By September, it might be Harman's moment
James Forsyth 8:33pm
Politics right now is unbelievably macho. Every conversation I’ve had today about the Labour leadership has involved phrases like ‘kill or be killed’, ‘kneecap him’, ‘destroy him’ etc. As this seeps into the coverage, it is going to be distinctly unappealing to voters.
Now, consider that Gordon Brown is only going to be removed from office once much blood has been spilled and that David Miliband will almost certainly face a challenger and you see a real opportunity for Harriet Harman. She can emerge onto the scene after an ugly struggle and offer a less testosterone-fueled politics. Her non-denial of her leadership ambitions on Woman’s Hour shows that she is perfectly happy to play the gender card in the way that Hillary Clinton did:
“The men in the House of Commons press lobby . . . keep saying, ‘Are you preparing a leadership bid?’ and I keep saying, ‘No’. But I think it’s one of those occasions where they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. And when a woman says ‘no’, she means ‘no’.”
If Brown is forced out, Miliband has made quite clear he will stand. But there are huge chunks of the Labour Party who will vote for anyone other than Miliband. If Brown goes, they will be looking for a candidate and that candidate—given the flaws of the most frequently suggested candidate—might just be Harman.
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Simon
July 31st, 2008 9:40pm Report this commentproblem is she is just too thick to be PM
mitch
July 31st, 2008 9:51pm Report this commentyour kidding right?
Daniella
July 31st, 2008 9:58pm Report this commentRubbish! Thatcher was more macho than any man. And you know us women do actually have brain cells and we won't just vote for a candidate because 'she's a woman'. How very patronising. Most women my age (27) would probably identify more with Cameron and family/Miliband than uber feminist Harman. Feminism just isn't a driving factor for my generation hence Hilary's supporters were mainly older women and younger women went for Obama.
thaggie
July 31st, 2008 10:13pm Report this comment'when a woam says no, she means no'. expect in this case, obviously, where she means yes
DavidM
July 31st, 2008 10:16pm Report this commentIs it just me who found the self-righteousness of that quote from Harman gag-inducing? And isn't there something rather distasteful about her using the 'no meaning no' phrase, which is normally used to educate men about the importance of gaining positive sexual consent, to prove her moral superiority.
dilys
July 31st, 2008 10:26pm Report this comment...and she'd be another reason for not voting for nu Labour, or would it be Labour again?
TGF UKIP
July 31st, 2008 11:49pm Report this commentCertainly more than acceptable to the brothers and to the constituency parties as they demonstrated when they made her Deputy Leader.
The female vote would probably give Labour a temporary poll boost but then the electorate would find out what a bundle of fun Gordon had been in comparison. Her many, many personal as well as political limitations would certainly add to the gaiety of the nation, not least in The Coffee House.
Verity
July 31st, 2008 11:49pm Report this commentDavidM - I tripped up over that, too.
Verity
August 1st, 2008 3:33am Report this commentIs Harriette Harmon double-shifting? Is she also doing Jacqui Wotsit's job?
They are identical in face, hair, clothing. Has anyone ever seen them in the same room ... etc?
Prentia
August 1st, 2008 8:09am Report this commentNoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!
David C
August 1st, 2008 9:41am Report this commentWhich September?
Travis Bickle
August 1st, 2008 10:02am Report this commentVerity, for all her sins I've not yet seen our Home Secretary dressed in a zebra outfit (yet)
Nicholas
August 1st, 2008 11:14am Report this comment"And when a woman says ‘no’, she means ‘no’.” I'm surprised that more has not been made of this gender-discriminating utterance although DavidM above has expressed his revulsion at it.
It cries not just moral superiority for Harmon but moral superiority for all women in that it implies there must be some doubt when a man says 'no that he means 'no'.
The Great Dumbing Down era, following the destruction of the old order by socialists far and wide, seems to have resulted in more rather than less stereotyping of gender. And the equality being so righteously demanded appears to be of the Animal Farm type. All genders are equal but some are more equal than others. Gender equality appears to have been reduced to statistics, stereotypes and a sort of "I can have my cake and eat it" triumphalism.
I wonder if Harmon realises how unacceptable it would now be for a leading male politician to stand up and say "And when a man says 'yes', he means 'yes'"?
Ken
August 1st, 2008 11:15am Report this commentHarridan Harpic as PM? Yuk! Can only be a Conservative votewinner.
Neil
August 1st, 2008 11:59am Report this commentForget the ghastly Harman! Jacqui Smith for PM!!
BrianSJ
August 1st, 2008 12:01pm Report this commentTravis, the zebra outfit was seen at PMQs quite regularly and is at this entry in "her" blog
http://harrietharman.blogspot.com/2008/07/this-is-my-moment.html
C Powell
August 1st, 2008 12:12pm Report this commentHarriett’s time has come...to be locked up.
cat osb
August 1st, 2008 1:33pm Report this commentIt's all a tad unfair because there are some very talented & principled people in the parliamentary labour party, however there is now almost no senior front bench labour politican who they could appoint who could turn the party around in sufficient time to win the next election. Whatever her merits, and she is a capable & intelligent operator, Harriet Harman would be a sure fire voter winner for the tories as she is the embodiment of all that folk have come to hate about this government - well-heeled, authoritarian, sanctimonous and with limited experience of anything resembling a hard's day work in the real world.
Verity
August 1st, 2008 3:19pm Report this commentI'd endorse what Daniella said, in addition to which, women actively loathe bossy women. So you've got two factors at work. She has made an enemy of every indigenous male on this islands, plus she has a face that produces a desire in women to slap it with a wet haddock. You men who think women would vote for another woman based on gender are singularly naive.
I don't fancy her chances.
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