大象传媒

What on earth is the difference between Peter Hain, Hilary Benn and Alan Johnson?

All cabinet-members trying to lean to the left and the trade unions, with almost identical views...is there any difference between them?

Do the candidates think that disproportionate representation is democratic.

What is the point of the invented job?
Prescott proved it is a happy clappy way to get perks of all kind and an increased Pension to boot (cowboy of course). He has turned it into an expensive Joke none Job.

The only question I would like to ask is - can we have a General Election before the end of 2007?

At which time we will find out what the total National and Local PFI/PPI debt is and how long before it is paid off! Commercial Sensitivity is an excuse to conceal the figures not a reason. The debt is our (the tax payers) debt incurred by this Government, therefore we have every right to know.
When that figure is produced we will then know that the Country is in the same state as 1979 - skint!
And why everyday they are thinking more ways to take more of our money in tax's.

You could certainly ask them if they agree with the judgement of the Minister of Immigration that the country is "deeply unsettled" by the present scale of immigration and, if so, what they propose to do about it...

Sir,I would like the candidates thoughts on the sufferes of asbestos related diseases who are denied compensation by insurance companies ,which they once were getting ,Such as pleural plaques copd and others, on the 25th of june parliament will be debating reinstatement of compensation to sufferers . I as president of Swansea boilermakers society will be at Westminster to meet my local MP with a petition signed by people who have lost love ones and relatives to asbestoses related diseases .One last thought i have members and friends who worked during the war on shipbuilding some worked on the mullbery harbour for the Normandy landings , where would we all be without them ?.I hope we will not be forgotten like our maimed armed forces.
Yours Faithfully
B T Legg.

Do they think it would be socially just for governments to start building affordable rented property prioritised for young workers by taxing the property portfolios of those engaged in property speculation on a buy to let basis?

I have read and listened about Gordon Brown and his Christian ethos and I can see how he tries to put these values into practice. Surely there will be a clash of values if somebody such as Alan Johnson is elected who seems to look upon such traditional Labour values with disdain. I would like to hear a question that explores the core values of the candidates.
Thank you

Was Alastair Campbell and the perception of his methods of working beneficial to the Labour Government in the long term? What do the contenders believe to be Tony Blair's worst mistake, and did they do anything to express their disquiet at the time? And how do they feel in retrospect listening to the "forty five minutes" speech. And, Ms Blears, as deputy would you still be happy to campaign against local hospital closures in your own constituency, whilst still happy about them happening elsewhere. Do you believe that the Labour Government over the last ten years has been Whiter than White?

What are their views on the PFI deals and the effect, good or bad, on the nhs. Do you think it will be a major issue at the next election

I would like to know how Harriet Harman could possibly believe that campaigning as a women and therefore as the perfect counterbalance to Mr Brown could possibly endear her to any voter, no matter what their gender? It is a cheap tactic and reeks of hypocrisy. I鈥檓 sure Ms Harman would be outraged if a male candidate stressed his masculinity to win votes over his female counterpart. Surely gender wars have no place in 21st Century British politics!?

Why should the public believe that more reform of the NHS is the right and necessary thing to do when the government can't even get the basics right (i.e. increasing doctors pay for working less) and Blairite government ministers (i.e. Hazel Blears, John Reid) protest against closures and cuts to services in their own constituencies?

The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party will have a democratic mandate. How important does each of the candidates place party democracy and can they understand the disappointment of many party activists in being denied a vote for the Leader?

How would each of them replace the ever increasing mismanagement of hype with effective and accountable management of reasoned policies?

If Gordon Brown asked you to replace John Reid as Home Secretary, would you introduce any new policies on immigration, ID cards or anti-terror legislation?

Why is the Labour government privatising the health and education services? Do we really want to end up (like the US) with two education services and two health services - one if you have money and one if you don't?

We have seen a massive rise in taxation as a result of more people having to pay house stamp duty and inheritance tax. This particularly affects those of us in the London and the South East. Moving home to a similar property in this area is becoming virtually impossible because of this high level of taxation.
At the same time infrastructure improvements such as the construction of Crossrail seem to be stalled.
Therefore, why are we paying such high taxes?

How will Hazel Blears cope as Deputy if she is unable or unwilling to hold a debate with her opposite number as happened with David Willetts on Newsnight some weeks ago?

How will Hazel Blears cope as Deputy if she is unable or unwilling to hold a debate with her opposite number as happened with David Willetts on Newsnight some weeks ago?

Are you not ashamed that a Labour government is dismantling human rights, even though many respected politicians and legal experts believe that these changes are unnecessary and a threat to our democracy? Harriet Harman, as legal officer for the National Council for Civil Liberties, would have slammed the Thatcher government if it had tried these extreme measures. The NCCL (now called Liberty) still defends civil liberties, but has Ms Harman鈥檚 political ambition caused a change of heart? Peter Hain attacked these same measures applied by the apartheid government of South Africa. How can he support them now? Hilary Benn鈥檚 father is appalled by them. Does he think Tony Benn鈥檚 moral principles are obsolete?

The government has no mandate for these swingeing attacks on civil liberties which drastically change our constitutional rights. Would you support a public debate and a referendum on ID Cards and the national identity register, as they had in Australia? If not, why do you believe the British are less entitled to have an informed vote on our move to police state methods?

Parliament has been a rubber-stamp for Tony Blair鈥檚 radical-right policies, but Gordon Brown has promised to bring more answerability to government. Do you think he will stop our slide towards Stalinism, or does he support John Reid鈥檚 defence of Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition, made at Mr Reid鈥檚 recent meeting with EU Home Office ministers?

Are you a socialist or a capitalist?

On the subject of Council Housing (not Housing Association housing) will the candidates ;

1. Stop the 'right to buy' policy ;

2. Change the rules, which lead to ALMOs, PFI and Stock Transfers, but not stock retention, being the only options left for local authorities to meet the governments' financial requirements for the governments' Decent Homes Standard, and, ;

3. Change the government's fiscal rules which prevent local authorities building Council Houses.

If we wind the clock back ten years and put the Monster Raving Looney Party in charge of the country, would it be much different than it is today? Could anyone Posibly make more of a mess of things?

To each of the candidates:
What will you do to give substance to the Prime Minister designate's programme?

To each of the candidates:-
How do you define the remit of the post of Leader of the labour Party?

If you were not standing for Deputy Leader, which one of the other five candidates would you support?

I've just written an extensive betting preview of this contest on my blog if anyone is interested.

As for a question for Paxo to ask...

Are the candidates proud of the contribution made to GDP by the massive growth of the buy-to-let market under Gordon Brown's tenure? And do you accept that this has in turn been a causal factor for the 600,000 rise in council waiting lists, and the 100,000 odd families living in temporary accomodation?

Will the wanabees welcome back(spiv-ish) Charlie Wheelan ex Gordon Brown's entourage.....in replacing Blair's sidekick,evil-ish spin doctor Alistair Campbell?

Why no ENGLISH leaders of the Labour Party
Gordon Brown - Scottish
Tony Blair - Scottish
Neil Kinnock - Welsh
John Smith - Scottish
Michael Foote - Welsh
Jim Callaghan - Welsh
Harold Wilson - ENGLISH Hurray

Two questions:

1) What will they do to restore both party and public trust for Deputy Leader that has been eroded by John Prescott?

2) What do they feel gives them the edge over their fellow contenders?

Also like the one about who they'd support if they weren't standing!

Does it matter the public don't know who you are? Does it matter the public are not voting? So really the only people interested are labour party people? so why should we care?

given this is on tv, a sound bite medium, if you could only say one thing what would it be? ie what is your best soundbite by which those who vote can remember you by?

given that the voting is in three isn't it difficult to have to say three different things to three different sets of voters? ie mps, unions, and members?

