I have been in the company of a fair few Conservatives today; some association bigwigs and other Tory councillors. All of them believe Diane Abbott is a joke candidate and will fall flat on her face.
Are we right to think this?
I have also spoken to two Labour members today. One is bored rigid by the whole process and seemed not to care who won or lost. However the other - a woman, it must be said - declared that she would vote for Abbott as her first choice, supporting the outsider but knowing she would lose, and then use her second vote for her "serious choice". (A thought ran through my mind if a new AV voting system may also lead to these sort of outcomes). If a number of Labour members, Trade Unionists or the like think the same then maybe Ms Abbott will do better than we think she will?
2 comments:
Abbott will probably beat Burnham, a man who has a lower profile than the other three mainstream candidates but little to distinguish him from them.
I think mot Labour members main concern about Abbott is that she will turn the leadership contest into a farce for her own self promotion. No one in their right mind thinks she's there to win and she's only on the ballot due to the charity of others. I must say I'm envious of the Tory leadership system right now!
She may also appeal more to the Unions who have a third of the available votes...
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