What problem James? Dianne Abbott has shown how good she can be in using the media to great effect and this will no doubt help her campaign. She ticks many boxes all at once and her entry into the race is a plus to the much needed debate within the party especially on immigration, which many on the left & right are currently mishandling by pandering to the Daily Mail agenda. Though her chances of winning the contest are slim, kudos to her for taking part.

@Jeremiah. Nothing wrong with sending your kids to private school if the schools in your area are shockingly bad. I dare say the schools where she lives are terrible.

Nobody should be criticized for looking after their kids as best they can.

Abdul - Say something of benefit to the debate or say nothing at all! Your comments are belittling and rude.

I think her decision to send her child to private school whilst being critical of others doing the same was at the time hypocritical. Plus she has spent years being negative about the party and its leadership. How on earth can she hope to now want the party support.

She may be a good constituency MP - stick to that I say!

Well I'm only an ordinary R and F party member, but I'll be voting for Diane Abbott. She is intelligent, charismatic and has a good record in standing up for decent progressive values. In other words, an ideal leader.

she has my vote, be careful what you wish for you tory twerps

I don't join parties but I would vote for her if I did, why is it that men get away with sending their kids to private schools (Tony Blair) but women cannot. She speaks her mind and that is a blessing - you do not have to agree with what she says - Yes men bye

There is no problem with Diane Abbott at all except that Middle England might fear her no bul*shit attitude and perhaps even the colour of her skin. She may have voted against the instructions of the New LAbour whips and New Labour regime but she is loyal to the Labour party - she has always voted for proposals put in the Labour manifesto and where she has rebelled, looking at her voting record, she has merely voted along Labour party principles - Iraq War, ID cards and attack on civil liberties etc - come on these are NOT what a real Labour party should be voting for!!
Sure sending her son to a private school will always come back to haunt her but here's the thing - the GCSE pass rates in schools in Hackney at the time were around 9% - any self-respecting mother and parent would and should put her children before principle. The other HAckney parents probably did not have the choice as they lack money but Diane did and I think she did the right thing, unfortunately to the detriment to her career but I think all the negativities that plaqued her at the time and beyond, should surely be buried especially as she has since got the government to build 5 new acadamies in her constituency to help correct that shocking statistic - and obviously her constituents are happy with her as she is the only one of the frontrunners who managed to double her vote.
Perhaps she should not have criticised Tony Blair (Diane Abbott denied bad-mouthing Harriet Harman) but he was the leader of the party at the time and so perhaps should have been setting an example.

Abdul Amir..:
I believe you are a white BNP supporter pretending to be of Arabic origins. How else could anyone explain your racist, sexist, irrelevant rant against Diane Abbot and your other comments on this website. If so, have the courage to "come out" as such, and stop hiding behind this name, and pollute this site with your disgusting and thoroughly stupid comments.
If you are of Arabic origin, shame on you too!
Yes Dianne Abbot is a maverick but at least she strikes me as genuine and left wing (that's a change) with lots of personality. Although she has no chance, I salute her cheek and wish her luck. She is great on "this week".

I find it tempting to join Labour just to vote for Diane Abbot.

She is awful on that weekly political programme so could not stand seeing any more of her let alone as a British Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition at present. She is very delusional.

Look at her voting record. Watch some of her speeches on you tube. She is incredibly able. To say she is not a credible candidate is ridiculous.

@jeremiah, It is every parents right to do the best by their kids.

I would say that as an inner city, English MP with a sound voting record and media exposure she is very plausible as the leader of the Labour movement.

I think we should join forces and support Diane Abbott in standing for the leader of the Labour Party.

How do we, the average person in the street, help her in her campaign?

Dear James, your right. Diane is not credible as a candidate. BUt that's exactly why she should be in the leadership contest debates. She has nothing to lose and the Labour Party has everything to gain.

Pleased to see the private school issue to the fore. How can a socialist/labour leader (putative) opt for private education and retain credibility - it's beyond hypocrisy.

James - perhaps you could have a look at the below extracts from Diane's voting record and explain what it is that you find "not credible" about it? I think it stacks up rather well against the disgraceful records of the leading candidates. The record of the New Labour clique includes a bloodbath in Iraq, an economic calamity wrought by neoliberal economics, and the capitulation to the right on immigration and asylum. Abbott's record compares rather well with that, doesn't it?

****

Voted moderately against a stricter asylum system.
Voted very strongly for a wholly elected House of Lords.
Voted very strongly against the Iraq war.
Voted moderately for equal gay rights.
Voted very strongly against replacing Trident.
Voted moderately against introducing student top-up fees.
Voted strongly against introducing foundation hospitals.
Voted strongly for more EU integration.
Voted moderately for the hunting ban.
Voted moderately against Labour's anti-terrorism laws.

Dianne will raise the tone of the campaign, and raise issues of pressing concern to both BAME and White Communities. She is not an 'Obama' figure but will no doubt settle the question of 'belonging' and 'working together' and 'integration into the British way of life'.

It is wrong to suggest Diane Abbott is not highly regarded in the Labour Party as she is well liked and respected. In 2008 she gave a speech in defence of civil liberties which was widely acclaimed both within the Labour Party and outside it. Her reasons for joining the contest is to demonstrate that Labour is more than just white men in there early 40s who support middle of the road left of centre policies. He left wing views will widen the debate and create further interest amongst women and ethinic minority Labour supporters.

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I'm uncomfortable with Abbot standing as a token woman candidate but then then there are far worse people who could have decided to stand.

Hazel Blears anyone?

@Yeti. She is a hypocrite.

She would have been the first to scream blue murder if Blair had sent his kids to a private school, and even he didn't do that!