Now, that for the 3rd time, The High Court of Justice has upheld the case of the exiled people from the Chagos archipelago, would the candidates work towards helping these poor people to regain the right to go and live on their islands or would they accept the Foreign Office policy to avoid taking a decision, by stretching the legal arguments endlessly, in the hope that soon all the old ones would have died! Thus, solving an embarassing situation, especially vis-a-vis the Americans.

These lot have been in a Blair cabinet and now want to work carefully with Brown- are they Blairite or Brownites- or is there no difference? If there is a difference will they go back on Blair policy under Brown?

What would your reaction be if suddenly you found out that the entire political system was corrupt to its core?
Or rather, what WAS your reaction and how much of your humanity did you lose in order to keep your position?

Why should nurses get an extra 1% rise in pay (from the 1.5% secured to 2.5% being campaigned for) when they will also receive an uplift of 4% through Agenda for Change anyway?

Isn't talk of a strike action being greedy?

What can they offer to the almost 90,000 homeless families in temporary accommodation, the 500,000 children who have to live in overcrowded housing and the 1.7million families that are on council housing waiting lists?

Earlier in the year Peter Hain said that if new nuclear power statins are built there should be no state subsidy. Does he stand by that and does that include the disposal of the waste?

Why should nurses get an extra 1% rise in pay (from the 1.5% secured to 2.5% being campaigned for) when they will also receive an uplift of 4% through Agenda for Change anyway?

Isn't talk of a strike action being greedy?

Do they believe that a good way to protect our freedom is to allow ourselves to be subjected to random questioning about our daily business? And why are they effectively re-introducing sus laws when they caused so much damage in the early 1980s?

There has been much criticism of the current government with regard to reduction of civil liberties. Many people feel that decisions made have ignored public sentiments. As discovered in the Power Report, the public feel powerless to change the political process and distanced from those in authority, although they remain engaged with the issues at stake.

What changes do you seek to implement in regards to electoral reform, in specific response to the discoveries of the Power Report and growing voter apathy. What electoral model do you believe would offer the fairest and most effectively representative system to safeguard our democracy?

If there are more applications for places in a secondary school than places available, what criteria should the head use to fill those places?

Which of the following electoral systems do you most admire:

- first-past the post UK system;
- top-up system such as in Germany without party lists though...

To all 6 candidates:

"If it turns out that you are not destined to be the next Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, which of the other candidates do you think should get the job?"

How can we be assured that the Labour Party's attitude to business and wealth-creation is not going to lurch to the left?

Hain in particular appears to have been pandering to the old-Labour business-blind prejudices of the wealth-destroying left, with his ill-judged rants about City bonuses.

If any of the candidates were appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, would they abolish the 拢5bn annual tax on company pension funds, considering the damamge it has done to people's pensions and the pension industry?

If they are prepared to debate on television to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, I assume all the candidates will be more than happy to debate on television at the next general election when we are deciding who should be PM?

Nick Pickles

Will any of them say "Sorry" to the electorate for wasing our votes in 2005 for a non-government

Margaret Hodge has caused a furore with her comments over housing for immigrants. I would like a serious question asked about "entitlement" as opposed to "need". Both Johnson and Hain have slapped down Margaret Hodge and closed down a very necessary debate. Surely those who have paid into the system deserve recognition over and above new arrivals who have never contributed tax and NICS in the UK. After all, it was Milton Friedman who (correctly in my view)once stated that "the welfare state is incompatible with open borders".

Tony Blair has called UK employment legislation the most restrictive in the western world.

Will the candidates ensure that UK employment legislation meets international minimum standards?

Do you seriously think that someone coming off a plane from some asiatic or african country has the same rights of residency as someone whose british family tree can be traced back to the middle ages.

Do any/all of them see a permanent linkage between the posts of Deputy Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, and would they all seek/expect to take on latter post within a Brown cabinet if successfully elected by the party.

Given the appauling election result for the Labour party in Scotland and Wales. Would you consider more devolved powers in these countries?

What would each candidate do to restore the public's faith in their ability to manage the NHS properly, given the underspend of money this year, the current debacle over MMC and MTAS, the reality of post-code lottery of provision of health care, and the continuing closures of NHS services by cash-strapped PCTs?

Can paxo ask:

Why wasnt there a leadership contest for leader aswell?

Does it really matter what the candidates think about anything as all policies and decisions will be dictated by the Prime Minister.

How many of the trade union votes that each candidate may be given would have been won by the consent of the membership of those union(s)? Have those votes been placed yet?

Why didn't one of the six of you have the guts to run for the office of prime minister?

Instead of a debate about the direction of future policy of this country, we have instead been treated to a debate of what you would like to see; only provided that "Gordon says yes".

Has the party been cheated in the sucession?

"What action will you be taking to restore confidence and prove to health care professionals - Doctors, Nurses and Specialties Allied to Medicine - that you will be working WITH us to improve patient care?"

IT has become increasingly frustrating and demoralising to work within the NHS. Currently most healthworkers feel that the DoH, rather than helping us to improve patient care, are working against us and making it as hard as possible to improve patient care and treat patients like people.

Patients are offered completely unrealistic targets which then sets them up with over-blown expectations - we then have to run around like idiots trying to meet them.

Example:
"all women should be entitled to a home birth" - any informed woman in her right mind would never take the risks to herself or her baby. Women should of course be entiltled to this, but only after they are assessed to be as low risk as possible. It is completely impractical to provide all the staff and facilities required to ensure a safe birth for every woman in every home

Which of the candidates will reject nuclear power, and will attempt to present renewable energy sources, and microgeneration, in meaningful, rather than tokenstic, business terms?

They should be asked why they think they were not good enough to stand for the leadership post against Gordon Brown.

Please put Luke's question - posting number 38.

will mr cruddas elaborate on selective education by parents purchasing a property in a good schools catchment area. if he does not approve why has he done it particularly when the cost is paid for by the tax payer on mr cruddas behalf

Oh no! (groan! groan!) Not MORE Yaddah Yaddah Yaddah, Blah Blah Blah! PLEASE !!! ENOUGH ALREADY! DOES ANYBODY REALLY CARE? Is Paxman some kind of sado-masochist? And, we we MUST have this, PLEASE ENSURE that Hazel Blears allows someone else to get a word in edgewise. She must be the biggest bore and liability to any political party on the planet!! And while on that subject, PLEASE PLEASE only ONE speaker at a time. The first nanosecond of people talking over each other, and I flip the switch to OFF. If I am even still awake by then .........

Just what is the role of deputy P.M. ?

(A little sneer after asking question)

The National Union of Teachers has submitted a 10% pay claim. How do you think the government should respond to this and how do you see pay incentive developing in the field of education?

How important do the contestants believe civil liberties are? has the erosion of our libeties gone too far and if not how far is too far?

Do the contestants feel EU integration has gone too far or not far enough?

* Which of the five other candidates is, in your opinion, most suitable to be deputy leader.

* Gordon Brown has been in cabinet for 10 years, therefor it is no surprise where he stands on the issues, because he is responsible for government policy the last ten years. So, is there any good reason not to allow the British a general election. Or is Labour afraid after the results in Scotland and Wales.

Alan Johnson when he was union leader said that the union legislation brought in by the conservatives should be repeeled , does he still believe this and will he be pushing for this under Gordon Browns leadership .

