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Original poster

Have labour missed an opportunity for not voting Andy Burnham as leader

231 replies

Slutbucket · 29/04/2016 21:21

Not a corbyn hater I like him and think he is very principled in his ideology. However you see how Andy Burnham has conducted himself in the last week and challenged the Hillsborough enquiries and I can't help but think what if? He has showed that he is an excellent constituency MP, he's had experience as Secretary of State and I think he wouldn't be as divisive.

OP posts:
TendonQueen · 30/04/2016 01:15

And Corbyn isn't getting chewed up? Yes, let's see if all the young people are fired up enough to come out and vote in local elections. I'm sceptical but in a week we'll know for sure.

HelenaDove · 30/04/2016 01:18

i think what AB has done for Hillsborough is commendable but wasnt he involved with bringing in ESA.

MitzyLeFrouf · 30/04/2016 01:20

Uh, I never said Corbyn wasn't being chewed up but he was clearly willing to take that chance. Johnson wasn't. Not at this stage in his life.

HelenaDove · 30/04/2016 01:22

nebulae would you elaborate further or would that out you?

Baconyum · 30/04/2016 02:10

No don't like him. He only started really supporting the Hillsborough families after getting heckled, there's the Stafford hospital issue and his voting record is a bit hit and miss and that is being generous. Reminds me too much of Blair.

Seren85 · 30/04/2016 03:11

He is our MP. I admire and respect what he's done for Hillsborough. He's a crap MP. No interest in his constituents without a camera present and has voted shockingly before now. I am a Labour voter in GE situations but I'd struggle to vote for him.

FFTransform · 30/04/2016 05:41

The Labour Party needed a clean out of the post Blair Tory lite attitudes to get back to trying to represent the average voter and have some principles - not just responses

Andy Burnham was not that person

I hope Jeremy can stay around, but even if not he has changed the environment of the Labour Party

nebulae · 30/04/2016 08:55

HelenaDove During the construction of the Leigh-Ellenbrook guided busway there was traffic chaos in our area. I'm not talking about minor delays here, it was complete chaos in some areas. Anecdotal stories about people having to leave jobs because they couldn't get to work. Two hour round trips to drop kids at school etc. The town I live in almost became an island. You couldn't get in or out at certain times of the day. And this went on for months.

AB made all sorts of public promises about getting things sorted...then went to ground never to be heard of again. I know from FB groups that people were hugely disappointed in him. It was a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, just a local issue, but I think it demonstrated how little he cares about his constituents.

katemiddletonsnudeheels · 30/04/2016 08:57

Andy Burnham was my MP for a period of time and he is certainly on a personable level really nice - pleasant and kind.

However, I did email him about something important, and it was never even acknowledged.

I have to admit I haven't voted Labour since, although I now am under a different M.P. anyway.

GhostofFrankGrimes · 30/04/2016 09:00

No. The last thing Labour needs is a Blairite at the helm. JC was overwhelmingly elected as party leader and the neo liberalists and establishment at large cannot comprehend this. Democracy, eh?

EnthusiasmDisturbed · 30/04/2016 10:17

JC did overwhelming win to be elected as party leader but the votes would hardly make a dent in a general election

People habe moved more to the centre JC should be leading the Labour Socialist Party that's were his views firmly are

EnthusiasmDisturbed · 30/04/2016 10:23

People will also judge him on his handling of issues this week. When you have a leader who prides the party he leads as being a non racist party yet has given positions to people with suspect views, claims there isn't a problem then within 24 hours announces there is going to be an inquiry when it is not until they are questioned by the opposition regarding one of their mp's actions and takes his time in responding to KL offensive remarks

His management and judgement is being called into question and rightly so

Hassled · 30/04/2016 10:31

I think I agree with you now re Burnham. I've never thought that Corbyn was a good choice; he's a decent, honest, principled man which is more than you can say for many politicians, but he's not a leader and never will be if he doesn't have the Parliamentary Labour Party behind him. I voted for Yvette Cooper because I wasn't impressed by Burnham either - I saw him as very good on Health, but not a lot to him otherwise. And now I'm thinking I was wrong - he could lead the party well.

limitedperiodonly · 30/04/2016 10:52

I liked Andy Burnham until the leadership campaign when he was exposed as a careerist who would say anything, I believe that's true of many politicians, but he couldn't hide it and then flailed about petulantly.

I was shocked at his unmasking mainly because he had behaved so magnificently over Hillsborough.

ciceroscribe · 30/04/2016 10:58

AB is LOVELY :)

megletthesecond · 30/04/2016 11:03

JC isn't PM material. I don't think labour can win with him.

AB has potential but isn't who I want to see as labour leader.

weirdsister · 30/04/2016 11:04

Yes he spoke well about Hillsborough but that's not surprising as he's been so involved.
He didn't do as well with the other questions on QT.

Personally I like Angela Eagle.

echt · 30/04/2016 11:05

AB is a placeman in a solid Catholic vote area, as have been his predecessors.

I would not trust him to sit on a toilet the right way round.

RandyMagnum · 30/04/2016 11:15

I voted for Corbyn via my union subs, purely for the comedy factor, as I knew he'd be a joke.

GhostofFrankGrimes · 30/04/2016 11:22

Oh please.

Whoever is Labour leader will get smeared by the Tories and their media collaborators. First it was "Red Ed" and Ralph Milliband "the man who hated Britain" (because the right wing bar can never be low enough). Now it is predictably "Comrade Corbyn". This is the man who has championed social justice throughout his career including campaigning against Apartheid South Africa around about the same time others were saying "hang Mandela the ANC terrorist". Apparently, it is Corbyn who has terrorist friends. Hmm

Someones moral and intellectual compass is off and it ain't JC's. Anyone thinking outside the media sphere can see that there is a concerted effort to close down any debate that challenges the status quo whether it is challenging bankers, Israel or off shore tax havens.

Chippednailvarnish · 30/04/2016 11:24

AB's chances of being labour leader are nothing to do with his abilities and everything to do with his opponents inabilities.

ZenNudist · 30/04/2016 11:26

I would have classed myself as a labour voter before they got Corbyn as leader and now I've lost faith.

I would probably have voted labour under any moderately sensible leadership.

I'm disgusted by the latest farrago with Livingston. I think they're arguing a over pointlessly divisive issues whilst the country goes to the dogs. Who gives a rats arse what Hitler thought.

Yourface · 30/04/2016 11:40

I think Burnham has been brilliant over Hillsborough and has come over as being genuine, true fighter and man of the people. I asked myself same question re. Leader and I think the answer is no. I wouldn't trust him due to hospital privatisation thing.

EnthusiasmDisturbed · 30/04/2016 11:40

Whoever leads the labour party will have to try and win over the press its nothing new what is new is we now have social media that could be used to promote that party but yet again they fail on this

Labour should be far ahead in the polls and they are not its being handed to them on a plate and yet they fail it's pathetic JC is nothing but a back bencher should have stayed there and keep constantly voting against the party he stands for Hmm

GhostofFrankGrimes · 30/04/2016 11:48

Labour should be far ahead in the polls and they are not its being handed to them on a plate and yet they fail it's pathetic JC is nothing but a back bencher should have stayed there and keep constantly voting against the party he stands for

As I keep saying JC was overwhelmingly democratically elected by party membership. There is no appetite for a return to New Labour from the man on the street.