By some strange para-constitutional principle, it is now assumed that the deputy leader of the Labour Party will be Deputy Prime Minister. That itself is not a huge prize, being a post with no constitutional status in the UK, and thus worth even less than the Vice Presidency of the US: The DPM’s power is entirely in the gift of the PM. It has mostly been a perch for a flightless bird.
Why then is the competition for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party apparently so well funded? You could see why the candidates might want the job. But what do backers get for their money if their man or woman wins?
The New Statesman is frequently frightening to read. But this week’s contained a scary extra: a full colour insert for the Peter Hain campaign. Running a national campaigning organisation on an issue that affects everyone in the country, I can’t afford to do that. Mr Hain may be an exotic shade of orange but is not in other respects politically colourful. His rivals have marginally different emphases in policy and are some more, some less personally likeable than he is… and that’s it. None can offer to change the country; and none is even offering to keep peace in the Labour Party. So who cares? Where does the money come from? Do they all – there are six contenders – have rich and indulgent mothers?
They have people who are trying to buy influence. The groupies sleep with the roadies to get to Mick.