Do any of the candidates support holding a referendum about our signing any future EU constitution, Peter Hain is on record on the radio promising us one before the French and Dutch said No to the last one. We have never been asked whether we actually want to be part of federal European Union, we were only once asked years ago whether we wanted to be in a Common Market, quite a different concept. Norway, Switzerland and Iceland are all doing just fine outside the EU.

Now that Mr Blair has felt the `hand of history' on his shoulder - and in throwing him out of the door - can our deputy leadership candidates really say that with the public voting in even lower numbers, Labour Party membership slumping, serial incompetence by the Health Secretary; PFIs saddling our grandchildren with debt that this is a nation `at ease with itself'? As Sir Simon Jenkins puts it, should we also celebrate that Blair and Brown are Mrs Thatchers true fiscal heirs; privatisations further and faster that during 1979 - 97? Which one of the six interviewed tonight will agree with that?

How would the candidates attempt to reduce the perceived discrimination against rural communities and diminish their perceived lack of knowledge of rural communities?

Rules, regulations and statutes on fuel costs, 4x4 taxation, hunting, agriculture, EU regulation, rural post offices, planning, plus a low representation in government from rural communities all adds to the feeling that this government does not know what rural community and the countryside is about.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT THE IRAQ WAR?

Don't forget Jack Straw, isn't he already Gordan's man. Are just wasting time or trying to keep your name in the frame for other jobs. Regviews

It's fair enough that Brown will be the new PM in favour for the Labour Party.

Would be nice if the public had a chance to express their views if we want him to lead the country.

Any chance of a general election? My guessing is the reason there won't be is the fear that maybe labour will be booted out. :)

It is 10 years since New Labour came to power. As members of a government that proposed all those years ago to be 'whiter than white', how do each of the candidates assess their own performance and how do the candidates intend to clean up the 'grubbiness' of modern politics?

Now that Mr Blair has felt the `hand of history' on his shoulder - and in throwing him out of the door - can our deputy leadership candidates really say that with the public voting in even lower numbers, Labour Party membership slumping, serial incompetence by the Health Secretary; PFIs saddling our grandchildren with debt that this is a nation `at ease with itself'? As Sir Simon Jenkins puts it, should we also celebrate that Blair and Brown are Mrs Thatchers true fiscal heirs; privatisations further and faster that during 1979 - 97? Which one of the six interviewed tonight will agree with that?

Whar should we do about the Iraq war?

Do you believe the new Trident Nuclear Weapons are necessary? The estimated financial cost is very substantial. The message that is sent to the rest of the world is very significant.
Phrased another way!
Do you think using enourmous amounts of human and environmental resources to build something that WILL NEVER BE USED is a wise decision? Is Trident truely a solution?

I think there is a serious mismatch in the constitutional arrangements for Scotland and England. Do the candidates believe that there should be an English only parliament to deal with domestic issues and a UK parliament for UK-wide issues? Alternatively do they agree with the concept of MP's representing Scottish constituencies not voting on English domestic issues?

If elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, would you contact Scotland's First Minister and congratulate him on his appointment?

can Paxman ask about grammar schools? Since its been Labour policy to end selection at 11 since 1997, why haven't they got rid of them? After all there not a small part of the country, there are grammar schools in 1/4 of LEA's across England.

Also the current procedure for scrapping them is unworkable and only allows parents from primary schools which send children to grammars to vote on whether to scrap them, i.e. the middle class parents who's children gain from grammars, not the working class parents who's kids lose out.

I'd like to ask the candidates...

- whether they feel there is still any interest or point in the possibility of closer ties between the Lib Dems and Labour, as openly courted by Tony Blair in the mi-90s?

- Which 'progressive' politicians of the past they feel they have inherited the tradition of?

- Whether they feel there is a conflict between the two different kinds of democracy they all profess to believe in - 'listening to the country'(or 'the people') and 'listening to the party'? If pushed, which would they choose?

- If, in some fantasy reality, they really did inherit John Prescott's role and his full mega-department as originally conceived, they would be pushing for more regional devolution in England, as he was when he came to office as DPM?

Why do MPs have so many holidays - why are they on holiday this week - it surely is not half term for them?

Is proportional representation crucial to restoring trust and integrity to our political system?

If elected as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, will you contact Scotland's First Minister and congratulate him on his appointment?

Don't forget Jack Straw, isn't he already Gordan's man. Are just wasting time or trying to keep your name in the frame for other jobs. Regviews

do they view the current Labour Party as social democratic and, if so, what role should egalitarianism play in policy design and implementation?

Since Labour took power, we have seen a continuous increase in the police powers and a decline in Human Rights, to the point where the Home Secretary has threaten to pull out of the EU HOUR in order to be able to jail a handfull of suspects. This will of course affect all of us, including those protesting peacefully. Since all the candidates have been members of the Government, or members of the Commons while this took place, how are they planning (if they intend to do so!)to revert those dictatorial changes?

hows your right Jab and croquet skills?

I'd like to know the candidates stance on faith schools, and I'd like to know if they really, honestly believe that girls wearing garments like headscarves, veils and full burquas, garments which signal a that a woman is obscene, inferior, and not part of western society, is a good development? It is certainly a development that has been encouraged under Labour's watch!

Have any of the candidates got any novel ideas about how to tackle the disgrace of Britain's litter problem?

Hazel Blears last night on 大象传媒 radio , said the only reason more anti terrorism powers were to be given to the police (i.e. to stop people and asked why and where they are going ) was because Northern Ireland had asked for these powers to be renewed in the Province, she inferred that Peter Hains comments on this matter were hard for her to understand , can she be asked why she seems to be playing party politics with our freedom .

Q: So, how is that each of the candidates consider themselves able to compliment Gordon Brown's apparent policy objectives and leadership style, and how is it, conversely, that they each hope to be able to contrast and counter other, perhaps less desirable aspects of his policy agenda and political manner? Particularly, what, in their are eyes, are these desirable and less desirable aspects of his agenda and management style? They each have a long-standing and insider perspective, and must have their personal views on where their fears and concerns for the future lie.

Which candidate do the candidates think Gordon Brown would prefer?

Do you approve of the Chancellor's abolition of the 10% income tax band - which directly penalises the low-paid who are ineligible for other benefits?

I would like to know if any of them would still have stood for deputy leader if John Prescot had resigned last year and tony blair was still going to do a full term.

Probably would not be such an attractive job then.

Do you think it is just that the public's pensions have been decimated by Brown's taxation of them, whilst MPs can look forward to very generous pensions?

The Wannabee jobseekers are for the post of Dep' Leader of the Labour party..nowt to do with governance . Therefore as "The Speaker of The House" ruled out a Q from the opposition on perceived strictly Party issues...why should the Electorate /taxpayers (in practice) be paying for this beauty parade! Is anyone keeping a tally of costs?

Would Jeremy ask each of the candidates why he/she supported a certain course of action eg Iraq; the nth NHS re-organisation/modernisation; specialist schools; devolution but now admits 'it was a mistake'. In agreeing with that policy, did they have no insight or where they just following the party line. Either answer reveals opportunism or incompetence.

And if that question is too longwinded or requires too much research, perhaps he could ask whether they support(ed) the exemption from the FoI that MPs recently passed and/or the special pension arrangements they voted for themselves when Labour first came to power.

Ask them why they are not standing for the top post of Leader of the Labour Party? Are they all so weak?

If you were elected Deputy Leader what do you think you will be able to achieve and what do you think the British public expect you to achieve

Will you make sure that what the majority in Government and Cabinet vote on goes forward, its called democracy.
The prime minister should ALWAYS do this, nothing more, nothing less.

Mick Fenner.

