Wahey! PunchMeNow Blears has resigned!

[LupusinaLlamasuit]

The BBC are reporting. No link yet.

maybe a good thing all this has happened...people will enter politics now to help the people..rather than themselves..[nostalgic]

Lupus - I am not sure Parliamentary work itself is so bad for mothers. The hours have been changed so there is only one late night a week, most Fridays are free (although could be filled with constituency work), there are long holidays that coincide with schools holidays. I think part of the problem is the nature of our parliamentary debates is very confrontational and bullish which often suits men better. But more than that I do think the media have a big role to play. Some of our daily papers delight in hounding women for every little mistake. They scrutinize parts of womens' lives that no male politician would dream of being criticized for (size, hair, clothes, choice of partner). Westminster is not to blame for everything.

Ah. OK. Fair enough. Cabinet must be tough though?

Yes, hounding of female politicians by press bad.

Glued to PMQ (starting in 20mins) but frantically marking at same time

Julie Kirkbride resigned a good week or so after her husband, who had done the same thing, hadn't he?

So who do we want to lead the Labour party then, onw Gordon's hanging on by a thread? Who could do it? I can't bear to see the Tories in, even if it is looking like a foregone conclusion.

Alan Johnston might be worth a punt. At least he's got a proper Labour life story and has been good at his job.

I always liked Frank Dobson, thought he was unfairly treated by Blair.

Hilary Benn got a clean slate on exes... why can't I think of any women?

I take it you've dismissed Harriet Harman?

I like Alan Johnston, he always come across well without being too crowd pleasing.

GB is not sounding too convincing on PMQ is he?

I think his 'they've got no policies' rebuttal is reasonably robust though.

Cameron isn't sticking the knife in as well as the other week when this kicked off (yet)

Yeah he said that just after I wrote it. And Cameron came back with nothing at all.

Delighted to see the back of La Blears (rofl at 'evil squirrel').

Lupusina for PM!

or other MNers too legion to list.

I can't understand why the BBC news is portraying this as Bad News for GB. OK, I understand lots of MPs wanting to stand down doesn't look good, but Hazel Blears?? Standing down = Bad News???

rats leaving a sinking ship

feel a bit sorry for GB

does this mean an election pdq then?

kind of feel sorry for gord too

it's all gone tits up hasn't it
seems like there's a bit of a panic on to me

How could I forget Harriet? Was an interesting focus group on Newsnight a while back - once they were given biogs of Johnston, Harman and (IIRC) Balls and Straw, they really liked Harman. Although I think Johnston came out on top.

heh heh heh: the people of Swinton/Salford are so looking forward to having her back and letting her know what they think of her... lovely, supportive voxpops on the BBC

Alan Johnson seems a jolly nice chap, but he doesn't exactly exude dynamism or clearly deserve a crack at the top job as he's so full of vibrant ideas. More of a case of looking at a big hole in the sinking ship and thinking 'We need something to plug this with NOW! Here, this sandbag will do.'

I think she looks like Basil Brush.

My vote goes to Alan Johnson.

Harman is appalling.

I go with daftpunk at 11:30: "maybe a good thing all this has happened...people will enter politics now to help the people..rather than themselves..[nostalgic]"

Utopia?

Forgot to add my DH's comment on Bleughs:

Salford Labour Party used to have a joke about her: don't turn round or she'll stab you in the arse

Am taking comfort from the fact it's not just my husband with the thing for Caroline Flint. He calls her the "minister for hotness"