If Harman Wins...Will The Last Member To Leave The Labour Party, Please Turn Off The Lights!

As an enthusiastic Labour Party member, I am looking forward to receiving my ballot papers to vote in The Labour Deputy Leadership election. The party of course needed a proper leadership election for the top job. Brown needed to be taken on fiercely, solely for the sake of democracy if nothing else. Despite Brown's scandalous disloyalty to Tony Blair over the years, I have warmed to him recently, and would have 99% voted Brown anyway, but it would not have done Brown any harm to have seen a heavyweight challenge. David Milliband, Alan Milburn or John Reid would have done the party a service by standing. A really big debate was needed.

There was however a really good substitute debate on Newsnight last night (29th May) when the increasingly comical Jeremy Paxman interviewed all six candidates for the Deputy Post. All candidates debated against each other, and there were signs of acrimony to come.

I learned one thing from watching the debate. I will now vote for the candidate who has the best chance of stopping Harriet Harman.

Harman's vicious verbal behaviour last night, left an ugly taste in the mouth. It was more like watching Medusa (pictured above) from Clash Of The Titans, rather than the usual cosy preachy persona she has presented to the public over the years. In a desperate and unhinged attempt at grabbing power, she used every opportunity to rubbish Tony Blair and New Labour, when wasn't she originally an arch moderniser. Emperor's New Clothes, Harriet. It will not wash.

Harman was particularly vocal over Iraq. It's funny, I do not remember her saying much about this, when the Late Robin Cook took his principled stand. Her argument that if she had known there were no WMD, then she would not have backed the war, smacked of glib opportunism. Hazel Blears correctly informed her, that if the Government had known that, then the war motion would not have even gone before the house.

Harman seems to believe the ludicrous populist nonsense, that Blair went to war solely out of of poodle like loyalty to George Bush. Come on Harriet, do not believe everything you read in the papers.

All those appeasers in this country, including Harriet must realise that Saddam was a genocidal madman. Look up the poison gas attack of Halabja, on the web, if you cannot remember. After reading of such atrocity, we must then, be rightly proud that Britain helped topple him. Harriet's cynical stance on Iraq was just one example from an overly aggressive performance that really offended me.

It looked manufactured, and a touch desperate. Trying to win over leftist pacifist CND badge wearers who left the party over the war, and get attention grabbing headlines from anti Blair newspapers who worship Cameron. She even managed to woo over the left's official candidate Jon Cruddas on the programme. What are excellent Labour people such as The Kinnocks doing, backing such a crude campaign.

As for whom I would like to see win, on the strength of the Newsnight hustings, I thought Hilary Benn was really excellent. He inspired with his emphasis on social justice, fighting poverty and using the role of deputy leader to re-engage with the whole movement. His serious no nonsense approach could be a real asset to Team Brown, in the fight against the lightweight and gimmicky notting hill Tories.

Id like to vote for Hilary, if he has enough support to stop Harman. If the polls suggest this, then I will do so. Otherwise, my cross will go to Blears, Hain, Johnson or even Cruddas (in that order).

Medusa must be stopped.