In the light of the recient HIP fiasco, what is the government going to do for the hundreds of unemployed Domestic Energy Assessors, like me, who have spent several thousand pounds getting trained and qualified and have given up their job to be ready to start working from the 1st June only to be forced out of work for a minimum of 8 weeks.
Will there be compensation for loss of income?
When, exactly, will HIPs be introduced?

Will you punch anybody while you are in office?

Many people fear Gordon Brown will adopt a dictorial style.

How do they think that they will be most effective in influencing him, if elected as deputy leader?

In 1998, Peter Hain supported the then Welsh TGWU Executive's decision for the union to vote for Alun Michael for Welsh First Minister without balloting its members.
Will he admit that this was the wrong thing to do and commit to not supporting such truncation of democracy in future?

I've just spent 拢5,000 training to become a Domestic Energy Assessor, in order to deliver Energy Performance Certificates for Home Information Packs.

Can you confirm that you support the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for all houses, before the property is marketed? This would enable house buyers to make informed choices on the purchase of their homes, as originally intended.

How do candidates expect to reconcile current environmental concern with plans to expand airport terminals? Do they expect to interfere with profit driven private enterprize where the greater public good is concerned (as they have with the smoking ban - is there a difference?)

Please ask those who are now opposed to the Guantanamo Bay torture camp why they were spineless to oppose it for ages and ages??

Do the candidates believe that the people of this country want a Prime Minister who has presided over and ensured the destruction of this country's company and state pension systems?

If elected, what do you intend to do about the corruption that is rife throughout this government, lead from the top down and out of control?

Do the candidates think that MPs should be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, and if so, why?

What ever happened to the Euro? How strong does the economy need to be for us to pass the tests, which Gordon Brown seems to have long forgotten. Do you think we should ever actually join the Euro?

Which of the applicants for this job approves of the Freedom of Information Act (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to remove the House of Commons and the House of Lords from the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and why?

Where do they stand on the West Lothian question?

Given that you only have a maximum of 3 years in this post, what is your proposed agenda for Deputy PM?

Harriet Harman has condemed Public Spinning of new ideas without public/pariamentary scrutiny or clear policy statement. Where has she been for ten years that this has been the main thrust of policy delivery? Who of the contenders is prepared to condem the actions of their predecessor? Peter Hain has aquired a new stance on police powers, especially for the election. Like Harriet, was he also absent during the 90 days debate? It is said Hillary Benn was opposed to the Iraq War did he? Finally is there a job description for this highly paid and 'perked' post?

We all face the same tax rates but when it comes to spending, Gordon Brown has a long track record of discriminating against England and Wales. Even cancer patients are denied drugs that are available in Scotland. Will you stand up for equal rights for all UK citizens?

Having attended a deputy leadership debate the other day in Sheffield, I find myself very impressed with all six candidates. However, I can't help noticing that they don't seem to actually disagree on very much.

Can the candidates give me a single way in which they're *uniquely* qualified for the post of deputy leader, or a single *unique* policy they would try to push forward?

Do you support a policy of increasing the number of faith schools?

To Any of the potential Deputies in the Labour Party - from one of many thousands who have not voted Labour since being Conned in 1997...
Q. Any plans for the Labour Party to amalgamate with the Conservatives?
to become the LaboraTory Party?
Q.Can You explain the difference between the Conservative Party and yourselves the New Tory Party?
Q.You have been extreme in areas such as Education, 'Virtual Healthcare', Social Security, War Defence and Brown-nosing Big Business but no change to lower-end standards of living -just access to more credit - Will there be Changes in Policies in the Future so we can decide ahead of time how to Vote?
Q.Can we have our 'own' Domestic and International policies this time!
Hugh JoeL

Do the panel believe that a decorated gurkha who holds the coveted VC medal should be denied access to the UK because he does not have 'strong enough ties to the UK'

1) How many of the contenders are NOT going to be YES men?

2) Do they not think that Prescott has so devalued the Office that they might also be regarded as ignorant clowns?

Please ask them if elected what their stand on the current Iraq situation is? Would they pull the troops out immediately?

1) How many of the contenders are NOT going to be YES men?

2) Do they not think that Prescott has so devalued the Office that they might also be regarded as ignorant clowns?

Thousands of ex labour members and voters can not vote for you as you are seen as Tory 'lite'. Indeed, you have brought in policies that Mrs Thatcher herself would have not dared to!

Question:- As a 'Real' Labour voter, who should I vote for now, or have you totally disenfranchised me and millions of others?

I would like to ask the panel what changes they would make to the NHS, seeing that it is in so much debt.
Also, what are their views on the growing number of illegal immigrants that are coming across into the UK, and how would they put a stop to it. How would they stop the growing number of teenage pregnancies that are happening in the UK at the moment.

Why EXACTLY is cannibis use illegal in this country?

Are any of the candidates in favour of a swing towards traditional Labour values and away from Labour's commitments to businesses and corporations?

How does the role of deputy party leader enhance the functions of government, and what are the candidates views on Gordon Brown- his personality as well as his policies.

I would like to ask the candidates about there attitudes to the use of animals in medical experiments. It is 12 months since Blair came out and signed a petition in favour of vivisection.

To all of the candidates:

What would you say has been your greatest achievement to date?

What makes either of the 6 candidates better prepared for the job as deputy leader of the Labour party than the others

What would be your reaction if Gordon Brown does not pick you as deputy prime minister

In the last few years we have seen a leakage of of the power and authority of the House of Commons to the Prime Minister and his advisors. We now appear to have a de facto presidential system, but without presidential elections.

What specific policies would the candidates advocate to restablise the full authority of the House of Commons over and above that of the Prime Minister.

What makes either of the 6 candidates better prepared for the job as deputy leader of the Labour party than the others

What would be your reaction if Gordon Brown does not pick you as deputy prime minister

I don't think you should ask them any questions at all. Just explain to your viewers that the deputy leader role is a pointless non-job and that you're not going to dignify it with air time.

Given the defacto coronation of Gordon Brown and the existance of an unelected head of state (The Queen), would the candidates agree that the time has come to create direct accountability between the Prime Minister and the electorate? Should we not have a general election?

What would be their preferred solution to the West Lothian question and are they favour of an English Parliament with the same status and powers as that of the Scottish Parliament?

QUESTION

On the assumption you are in politics because you have strong personal views about things, if Gordon Brown is unable to continue as PM for some reason, and you become PM, what would be your personal 'number one' policy priority ?

??

Why can't the Labour leaders speak plain political english. If Bush & Condolice Rice have lied over prisoner rendition then they are liars. Why can't you say that.

American armies in Iraq & afghanistan are Corporately paid private armies and so are not governed by democratic legal legislation for the crimes they commit.
Why is Blair-browne, Cabinet/parliament silent on this travesty of injustice ??

Do the candidates believe that the government should increase benefits for single parents as part of its "family friendly" agenda?

Which one of you will be the first to have the guts to stand up and say that we were misled over Iraq, because there are already signs that you are all slowly trying to squirm out of what we were always told was a united cabinet decision, however the only people with any honour resigned from the cabinet because they disagreed with the evidence put forward for going to war.

How can Labour reconnect with voters it constantly appears to forget, such as hard working young people with no children and aspirational voters in the South?

According to Tony Blair and George Bush, Al Queda are trying to destroy the free and democratic way of life we enjoy in the West. As each month passes, our government aids and abets Al Queda with new and ever more oppressive legislation, stripping the British people of their ancient rights and civil liberties, making us progressively less free.

What do the candidates intend to do to reverse this trend to show Al Queda that we will not give in to them, and nor will we destroy our way of life in the fight against them.

