www.labour.org.uk/leadership/join_to_choose

So much for Labour offering "choice". So it looks like we're going to get a coronation...Whoopee, how very democratic! Is this what Brown meant by a "new kind of politics"? Labour MPs should be ashamed of themselves. I wonder what will happen to Labour's membership figures now that they've been denied a say in who leads them.

On another site: Davidosler.com's blog someone posted this, imo, its a superb description of where we are at

Benjamin said

'Brown will now go on a hustings in the manner of the Chinese Communist Party or the Soviet Union: as the single, only approved candidate, no meaningful opposition or debate, and if a vote is allowed there will only be one name on the ballot paper. Gordon Brown.

After ten years in power, the Labour Party should really ask itself how it wound up with a Communist style hustings process for the next leader and PM, with the party and public completely and deliberately excluded, and the whole thing now completely stage managed.'

What a disgrace and shame on the PLP, how far they have fallen. This is a very bad day in a number of bad days for british democracy. The media should take some of the responsibility, there was a media blackout for most of JM campaign, then once people saw and heard John, they liked what they saw.

JM needs to consider his options now: there are thousands, perhaps now tens of thousands who have been energised by his campaign, his values and yes, his personal integrity, (something the PLP M.P's have none of.)He has raised the standard, he musn't withdraw from the wider battle for a decent humane society

"I wonder what will happen to Labour's membership figures now that they've been denied a say in who leads them."

My thoughts exactly - what McDonnell has been saying is very much in tune with the ideas of a very large part of the Labour Party membership. His arguments and policies are classic social democracy - despite the accusations of 'taking Labour back to 1983', this challenge certainly did not represent any form of left wing extremism - his policies were more representative of the pre-1997 Labour mainstream. Opinion polls have shown a majority of potential voters agree with many of the ideas he put forward, let alone Labour Party members. Such is the discontent in the Labour Party right now - including among unions - that he might have put up a very serious challenge indeed.

I think many members - and perhaps some of the unions - might well take the message from this that the Parliamentary Labour Party is no longer interested in what used to be centre-left social democracy, but is committed to the neo-liberal economic agenda and neo-conservative military agenda.

What they might do as a result is unclear, but I wouldn't bet against a sudden exodus of activists to other parties - perhaps the Greens might stand to benefit?

"I wonder what will happen to Labour's membership figures now that they've been denied a say in who leads them."

My thoughts exactly - what McDonnell has been saying is very much in tune with the ideas of a very large part of the Labour Party membership. His arguments and policies are classic social democracy - despite the accusations of 'taking Labour back to 1983', this challenge certainly did not represent any form of left wing extremism - his policies were more representative of the pre-1997 Labour mainstream. Opinion polls have shown a majority of potential voters agree with many of the ideas he put forward, let alone Labour Party members. Such is the discontent in the Labour Party right now - including among unions - that he might have put up a very serious challenge indeed.

I think many members - and perhaps some of the unions - might well take the message from this that the Parliamentary Labour Party is no longer interested in what used to be centre-left social democracy, but is committed to the neo-liberal economic agenda and neo-conservative military agenda.

What they might do as a result is unclear, but I wouldn't bet against a sudden exodus of activists to other parties - perhaps the Greens might stand to benefit?

As Gordon Brown was checking his wallet to bankroll carnage in Iraq, another world leader was having a similar one-horse-race election.

"In London, the Foreign Office painted a stark picture of the "choice" facing the Iraqi voters:

"You can't have free elections when the electorate goes to the polls in the knowledge that they have only one candidate.."

Didn't know it was over when I posted.  Followed up when I heard...