In that bin

It must have happened to you: you listen to one of those ‘phone-in programmes on the radio – in this case ‘Any Questions’ – and someone asks a question such that you wish you were on the panel to answer it yourself.

In this case, a lady, referring to a rather overblown story about a woman putting a cat in a rubbish bin, asked ‘who would you like to put in the bin?’ and immediately I knew. I should like to put in the four male cloned failures in the Labour Leadership campaign, and see the lid closed by Diane Abbott.

I mean, we know these people, don’t we? They were cabinet ministers in the last government, taking collective responsibility for the decisions it made and for its performance. They must have agreed with what was going on or they would have resigned, wouldn’t they?

So when Gordon Brown proposed debt levels which were certain to leave the next generation in poverty, they nodded and said ‘Yes, Prime Minister’. When he wanted to take away the 10% tax rate for the poorest ‘We’re with you, Prime Minster; who gives a stuff about the poor anyway?’

Society deserves a rest from these men: Balls. Burnham and both Millibands. And they would be well advised to announce a 5 year sabbatical while they work out and articulate what, if anything, they believe in. Labour are going to lose the next election anyway as the voters give that nice Mr Cameron a chance, and the four could come back in 2015 hoping nobody remembered what they had been up to in the years to 2010.

Let there be no doubt: as the exciting leadership contest moves to its closing stages, this blog favours Diane Abbott for leader of our great (ok, that’s enough. Ed.).