UK Labour Party Leadership Elections

[Phony Moderate]

How would you have voted in them?

1922 - Ramsey MacDonald, John Clynes

1935 - Clement Attlee, Herbert Morrison, Arthur Greenwood

1955 - Hugh Gaitskell, Aneurin Bevan, Herbert Morrison

1960 - Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson

1961 - Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Greenwood

1963 - Harold Wilson, George Brown, James Callaghan

1976 - James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Tony Crosland

1980 - Michael Foot, Denis Healey, John Silkin, Peter Shore

1983 - Neil Kinnock, Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, Peter Shore

1988 - Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn

1992 - John Smith, Bryan Gould

1994 - Tony Blair, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett

2010 - Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott

[Phony Moderate]

1922 - Ramsey MacDonald, John Clynes

1935 - Clement Attlee, Herbert Morrison, Arthur Greenwood

1955 - Hugh Gaitskell, Aneurin Bevan, Herbert Morrison

1960 - Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson

1961 - Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Greenwood

1963 - Harold Wilson, George Brown, James Callaghan

1976 - James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Tony Crosland

1980 - Michael Foot, Denis Healey, John Silkin, Peter Shore

1983 - Neil Kinnock, Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, Peter Shore

1988 - Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn

1992 - John Smith, Bryan Gould

1994 - Tony Blair, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett

2010 - Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott

[You kip if you want to...]

1922 - Ramsey MacDonald, John Clynes

1935 - Clement Attlee, Herbert Morrison, Arthur Greenwood

1955 - Hugh Gaitskell, Aneurin Bevan, Herbert Morrison

1960 - Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson

1961 - Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Greenwood

1963 - Harold Wilson, George Brown, James Callaghan

1976 - James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Tony Crosland

1980 - Michael Foot, Denis Healey, John Silkin, Peter Shore

1983 - Neil Kinnock, Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, Peter Shore

1988 - Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn (This one really depends. Most electable, or the one who'd make the best leader. Here, i'm going with the latter.)

1992 - John Smith, Bryan Gould

1994 - Tony Blair, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett

2010 - Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott

[RogueBeaver]

Mostly mischief-making, but some authenticity here: Clynes, Greenwood, Bevan, Wilson, Brown, Foot, Foot, Heffer, Benn, Smith, Prescott, David Miliband.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Up until the 1983 election you'd have had to have been an MP. Anyway, there are all sorts of issues with hindsight and so on here, which is always a problem.

Let's try this anyway though; the contrast between idealism and the reality of politics can produce amusing results at times, after all. Will try to do this as a hypothetical me who has voting rights...

1922 - MacDonald had been opposed to the First World War and Clynes had been in favour (and had even been a minister in the Lloyd George government). That most likely means a vote in favour of MacDonald. Yeah, yeah, I know...

1935 - hmm... probably Greenwood and then Attlee. Greenwood was a drunk, but he was semi-backed by Bevin. Not 'erbert at any rate.

1955 - Gaitskell. Hypothetical me would have respected and admired Bevan, but would have been on the other side of the internal fence and that's that. And would have laughed at how badly 'erbert did, obviously.

1960 - Gaitskell. This was a stupid and unproductive challenge.

1961 - Gaitskell. This was also a stupid and unproductive challenge.

1963 - I think, most likely, Callaghan first round and Wilson in the second.

1976 - Callaghan all the way through; I like a lot of the other candidates as well, but Callaghan was the best politician.

1980 - Healey all the way through.

1983 - This is a very interesting one. With hindsight the answer is clear enough (Kinnock) but at the time? Could easily have been Hattersley.

1988 - Kinnock. Yet another stupid and unproductive challenge. This would have consequences though; it (or rather how Benn reacted afterwards) is why it's now so hard to mount a leadership challenge.

1992 - Smith, and with great enthusiasm.

1994 - Hypothetical me in 1994 would have voted for the Member for Sedgefield, I suspect. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

2010 - I voted for Balls. I'm not sure if I would have done if I thought he still had a chance of winning. Burnham was second preferenced. Ed was placed before David because the latter's campaign had been an incompetent train wreck and he showed weakness with regards to people who needed to be shut up. These did not strike me as good signs.

[k-onmmunist]

1922 - Ramsey MacDonald, John Clynes

1935 - Clement Attlee, Herbert Morrison, Arthur Greenwood

1955 - Hugh Gaitskell, Aneurin Bevan, Herbert Morrison

1960 - Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson

1961 - Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Greenwood

1963 - Harold Wilson, George Brown, James Callaghan

1976 - James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Tony Crosland

1980 - Michael Foot, Denis Healey, John Silkin, Peter Shore

1983 - Neil Kinnock, Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, Peter Shore

1988 - Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn

1992 - John Smith, Bryan Gould

1994 - Tony Blair, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett

2010 - Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott

[Leftbehind]

Probably

1922 - Ramsey MacDonald, John Clynes

1935 - Clement Attlee, Herbert Morrison, Arthur Greenwood

1955 - Hugh Gaitskell, Aneurin Bevan, Herbert Morrison

1960 - Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson

1961 - Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Greenwood

1963 - Harold Wilson, George Brown, James Callaghan

1976 - James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Tony Crosland

1980 - Michael Foot, Denis Healey, John Silkin, Peter Shore

1983 - Neil Kinnock, Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, Peter Shore

1988 - Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn

1992 - John Smith, Bryan Gould

1994 - Tony Blair, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett

2010 - Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott

[RedPrometheus]

1922 - Ramsey MacDonald, John Clynes

1935 - Clement Attlee, Herbert Morrison, Arthur Greenwood

1955 - Hugh Gaitskell, Aneurin Bevan, Herbert Morrison

1960 - Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson

1961 - Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Greenwood

1963 - Harold Wilson, George Brown, James Callaghan

1976 - James Callaghan, Michael Foot, Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn, Tony Crosland

1980 - Michael Foot, Denis Healey, John Silkin, Peter Shore

1983 - Neil Kinnock, Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, Peter Shore (but probably without hindsight, otherwise probably Heffer)

1988 - Neil Kinnock, Tony Benn

1992 - John Smith, Bryan Gould

1994 - Tony Blair, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett

2010 - Ed Miliband, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott (another difficult choice but with hindsight probably Burnham)

[Leftbehind]

Burnham for me suffered all the faults of David Miliband: probably the most likeable and appealing on a superficial basis but would do absolutely f' all different.

[You kip if you want to...]

Burnham for me suffered all the faults of David Miliband: probably the most likeable and appealing on a superficial basis but would do absolutely f' all different.

Too northern for the South East marginals as well.

[Leftbehind]

What south east marginals. *much needed sarcasm smiley*

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Interesting that everyone goes for Smith in '92.