Will there be a continuation of the "special relationship" with the US under your Deputy Leadership or can the UK look to a strengthening of our ties with the EU and principally, given that the UK will have a new Chancellor of the Exchequer, a fresh look at integration into the Eurozone?

Paxman is past it. All the politicians know how to deal with his style now and he gets little or no information out of them. It used to be fun to watch him bully them into a corner but the net result is the same as if they where being interviewed for Hello.

Time for Paxman to go and let someone with more cunning and guile prise the information out media trained MPs.

As also suggested by others....

Why do you consider yourself good enough to be Deputy Leader but not good enough to be the Leader?

Come the next leadership election, will you stand for Leader and, if so, why then and not now?

My only question for the candidates is should parents have the right to send their children to a selective school? If so why?

Harriet Harman has been quoted as saying she believes that there should be a woman at the top of government. If this is the case; then why did neither she nor Hazel Blears stand against Gordon Brown to be Party Leader?

This is not an argument that there should not be a woman at the top of government - merely an observation that neither of the female candidates should have an advantage in this contest since neither chose to compete in the former contest.

Since the new leader will certainly be a man - unopposed by a single woman - haven't they lost the right to claim this 'gender equality argument' now?

What is each candidate's single strongest message to floating voters?

In light of a number of prominent scientists coming out in support of alternative views on the global warming phenomenon, should we not consider that this process is natural and not 'definately' man made? Is there not a natural explanation and should man-made global warming be considered a theory as it rightfully is (as there is no definitive proof)? Seeing that our current understanding of this is merely a theory, does this justify our government's alignment with reducing carbon emmissions and the associated rhetoric? Thus are we spending money on a hopeless cause and could the funds that would be spent on these reduction efforts be better spent in our social system of health, housing and education?

When Gordon Brown cuts taxes to win the next election, how will you justify this to the Labour Party?

In light of the cash for honours allegations, how would you handle future party donations from wealthy individuals and the possible conflict of interest with these donors?

Dear Sir

I was arrested on Saturday night at 2am for being part of a group of people who threw a wrecked traffic bollard over a bridge. Silly - agreed though to merit being arrested, thrown in the cells and cautioned by the police I believe is unreasonable.

Do the police not have stronger priorities on a Saturday night at bar and club throwing out time than arresting 5 boisterous 18 years olds? A verbal warning or a letter would have done the job, but this reaciton was far too heavy handed and a waste of police resources.

Do any candidates take seriously the evidence that climate change is the gravest threat facing humankind?

If so, do they accept as just the criticism that has been made of the Government's target of 60% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050 that it is "dangerously unambitious," given scientific evidence that it should be 90%?

And will they press for the present proposed token gestures to be replaced by an ambitious programme of energy saving, including public transport improvement; developmen of wind, solar, wave and tidal power; development of micro generation, including geothermal: preservation of heather uplands and peat bogs as carbon stores and sinks; and change of agricultural methods to secure soil carbon sequestration?

And will they press for preservation of the vast and rapidly being destroyed carbon store in tropical rainforests, and restoration of the 75% depleted carbon content in the world's cropsoils.

If the conservatives win the next general election, will they be legally bound to continue with current labour re-generation projects around deprived area's. Salford has become a more pleasant place to live and would be tragic to see it all go to waste because it is a guaranteed labour seat.

Would you ask Hazel Blears if she has ever answered a question, as opposed to quoting the 'party line' about how wonderful New Labour is.

EG "Why are people coming out of Hospital with diseases that they didn't go in with?"

"Since 1997 we have increased the number of Doctors, the number of Nurses, the number of targets, the number of Midwives, the number of new hospitals, etc."

What policy ideas do the candidates have for increasing the UK's wealth over the coming years - particularly, how will they bring their unique abilities to the task of encouraging enterprise and business growth in an economy pitted against the US, China and India?

Ok, so they finally made it this far, but lets face it, none of them are going to replace the hard-hitting Prezza. He was the perfect man to compliment Blair, he wasn't old labour, he wasn't New (and improved) Labour, he was working class New Labour. The focus on the Blair-Brown relationship kept Prezza largely out of harms way. With a paparazzi Prime Minister and an Iron Chancellor, could we really notice 2jags other than as a mildly irritating aftertaste? Now that relationships within the Labour party are being re-forged and alliegences are being shifted, regrdless of if Alistair Darling is the next chancellor or not, which one of these will best adapt to the new dynamic of the Labour leadership?
It's all good and well going round at the moment being all things to all people, but do they think the British public really care about who the deputy PM is? Considering his or her parliamentary role is basically reading from the PMQ script when the PM is away, and running cabinet meetings according to the PM's instructions (again when he is away). Unless Brown is planning a long trip -fact-finding in Africa for his eco-towns perhaps?- we shouldn't expect to see much of them. Is this really just a competition about who can read the best (at PMQ) and who can keep order at cabinet when the cat is out? In which case can't they just sort it out amongst themselves? Any comprehensive school in Bradford could provide them with a perfect setting for the contest at which we can see their skills at controling unruly groups and reading under pressure. But the question seriously is: All politicians have their key policy areas, if environemental policy becomes Brown's 'baby', what will their respective 'babies' be under a Brown leadership? Now that the focus is off the glitz, will they stick to Prezzas trusty areas of housing and transport, which are likely to become real nettles?

I would like the panel to discuss the apparent fallacy of our current understanding of the global warming phenomenon and the implications of hastily adopting policies that could prove to be unattainable and ineffective. Our current understanding is that this phenomenon is merely a theory in which the Government has aligned itself with one particular view: global warming and climate change are man-made and we can do something to stop it. Should the Government not consider the other side of this theoretical argument which carries equal weighting: global warming processes have happened to a much greater degree in the past and what we are experiencing is a natural variation in global climate (we do not have any control over this).
Thus are we spending money on a hopeless cause and could the funds that would be spent on these reduction efforts be better spent in our social system of health, housing and education?

Will any of the candidates move to eliminate the inherent inequity whereby some state funded primary schools are permitted to discriminate in favour of the children of parents who attend specific churches, temples, mosques or synagogues.

Will any of the candidates permit this _only_ where the school is funded 100% by the religious organization that is benefiting from this discrimination?

Paul D Smith

To each candidate:

What will you do to pursuade the new prime minister that our basic civil liberties desperately need protecting? That
storing the DNA of people (including some 100,000 teenagers) merely questioned by police is abhorrent and contrary to basic human rights. That the five British residents held in Gantanamo Bay must be brought home forthwith. That "extraordinary rendition" and "memoranda of understanding" are unacceptable. And that ID cards, with their related databases, represent a real threat to security, fairness and our whole way of life.

What will the post of Deputy Prime Minister enable you to achieve that you're unable to achieve in your current position?

What is the one thing - above all others - that you want to achieve while Deputy Prime Minister?

What would your superpower be?

What do you think the impact of the election of an SNP Government in Scotland will have on the Labour Party in England...now and at the next General Election?

also can paxo ask:

why hasnt blair gone yet?

What role should the private sector have in delivering public services?

What are the views of the candidates on airport expansion, a touchstone issue as to how serious politicians really are about greenhouse gas emissions and global warming?

The European Human rights Act. Do the candidates feel that this has best served the interests of law-abiding, tax-paying members of the UK or is it another European conspiracy similar to Eurovision?

I would like Paxman to question Mr Cruddas on his socialist principes - he sends his kids to a selective school and ( thanks to generous housing allowance for MPS ) owns a very smart property in West London paid for in part by you and me despite having a house in Dagenam. Typical socialist on the make - but then they have all learnt that from (Lord) Kinnock and Blair.

