Field Sports: Frank Field Wises Up After Three Years

Wow! Wow! Wow! Frank Field has nominated! In 2007 he - not a great Gordon Brown fan, perhaps you noticed? - refused to join the 300-plus craven Labour MPs who nominated Gordon. But he also refused to add his name to the almost 30 (target was 45 then) who backed John McDonnell to make sure there would be a contest and a full diagnostic on the way forward for Labour. There are few people in the Labour Party these days who would not acknowledge that the ruthless avoidance of a contest at that point became a fairly serious negative, as many of us believed it probably would.

In fact LOL spent some serious time and effort in the last few days of the 2007 nomination process trying to get the 30 and then 20 hold out MPs to back Maccy D.

I didn't think he was quite the right man for the candidacy, though better for it than Michael Meacher, but once the Blairites like Clarke had blinked, and the Compassite's had quailed, Big Mc was the only game in town.

We wrote tailor-made emails to each and every one of them. Including the likes of Denis Skinner, who took his time, and Frank Field who arguably flunked the test completely.

Denis rang me at home himself. "I've already done it lad" he said "Already done it".

Frank sent a heartfelt email. Much as he understood the arguments for having the contest. Much as he wanted a contest himself. (Much as he didn't want Gordon). He could not bring himself to nominate John as he would not wish him to be Leader or Prime Minister.

Of course it all ended in tears.

Three years on Field's had a word with himself and has come out for John McDonnell.

Here's his letter (PDF download) as included above left.

Also right is the call from Mr McD to leadership candidates to share and share alike.

As reported by Guido Staines.

If you would like to pimp John's candidacy and help him join the field of dreams as it were Send Your Dithering MPs HERE.

And if you'd like to see the letter or the Fawkes page larger, you know what you can do.