John McDonnell: MySpace Light Under Bushel?

[rhetorical]
John McDonnell has a myspace presence.

Been there for a while in fact.

He seems to have some crazy friends on there but there's no need to hold that against him.

Policies that John is FOR include:

Withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The end to privatisation of public services.

A Real Living Minimum Wage of at least £7 an hour.

A green energy policy based on renewable power sources.

An increase in Basic State Pension from £84.25 to £114 a week.

Defence of comprehensive education and abolition of tuition fees.

The restoration of trade union rights and civil liberties.

Though virgins sneer and harlots cheer ... there isn't anything in this policy platform which isn't shared by a good number of Labour Party members, by supporters and by bemused and unrepresented voters.

There is probably nothing unelectable about this programme. It could be a vote winner in the right hands. If the party feels the need to trim the sails a little there will be a restored means to do that. It will not be a case of "my way or the highway".

It is perhaps the kind of programme that Labour would be looking at if it had been Tories who had been:

* propping up runaway and dangerous US Imperialism;
* marketising and privatising our public services;
* fiddling while the planet burned;
* providing means-tested top-up not earnings-linked workers' dividend;
* offering some hollow "choices" to parents;
and
* putting trade union rights and civil liberties on the back burner.
[/rhetorical]

It would be good to see John on the leadership ballot. I know Labour Party officials who want to see him there. And not so the left will be crushed.

But rather so that the party and the movement will get the debate we need. Let's have someone from the Compassite centre. And two or three from the government. So that whichever two or three people take up the Leader/PM, Deputy Leader and Deputy PM roles are accommodating the majority of our broad movement within their direction of travel and renewing the broad appeal Labour has to working people and to all those truly committed to peace, justice and above all equality.

The Parliamentary Labour Party, Commons division, has the numbers to nominate SEVEN for each contest. They should use those numbers to ensure that party renewal in power is a reality and not just managerial double-speak.