Is it not time we had less 'government' and less involvement by politicians in the affairs of the country? A lot less meddling by politicians would let those who actually do the work get on with it.

how will every single one of you feel when (look at blair signs over the treaty to brussels and you have to sit and listen and play second fiddle to the rules they want

How do the candidates feel about the new Prime Minister, a Scotsman (one could ask why is he not in the Scottish assembly), not having been democratically elected, and the fact that he has not got a mandate from the people of the United Kingdom?

Does this not undermine any influence the UK might have with respect to asking other countries to have a good democratic process?

What role should the private sector have in delivering public services?

Given that all the participants have agreed to a debate as a legitimate and sensible way for the public to assess candidates, will they each endorse this approach among the party leaders in the next general election campaign?

In 2005 I invested 拢10,000 in training to become a Home Inspector because the Deputy Prime Ministers office promised to implement Home Information Packs with mandatory Home Condition Reports. Since then I have invested a further 拢20,000 in training and setting up a HIP business, but the Government has continued to water down their original proposal to improve the house buying and selling process. What will the candidates do to
a. Provide useful information to buyers before they make an offer on a property.
b. Implement the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
c. Improve the house buying and selling process in England and Wales.

Please ask 'Socialism - yes or no?'

Ta.

Owen.

Question for the deputy leadership hopefuls:

With ideas ranging from "pay as you go" roads, congestion charges, and car share schemes - how would each candidate:
1) free up the UK's road system?
2) find investment to improve public transport/infrastructure?
3) encourage the public to use "greener" transportation?

If you weren't in politics what would you be doing?

I am a Norwegian citizen that has lived and worked in the UK for 20 years. One of the things I treasure about the UK is the openess and tolerance of its people. Regrettably I feel that in many ways the UK is becoming a more totalitarian country.

Question number 1:

What will each of the candidates do to safeguard the UK from becoming a totalitarian state?

Ready examples of this tendency is the reforms of the judicial system, increasing prison populations, reduced social mobility etc.

Question number 2:

What will each of the candidates do to build broad political consensus with other parties (Conservatives and Lib Dems.) to solve problems that needs fundamental change and not a quick fix. An example of this is access to good education for everybody in the UK. (A totaliatiran society would normally try to give teachers less freedom).

Another example is managing social benefit systems, pensions etc.

There seems to be more emphasis on "We have done.." then on building consensus on solutions that give lasting results. (Consensus of course takes time to build.)

Quote of the day:

"Freedom is not something we fight for in a war and then keep. It has to be fought for everyday".

Keep up the good fight Jeremy!

Best regards
LP

Will any of the candidate give attention to the sufer of Africans and support the millenium goal.

If their vision is different in any way from Gordon Brown's, why didn't any of them stand, or even consider standing, for the leadership?
If their vision is the same as Gordon Brown's, what value can they possibly add?

Which candidate will push for more money for Sure Start and special education needs so that Ministers (ruth Kelly) don't have to send their children to private special school and have confidence in the state system?

Which candidate will push for more money for Sure Start and special education needs so that Ministers (ruth Kelly) don't have to send their children to private special school and have confidence in the state system?

Is Tony Blair an honest man?

Jeremy should ask them, do they want to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, or Deputy Prime Minister, and why did none of them stand against Gordon Brown for the Leadership, did they think they weren't good enough? Low flyers!!

My suggestions for Deputy Leader questions:

- What has been the biggest mistake of the last ten years of Labour Government?

- Is it healthy for democracy that our next Prime Minister has faced neither an election within his own party, or a General Election in the country?

- Should we set a limit on the involvement of private companies in public services, and if so what should that limit be?

- What do you think about private equity firms. Should they be taxed and regulated more?

Please ask them all why they are not standing for the top job - leader of the Labour party?

And ask them why no one else from the Labour party is challenging Gordon Brown.

Can they understand exactly why the electorate is so angry about this whole scenario and regards it as a huge farce?

Suzie Woodward

What you have acheive in your current post, to deserve the job as deputy prime minister????

Ask them for their views on fox-hunting, and whether now it has been "banned", do they intend to do the same to shooting and fishing?

No doubt they will seize on the opportunity to attract the left-wing vote with a pointless bit of rhetoric and the rest of the country will simply groan at their self-centred, pompous arrogance.

What is their view of Patricia Hewitt's decision to claim costs against RemedyUK, even though the judge asked her not to?

Hilary Benn comes across as the least politicised - as opposed to political - candidate . Do other candidates offer the same qualities which he seems to have: open-mindedness coupled with an exceptionally enquiring mind and the ability to see many sides of a question, even if it means going against the given party line? To what extent would any of the others be willing to stand up against the party line on a matter of consceince - or would that inevitablty have to lead to resignation? '

Tony Blair places great emphasis on climate change and the environment. I'd like to know what Hilary Benn's views are on environmental issues and how any steps he would champion to reverse the decline in our environment can be reconciled with the urgent need for more affordable housing for those on low incomes.

Do the candidates feel that an increasing private sector and grammer schools threaten to undermine the work that you wish to do in education. Also do you think a persons personal choice in the education of their own children matters?

Some great questions, mostly and justifiably express total cynicism in the Labour squad.

Q: - Why do they think that Labour have managed to con the British Public with lies and deceit across many area's?

Q: - As Peter Haine and H. Benn have conceded they need the Muslim vote to win anything, does any of the six have any concept of the objectives of Islam and what drives Muslims in general?

Q: - Due their collective efforts, the electorate is totally apathetic and disgusted by Politicians in General and Labour ones in particular.
Will they introduce more ways for people to cast their vote, especially the ones that are easy to manipulate, such as the current postal system by adding phone, text & internet etc.

Q: - A General Election can be called at anytime, so will they call one this year or will we have to demand one using any means we can?

Q: - The Labour Party has shown itself to be unable to run its own Party finances, does this explain the abject failure in running the countries?

Q: - After 10 very long years in Government, do they now accept they are not fit for the purpose?

Q: - Do the six really think that their agenda of moving the country to that equivalent to an old Communist State or an Islamic State has gone un-noticed?

Q: - Specifically for Alan Johnson, does he agree with the Promotion of Homosexuality in schools let alone to kids as young as 4 years old? - the others views would also be appreciated.

Q: - Are they proud that a 3rd World developing country is to be thanked for resurrecting Rover production?

Q: - Finally, as the Nu-Labour brand is without doubt soiled, with corruption, constitutional vandalism, Sleaze, Lies, Deceit etc. will the Labour Party re-brand itself as:-
'Real Labour'
'Old Labour'
'Continuity Labour'
'Provisional Labour'
'Socialist Labour'
or what, or will the word renewal get worked to death?
It won't really matter, historically anything associated to any Labour results in a shambles, and why no Labour party has in the past had 3 consecutive wins, people are now wising up - finally though I suspect too late!

JP - have a good show, and a certain Mistress will no doubt give you 30/10 I hope you earn it.
Otherwise the name Robin Day will haunt.

Do you think that government can afford to continue offering final salary pensions to public servants, both on the grounds of cost and fairness?

What would the panelists do to reduce the financial gulf between the rich and the rest of the country?

What ways would they improve the workings of the party?

The party at local level does not appeal to people who are sympathetic to our values.

For example could we not improve the branch stucture, and not expect people to give up their Friday nights?

What are the candidates' positions on the EU's relationship with Russia in light of the latter's blackmail tactics over energy supplies and its increasingly confrontational stance to democratically elected leaders on EU's Eastern borders?

