Mizz Abbott

So.

My prediction is we're going to see David Miliband as next Labour Leader. I'm not over the moon about it, but there are worse options (not only is Balls a twat, but his can you imagine the sniggering in the Commons? If they act like 5 year olds you can't expect them to pass up bollock humour from the Leader of the Opposition.).

Regarding Diane Abbott's candidacy; I am, on the whole, in favour. Emphatically not, however, because of her race and gender.

Affirmative action, (yes Blair's Babes, I'm looking at you) is one of the most ridiculous and pointless ideas in the history of egalitarianism, and it masks problems in how people perceive ethnic minorities like plasterboarding over a hole in a concrete wall. Abbott as Labour Leader would have something that I can't remember any leader having within my lifetime, or the last 30 years.

Substance.

Go look at her voting record. No seriously. Not only does that "against Iraq" checkbox give her massive bonus points, but generally it's pretty good. Listen to her speak. It's a breath of fresh air to hear more substance and spin She'd take the party away from the wishy-washy populist policies of NuLaybuh without going back to the over righteous and unelectable party of the 1980s.

In fact, if Diane Abbot were leader, I'd seriously consider switching my (admittedly rather tenuous) support to Labour, especially as Clegg seems to be being Deputy Prime Minister a little too much, and Lib Dem Leader a mite too little. Now there's something I didn't think I'd say two months ago.

Of course she's not perfect. The son going to a fee paying school niggles, but it's understandable. She's not awash with charisma on an Obama level, though she does quite well indeed, and let's be blunt, she hasn't got the politician-attractiveness, which is distinct from actual attractiveness, but still everyone seems to have it. (By everyone I mean Clegg, Miliband, etc etc. The implication that looks matter for female politicians and not for male ones is both misogynistic and utterly unfounded if you want to talk statistics.)

The question is, do I care. The answer, dear blog friends, is no. As I said, given the choice of substance vs spin, I'll go for substance every time.

Of course, Miliband's going to win it, and be a classically airbrushed, substance-lite politician.

Pessimism ftw.


eta: People are talking about Abbott as a Foot like figure; an electoral liability. To those who say that because of her gender or race, I say fuck off. To those who say that because of her politics or oration, I recommend they watch her prize winning speech against 42 days detention. It's on YouTube.