Andy Burnham previews the agenda he will set out for his Labour leadership bid tomorrow

Comments

[Martin Marprelate- A Man in the Street!]

He's probably their best best for a new Leader. I can hardly wish him luck but I would not be sorry to see him win.

[Richard Calhoun]

I can't believe this guy will make it, what an uninspiring introduction to his campaign.

Surely Labour are able to do better than this.

[dorsetdumpling`]

Two Eds, Mili-Major and the other one. If I were a Labour Party member (far too sensible for that) I'd vote for none of the above.

[Martin Marprelate- A Man in the Street!]

That would leave you with Balls! Surely nobody with one iota of intelligence could vote for him?

[David Lindsay]

It seems a shame that Andy Burnham will probably not receive enough nominations to contest the Labour Leadership Election.

Not only is he a practising Catholic, but he has an English degree, which may not quite be a Theology degree, but is nevertheless a thoroughly civilising influence, and a mark of a man who went into politics out of genuine interest and conviction. Unlike the three PPE énarques who seem to have the thing sewn up, but not one of whom exhibits the slightest interest in politics. There is not much to be said for Boris Johnson, but at least his degree was in Classics, even if that has given him some gravely deficient and defective ideas about the relationship between Christianity and Western civilisation.

I still suspect that he is talking up his working-class background, correctly assuming that the London media will assume any Northern (or Scottish, or Welsh, or Midland) accent to be proletarian. His in no such thing. But he should be asked, how is it that someone with those roots could go to Cambridge even as late as the Eighties? Extremely few did from his real background, never mind from the one that he is allowing people to assume, as he has no doubt been doing ever since Cambridge in the Eighties. Will he thank the Lancashire Labour Party for holding out against Margaret Thatcher, first as Education Secretary and then as Prime Minister, and saving the grammar schools? If so, then I think we all know what follows.