According to The Speaker Michael Martin in PMs questions, he ruled against the Leader of the Opposition (Tory)that his Question to the PM was about Labour Party matters & therefore not allowed!
These six are designate wannabee's for Deputy Leader of that Party only(at this stage) & nowt to do with Governance of the UK.
SO MY QUESTION IS... who's paying their direct/indirect expenses for this seemingly internal" New Labour Party" matter?

This country spends Over 拢90 billion on NHS and although there is palpabe improvement in the service, why do a substantial minority of people remain dissatisfied with it, and don't you think Labour party has squandered public trust it had regarding NHS 10 years ago ?
Does the panel agree with this general disaffection and if so, what single step would you take to regain public confidence.

What, in practical terms, would the six candidates do to improve the medical conditions and aftercare of post-combat veterans invalided out of the armed forces?

This country spends Over 拢90 billion on NHS and although there is palpabe improvement in the service, why do a substantial minority of people remain dissatisfied with it, and don't you think Labour party has squandered public trust it had regarding NHS 10 years ago ?
Does the panel agree with this general disaffection and if so, what single step would you take to regain public confidence.

Do the candidates believe that recent events in Lebanon and the Gaza strip merit a rethink on the way we deal with Israel and the middle east?

This country spends Over 拢90 billion on NHS and although there is palpabe improvement in the service, why do a substantial minority of people remain dissatisfied with it, and don't you think Labour party has squandered public trust it had regarding NHS 10 years ago ?
Does the panel agree with this general disaffection and if so, what single step would you take to regain public confidence.

How did the candidates vote on the issue of excluding M.P's from the Freedom of Information Act? How do those who voted in faavour of the issue, justify the manner in which they voted, and how do they justify their action on the principle enunciated by Tony and Gordon of being more open and free from sleeze
said to be a halmark of the last conservative government?

Although MP's claim to represent the people, does not the reality demonstrate that primarily they represent themselves?

Do they perceive themselves as joining the European Parliament gravy train?

J.H. T.

Hello, my questions would be:

Will any of the candidates vow to put Britain and British people first, by all means help other nations but not at the expense of our own welfare.

If Britain is one of the wealthiest countries in the World then the NHS, Schools, Housing, Pensions, Wages, etc. etc. should all be excellent and they are not!

Also would any of them scrap the so-called N.I.C.E. as it seems to be anything but nice especially to the English people who are denied life-enhancing/saving/lengthening drugs.

Thank you, I hope you will ask some of these questions.

Margaret Moscrop

Now that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved assemblies and secretaries of state, would the candidates support the creation of a Secretary of State for England, to represent English views at UK level?

Do you agree that the British economy's reliance upon the export of arms as a means of boosting GNP should be reduced?

To each candidate-

Would you support a Prime Minister who wished to assist in a United States-led attack on Iran?

What are the challenges that UK would engage with China?

Can any of the prospective candidates explain why the proposed Unitary Authority proposed for Somerset is being given so little time for consultation, the government claims that it must have popular support, if that is true why the big rush, the timetable is absolutely ridiculous for such an important matter, like most things proposed by this government it is being rushed through.
WHY ?

Doreen Richards

Ask them for their views on Iraq and are they ashamed on supporting Bush/Blair on their despicable,vicious and above all stupid act of violence.

Also ask them what do they think the outcome of Iraq will be and how do we extract ourselves from it.

Would they support Bush if/when he attacks Iran.

Why was Jack Straw fired from the position of Foriegn Secretary

What, if any, are the actual difference between the candidates? I'm finding it all but impossible to decide who to support. Apart from Hazel Blears' support for the "stop and question" proposals recently mooted and Peter Hain's lack of support - I am yet to find any ideological or policy difference between the candidates.

Surely if anyone can discover some underlying conflict, its Paxo!

Please ask no 107!!!!!!!!!

Margaret Moscrop

What will you each do to engage young people with politics? (following their decreasing interest and consistently lower voter turnout)

Is Gordon Brown a Control Freak?

Cam any of the candidates offer an explanation as to why the proposed Unitary Authority for Somerset is being given so little time for consultation. the government states that it must have popular support, if that is true then why try to rush it through ?

Doreen Richards

I would like to know just how important the candidates consider party politics? When there is clearly an overlapping concensus between the three main parties on many issues, would they have a problem with a cabinet which included, say, Sayeeda Warsi and Sarah Teather?

What are the respective candidates' opinion on exempting politicians from the Freedom of Information Act and how did they vote?

Given the 'Midlothian Question' for Scotland and the 'Cardiff Question' for Wales....where do the designate DPM's stand on this issue?

What is your opinion of the current electoral system?

And do any of you support more democracy within companies?

Get Jeremy to ask them how much a pint of milk costs, a kilo of spuds, or packet of Pampers, or whatever, just to see if they really do know about the real, daily world they want to help govern.

Why is there even a contest for the deputy leadership as all participants agree on all goverment policies and future legislation from the manifesto - is this more about personal ambition rather then ambition for the country.

With a Labor Party in an identity crisis with New Labor and Old Labor, what makes you the choice that a fractionalized party can rally upon when many of you have been at the center of Labor's Blair dysfunctionality?

Last week on Question Time Alan Johnson said that he was from 'real Labour.'

What on earth does that mean? Is he old, new? Or does he know where he stands in the party atall?

The current deputy leader is also deputy prime minister. Do the candidates confirm that this is not a precedent and that they would not expect such an appointment to follow?

Why does Hazel Blears look like a cat that never managed to get Tony Blairs cream??

Do you back the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for all homes prior to marketing regardless of the number of bedrooms?

What are the candidates' views on the justice system? Are we not simply locking up far too many people in jails and young offender units and sweeping "the problem" under the carpet instead of attempting to address the underlying problems of lack of care in and by society?

I have 2 questions

1. How come they can all manage an appearance on newsnight when they think it will get them a better job but are considerably less available when invited to discuss the latest government cock-up ?

2. Did they vote on the recent bill to exclude parliament from FOI? If not why not and how would they have voted?

Labour previously ditched the Clause 4 and were then elected 3 times in a row.

Can the candidates now ensure that Labour party, and especially its chancellor embraces the principle of the Laffer curve on taxation.

The present government seems to be intruding into or interfering with every part of my life including my home - and it feels very oppressive. Why can't they 'back-off'?

As the post of DPM has no real power; do the candidates recognise this perception of their government's actions ... and, if they do, what are they going to try to persuade Gordon Brown to do about it?

Regards,
Bernie Steed
Devon

Exactly what is the point of the post of Deputy Prime Minister, what powers should the position have and how would they each build the position to re-gain respect and further add value.

What are the candidates thoughts on an unelected party leader and more importantly an unelected Prime Minister?
If Labour had been the shadow government when Tony Blair resigned, do the candidates think there would have been a full democratic election for party leader?
Was there significant pressure on the candidates not to run for party leader, and challenge Gordon Brown?

Last week on Question Time Alan Johnson said that he was from 'real Labour.'

What on earth does that mean? Is he old, new? Or does he know where he stands in the party atall?

'What was Tony Blair's biggest mistake and did you support it at the time?'

If they refuse to answer; crucify them (not literally obviously - although that could boost viewing figures...)

How can the party take the lead on the increasingly important debate over environmental policy, where the Lib Dems and the Greens are the established standard-bearers, and the Tories are relentlessly seeking positive publicity?

Why don't you want to be Prime Minister?

Tony Blair achieved and maintained power precisely because he distanced himself from the destructive and self delusional attitudes and policies advocated by the Left of his party. Given that none of the contenders has the spine to challenge Gordon Brown how can they believe that there is any relevance to the job of Deputy Prime Minister / Deputy Leader or appeal to the real electorate when each of them endeavours to trump the others by demonstrating their 'old Labour' credentials. The reality is that they are all, with the honourable exception of Mr Cruddas, up to thir necks in the New Labour project and its many failures. This sad & hypocritical side show demeans and cheapens honest political activity in this country. The people want an election now.

