Nobody can argue he doesn't know how to lead. He's bright - a strategic thinker - but not intellectual (which would be off putting). He's grounded and an exceptional constituency MP - look at his facebook page and you'll see what the constituents think of him. Bear in mind he was an incomer to Barnsley and he is now very popular and ever present there. He is a centre left candidate and without question that's what Labour need now to win.
On the Daily Mail personal level of things he's not bad looking, there's a much publicised picture of him with a very large gun (arf) and more seriously he's rebuilt his life after his wife died when his kids were tiny. Where other candidates spent their twenties and early thirties working in offices and politicking at conferences and dinner parties he was in war zones or facing cancer with his family. None of the other candidates have anything like that compelling political narrative.
People who've worked with him have talked about the vibe he gives off - of just being a genuinely good bloke. AND he's a totally up to beating Cameron - not Oxbridge, had a real job, can go toe to toe on the value of the NHS as seen in his family, better looking, runs marathons.
People like him and will trust him. Really hope the party can put idealogy second and go for someone who will unite the party and appeal to voters. We have to take votes from the Tories if we're going to win. I saw a very telling map yesterday - showing where labour votes overlap with coal fields. We have to get votes beyond that if we're going to win and somebody like Dan Jarvis will do that.