• Cruddas wants to rebuild Labour as a campaigning organisation in local communities with more resources supporting the grassroots. • Cruddas wants to separate the post of Deputy Labour Leader from that of Deputy Prime Minister. This will allow him to concentrate on bringing people back to the Labour Party, and representing the views of the party to the government. • Cruddas would reorganise internal Labour Party democracy. Less suffocating control, more debate. • Cruddas is enthusiastically supported by the trade unions, the backbone of the Labour movement. • Cruddas is the only candidate not in the government. He will therefore be a much-needed fresh face! (and what a nice face too) • Cruddas is the only candidate opposed to fees, which is surely extra incentive for student Labourites to support him. • Cruddas has great experience of campaigning against the BNP, who have relentlessly targeted his working-class constituency. • Cruddas is a fan of Billy Bragg, and Billy Bragg is a fan of Cruddas!
Seven out of eight ain't bad?
― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:13 (nineteen years ago)
But seriously, Cruddas is the British politician I've actually been excited by for... maybe the best part of a decade? An anti-BNP, pro-union, Old Labourite with New Labour media skills... I mean, he can't be as good as the image I have in my head, right? The Guardian are reporting that he's second in the running behind Hilary Benn at the moment, there's a chance, no matter how small, that this guy is gonna be second-in-command of the UK within a few weeks... shouldn't we talk about him?
― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:16 (nineteen years ago)
Feel free to widen this out to the rest of the contestants as well.
And it's "Jon" not "John". He even has a cool spelling, for the kidz.
I thought Harriet Harman was favourite? What height is Hazel Blears anyway? Under 5 ft?
― Tom D., Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:18 (nineteen years ago)
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A POLL
― acrobat, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:20 (nineteen years ago)
You mean a 'What height is Hazel Blears anyway?' poll?
― Tom D., Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:20 (nineteen years ago)
Hilary Benn 11/8 Alan Johnson 2/1 Harriet Harman 7/1 Jon/John Cruddas 8/1 Hazel Blears 10/1 Peter Hain 14/1
And Blears must be a good eighteen inches shorter than the rest of the candidates, yeah.
― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:20 (nineteen years ago)
It is good to see Benn doing so well because the impression I have of him is as the most decent man in the government. However I would like to see him at the foreign office getting back to Robin Cook's aspirations of 10 years ago rather than as LP deputy.
Whoever wins the deputy leadership should take Cruddas' campaign messages to heart.
― Ed, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:23 (nineteen years ago)
my impressions from that newsnight debate Hilary Benn - boring Alan Johnson - bricktop Harriet Harman - nearly there Jon/John Cruddas - good Hazel Blears - true believer Peter Hain - must try harder
― acrobat, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:24 (nineteen years ago)
Alan Johnson can't win, he's too boring. Why is Peter Hain So Bad and Hated?
― Tom D., Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:25 (nineteen years ago)
I liked Benn's opening salvo on Newsnight. Hain totally corpsed, though.
― suzy, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:31 (nineteen years ago)
Benn Minor would be acceptable. Unfortunately nobody knows who Cruddas is.
― Tom D., Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:32 (nineteen years ago)
Cruddas was the only one to pick a fight with the invisible elephant uninvited.
― acrobat, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:33 (nineteen years ago)
I'm wary of Cruddas as I understand he had a reputation as a Union fixer under Blair? Also being mates with John Harris. Also voting the wrong way on destroying Iraq. But he's the closest thing to a socialist in any of that sorry shower.
― Noodle Vague, Thursday, 31 May 2007 14:37 (nineteen years ago)
In other words: yes, guardedly, Cruddas FTW.
Cruddas has apologised for voting for Iraq, the only one to do so. His pamphlet written with John Harris is very good, so regardless of what one thinks of the guy, it's worth reading.
― The Boyler, Thursday, 31 May 2007 15:56 (nineteen years ago)
Is it online?
― Ed, Thursday, 31 May 2007 15:57 (nineteen years ago)
Yes
― The Boyler, Thursday, 31 May 2007 16:16 (nineteen years ago)
Ta
― Ed, Thursday, 31 May 2007 16:19 (nineteen years ago)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/boris_johnson/1930093/Gordon-Brown-must-learn-from-Boris-Johnson,-says-John-Cruddas.html
― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 15:55 (eighteen years ago)
S'YUH BOY
― William Bloody Swygart, Saturday, 20 September 2008 21:30 (seventeen years ago)
Heard some Labour politician talking on Radio 5 this evening and was absolutely bowled over by his straight-talking, modest, reasonable, progressive, no-bullshit attitude. Turned out to be this dude. Never before have I felt a politician speaking directly to and for me. Not sure how much of it is his voice but I implicitly trust everything this guy says tbh
― gosh I actually dig this shit (country matters), Sunday, 14 June 2009 00:35 (seventeen years ago)
Best bit was when he was asked "Does Britain need Jon Cruddas?" and he was all "Oh god no, things haven't got that bad!"
― gosh I actually dig this shit (country matters), Sunday, 14 June 2009 09:40 (seventeen years ago)
Correct title spelling plz.
How did this guy nearly lose? Him AND Evan Harris would have been too much. As it is, smdh @ u East Londoners/West Essexers
― Mansun was where I fucked up (acoleuthic), Friday, 7 May 2010 10:34 (sixteen years ago)