Even in the absence of Michael Meacher and Jon Cruddas the PLP ExtraLeft cannot (as yet) agree on one candidate?

Anyone who thinks that Frank Field or Kate Hoey will do as they’re told must have been reading the duffer news on the asteroid belt.

Nope, sadly for the supporters of the out of touch, the brewery remains unorganised.

Surely there has not yet been a Labour Party Leader or Deputy Leader election since the franchise was widened in the ’80s in which there has been ONE left, or one extra left candidate? Did not even John Prescott have to face Margaret Beckett in 1994?

Well, the Milibands between them now have 65 spare nominations. Since Gordon Brown has said he won’t be nominating anyone, that means that there are only exactly enough nominations left to nominate the remaining three candidates. It looks like Burnham will make it, but it’s not currently hopeful that either of the others will.

Abbott’s noms will not go to McD. But McD has more, and there’s no guarantee his noms will go to her. They should meet, along with all the MPs who have nominated them, and have a discussion before the deadline tomorrow.

…why not ask Bob Piper whom to endorse?

John has 16 nominations, Diane 11. Diane needs 22 of the remaining 30-odd, which considering she’s only managed 11 so far is unlikely before 12:30pm tomorrow.

Both have attracted unlikely support: Dowd, Hoey, Field for McDonnell; Mactaggart, Vaz and Harman for Abbott.

There’s no chance MPs will en masse transfer from one to the other.

The Left should not blame each other. The fault is the system that allows MPs the veto at this stage. The fault is the sycophants who have racked up 70-odd nominations for David Miliband and nearly 60 for his brother when 33 is all that’s needed.

The NEC should listen to the party – which it is there to represent – and lower the threshold.

http://l-r-c.org.uk/press/mcdonnell-calls-on-the-party-to-allow-all-the-candidates-on-to-the-ballot-p/

Completely agree with Andrew. We have to put pressure on the NEC to lower the threshold to 5%. Until the NEC Procedures Committee meet tomorrow neither should stand down, because there IS plenty of pressure on them to waive the rule for this contest.

I don’t think there is a “stand down and transfer” answer, unless there are big changes tomorrow, because not all either candidate’s nominations will go to the other. It would be silly indeed for a candidate to withdraw without it being clear that their doing so would allow the other to proceed.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Labour-NEC-Lower-threshold-to-5-and-allow-all-six-on-Labour-Leader-ballot/123588557681233

John McDonnell has more nominations than Diane Abbott – that should be enough to decide who goes forward. If you don’t do it on that basis then you can argue forever about whose nominations would be more or less likely to transfer over and it just comes down to whoever is more stubborn in a stand-off. Diane has more centrists who might not be willing to nominate John, John has more mavericks who won’t necessarily nominate Diane just because John asks them to.

The only thing we can say for certain is that John has more nominations than Diane and that Diane standing down is more likely to result in more MPs nominating him than her not standing down.

I suppose that the execrable record of Extra Left non co-operation, plus the backing of Harriet Harman and Ed Balls for Dianne to be a nominated candidate may well swing her more support at the the end of the day.

I’d far prefer Gisela Stewart if a woman candidate was to be nominated, and Cruddas if an extra left one is to be.

It is the PLP which carries out this process, and I hope they fulfill their duty to nominate only candidates at least 33 of them would be happy to follow.

Surely you understand that both McDonnell and Abbott would be utterly disastrous.

McDonnell who praised the “bravery” of the IRA “bombs and bullets” in 2003?

Abbott the hypocrite who sends her kids to private school?

Though please do go for it.
It would be very entertaining indeed.

“Hello, my name’s cjcjc and I’m a Labourholic.”

Oh I am.
But I’m not going for rehab.
It’s just all too entertaining.

And it’s McDonnell who steps down.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10271228.stm

I think it should be Abbott for the simple reason that last time Meacher stood down to give McDonnell a clear run at Brown but McDonnell failed then. Let Abbott humiliate herself.

McDonnell who praised the “bravery” of the IRA “bombs and bullets” in 2003?

Abbott the hypocrite who sends her kids to private school?

Yes, cjcjc: David Miliband, who helped to cover up the abuse of prisoners, is a far more sensible choice.

Oh there are no sensible choices.

Like Cammo, the next Labour PM will be someone who is unknown today.