The middle of the line

This is getting really silly now. A week ago, Jako of Frank Owen’s Paintbrush pleaded with Labour MPs to stop nominating Milibands. But have they? Nope. They carry right on. David Milliband and Ed Milliband only needed 33 nominations to go through to the full ballot. The former now has 66, and the latter 47. So, 47 MPs have voted for a Milliband who didn’t need their vote. The Ed Balls supporters have stopped at 33.

For all six candidates to get the required nominations, 70 of the remaining 82 MPs would have to vote for them. Once 13 more MPs nominate a Milliband, the field will definitely start to be restricted.

So why do it?

The only reason I can think of is toadyism. If you, as a Labour MP, can’t support any of the others, you can simply not nominate any of them. You can go to your chosen Milliband and promise to vote for them in the upcoming full ballot.

However, if as a Labour MP you figure that your chosen Milliband is the best one, but want them to win in an open competitive process, with as many views as possible being put forward, you should nominate one of the remaining three: Diane Abbott, Andy Burnham or John McDonnell. You can always go back to your chosen Milliband and promise them your vote, or even make a public statement to the effect of:

“I think that (insert Milliband’s name) would be the best choice for leader, but as they have already reached the necessary number of nominations, it would be a waste for mine to be added to theirs. So, I have nominated (insert gallant outsider’s name) because I believe that as many candidates as possible should be in the final ballot”

Not hard, is it?