I dont think that Long Baily is ready this time but, on the basis that Labour will struggle like hell to turn their deficit round over the next 5 years, she could certainly be lined up for the next Leadership race, which could also help her in not being tarnished as a Corbynite, which could cost her, if she was Labour's leader at the next GE (assuming that Boris doesnt fall from grace before then).

RLB is already being dubbed 'Continuity Corbyn' by the usual suspects. She may as well take herself out of the running now. That moniker isn't going to go away.

by "the usual suspects" you mean intelligent people who can see her for what she is?

And that is from the likes of Tom Watson - what I find interesting is that none of them will suggest that Corbyn was a major contributor to Labour's downfall.

Whoever is selected will have at least four years to show who they are before the Mail and Express etc make up something. With the Sun it is as per they declare, they have even suggested that the new leader should adopt 5 principles one of which relates to the family but strangely not in respect of the life lead by Johnson.

Along with their shambolic Brexit policy, Corbyn + his outrageous spending plans were the reasons that Labour finished a distant second.

If Labour had shelved it's Nationalisation program and instead offered the prospect of free University tuition fees, which I know would cost plenty, they would have had an instant vote winner.
However, Brexit was the main toxic issue, which at least, will be out of the way when the next election comes around, by which time, we may have a clue on just how bad (or good) the decision to leave the EU is.

Labour did promise to abolish tuition fees: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politi ... ition-fees Also on nationalisation I had a chuckle when I saw this: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... loses-137m after last week we heard that Northern Rail is losing its franchise and may be taken over by the government. So we may be in the situation where a Tory government renationalises two major parts of the railway in its first year in office. Since Grayling has been ditched I've not heard any Tories come out telling us all about the great benefits of privatisation for the railways.

Labour did promise to abolish tuition fees: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politi ... ition-fees Also on nationalisation I had a chuckle when I saw this: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... loses-137m after last week we heard that Northern Rail is losing its franchise and may be taken over by the government. So we may be in the situation where a Tory government renationalises two major parts of the railway in its first year in office. Since Grayling has been ditched I've not heard any Tories come out telling us all about the great benefits of privatisation for the railways.

Well whether or not RLB ever has leadership potential I don't know, but I certainly think there's value in politicians waiting and maturing. William Hague was mocked as a joke figure when he was leader of the Tories in his late 30s, but a decade or so later he looked like a far more credible leader. I think he'd have been preferred to Cameron if he'd have waited. He was certainly a very good speaker.

Ed Miliband is another who seems to have gained more gravitas with age. I think he would have been in the mix this time if he'd have waited.

The problems these younger ones have is a) they haven't matured politically and b) they are likely to be try-hards at trying to build a profile and image, which goes cringeworthy, eg Hague wearing that baseball cap coming down a water slide, and Ed Miliband's "Am I tough enough Jeremy? Hell yes." Which I think sounds good if you are Samuel L Jackson not Ed M.

Kier Starmer has an issue in his closet that will come out - he was a government official when the accusations were made against the likes of Brittain, Gambachini, Bramhall etc - this is his Windrush.

It looks like he will win - good news for the Tories - he still was unable to answer basic questions on Brexit last night - are Labour still in denial or does their arrogance show no limits?

Brexit shmexit. Boris said he would 'get Brexit done' by Jan 31. Or was he lying, again?