Labour leadership: the timing is bad, the process stinks, but this is going to be a good contest | Martin Kettle

With Cooper, Kendall, Burnham and Corbyn, there’s space for a proper argument between those who want Labour to be pure, and those who want it to be electable

They shouldn’t be having this election now. They are doing everything in the wrong order. The nomination system stinks. The election system is neither democratic fish nor electoral college fowl. The candidates are all a bit lacking in different ways. The race for the deputy’s job is a total waste of time. And Labour is a party in denial about going through a near-death experience. Yet apart from all that, the Labour leadership election is actually looking like a good contest as nominations close today.

The good news is that there is a decent range of candidates to choose from. Two men and two women; age and youth; a spectrum of views from old left to Blairite; a mix of ministerial experience and views from the backbenches; candidates from London, the Midlands and the north. Believe me, it could be a lot, lot worse.

Female leaders can change the nature of politics in the way that men struggle to do

Related: The wrong ways and the right ones to pick Labour’s next leader | Andrew Rawnsley

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