Which political philosophy do you most admire and why?

Sir, in the interests of efficiency I am very conserned at the squandering of hard earned tax payers money by Government, whilst on the other hand preaching about being energy efficient. Can the candidates assure the public that Government departments will ALL become more efficient and specifically that Department of the Deputy Leader of the Party ?

As there seems to be a strong aversion to privatising the health service and education and a widespread dispair at the terrible state of public services of all sorts, how would you convince the voters to support a party that needs to raise tax to pay for the things that people want when, despite their protestations, they have consistantly voted for parties proposing low taxes?

The Prime Minister will be a white male. The Deputy Prime Minister should represent the widest possible nukber of Britons.

Jeremy Paxman should ask the candiadates their socio-political views on the position of women, disabled people and homosexuals in British society. Particularly those from thnic minority backgrounds.

Do any of the candidates want to renationalise the railways?

Why do many of the candidates claim that they are for "Party Unity" when all of them, except Mr.Cruddas, voted for the Iraq War despite their party's wishes?

And why does Mr.Cruddas appear to be standing on a one issue platform - Iraq?

Why does Hilary Ben claim to admire Clement Atlee so much, yet is running for the Deputy Premiership in a government which has gone against every principle that Clement Atlee's moderate socialism stood for?

Why is it Hazel Blears is so completely devoid of leadership qualities or personality or polices?

Why is Alan Johnson even running for the Deputy Premiership, wouldn't he be better in the Home Office or Cabinet?

Why is it Harriet Harrman appears to think that she is good for the job because she's a woman? Wouldn't that make her better to replace some of the women Brown wants to axe on his Night of the Long Prudent Scotsmen?

But the main question I'd like Paxman to ask in how they are going to keep that toad Cameron out of office, that's all that matters.

Since news night has revealed proof of a cover up of the HIV and HEP C blood fiasco, what will the candidates position be on proper adquate level of compensation to the Haemophiliacs infected with HIV and HEP C.
Even Scotland now is preparing to launch its own investigation with a public enquirey following on from the ARCHER ENQUIREY which is still on going. Do the candidates feel its time now to act openly?

Do the panel think that this Government has treated pensioners fairly, especially those reaching the age of 80years when they can expect an "increase " to their pension of TWENTY FIVE PENCE (25p).

Iraq is a failed state. Do the Deputy Leader candidates ascribe to Blair's doctrine of 'liberal interventionism' and now believe the time is ripe to consider invading the country again?

Many ideas come from the public and the politicians agree they are a good idea at public meetings but then they seem to get lost. What are the candidates going to do to ensure these good ideas are voiced where appropriate. Do they represent the people or are they a voice of cabinet

Do any of the candidates honestly believe that the policies they and Blair have foisted upon the British Public for the past ten years do not resemble the worst of Policies which were the bedrock of both Hitler's and Stalin's regimes?

Would they set a broad deadline for getting out of Iraq, and if so what would it be, and what steps would they take to reach that deadline?

Would Mr Paxman please ask each candidate how ordinary people can make their leaders more accountable? Government and finance have become more concentrated and isolated, checks and balances under Labour have become much weaker, and the costs of wrong decisions (for example Blair/Iraq war/weapons of mass destruction as the impetus to war with Iraq and the populace's erosion of civil liberties)have proved disasterous under Labour to the public. What are these candidates going to do about it or not?

If Labour do poorly in the next general election which of the candidates for deputy leader would be the first to suggest Gordon steps down.

Dear Sir, I would like an honest reply on inheritance tax. This money and items have already been taxed during the life of the previous owner. It is not right their is a further %40 (on sums of over 300k) it is unjustifiable in my eyes.

Especially taking into consideration house prices i think this needs to be looked at reviewed and finally scrapped.

I would like tax after tax on tax stopped.

Thank you.

What would the candidates do to ensure that young people have a greater say in the policy making in the Government?

I have been a member of Highland Youth Voice, the youth Parliament of the Highland, Scotland for some time. I have witnessed when young people get involved, when they voice their opinions politicians are pleased to hear a young persons view. Further more the public like to see young people getting involved; it is a change from having councillors and MSPs over the age of 50 talking about what they think 15 year olds want.

Will any of the candidates abolish the wasteful position of deputy prime minister and carry out a proper job in the cabinet rather than playing croquet all day?

Where do the candidates stand in regards to religion? I would also like to add that perhaps they should pick up a copy of the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

What is it that the Deputy Prime Minister is there to do? What job are you applying for?

why did Harriet Harman send her son to a distant grammar school undermining labour policy?

For Hazel Blears:

How far up the party ladder can a sycophant of no discernable intellect progress these days?

Who are running their departments whilst they are appearing is this vanity parade?

Given that, in Scotland and Wales, the Government is likely to be a coalition whose policies have been arrived at by negotiation between parties rather than being endorsed by the electorate, are you in favour of electoral reform?

Would you support Gordon Brown if he were to decide to join a US initiative to invade Iran? Would they believe US intelligence indicating Iran's readiness to use nuclear weapons?

Ask the candidates if they stand by all parts of the 2005 election manifesto on which Labour MPs were elected.

The Nod from Crick ..

Ms Blears, who says she will still be at her Hope home every weekend if she gets the job, is confident about her chances of becoming deputy leader.

She said: "Newsnight did a poll and I came top of that, also Michael Crick on Newsnight said I was the best at hustings "

"He said I was feisty, humourous but firm"

Salford Advertiser

Will these candidates take the role a little more seriously than the incumbent.

Also who is running the country with Prescott in Barbados in his wet suit avoiding the Japanese whaling fleet and Blair on a pre memoirs promotional jolly? And polititians wonder why the electorate is cynical.

Why do we need a Deputy Prime Minister? What does the Office of the DPM do?

I have read job adverts for the Office of the DPM and they are quite unintelligible, they have very large salaries - some in six figures - and read as though anyone could apply for the posts.

Can we please abandon the post of DPM and the huge department and staff that go with it?

KATHLEEN

What are any of these Labour MP's going to do for the blood families of the deceased who have been robbed of everything the family worked hard to build up and left with the senior member of their family?

Is the family ever going to be put first?

Perhaps, Mr Brown could be asked about the way he presented proposed increases in NHS expenditure in 1999 (?), following the first two years of sticking with the previous government's spending plans. Remember when he tried some unrecognisable mathematics to make it appear that spending was to be at a far higher level than it actually was! Was this the action of an honest Christian man?

Perhaps all of the contenders for the deputy leadership roll of the Labour Party can be asked if they will be satisfied to be deputy leaders of the party only and not Deputy Prime Minister.

In addition, what is their view of the proposed amendment to the Freedom of Information Act which exempts MPs. And don't let them hide behind the argument that this is not a government bill, as they appear to be more than happy to see the proposal become law.

I should like to hear what each candidate hopes to achieve in their role of Deputy PM and to hear their definition of the Deputy PM's job description !

I pay Political Levy via my union UNITE. I was born in British India and have known about the untold sufferings of the Indians during the Raj.

In the year of 250th anniversary of the Battle of Palassey (1757) and 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence ("Sepoy Mutiny" - 1857), would you denounce Britain's imperialist past and present?

Would Mr Paxman please ask each candidate how he or she plans to make government leaders more accountable to the voters? Government and finance have become more concentrated and isolated, checks and balances under Labour have become much weaker, and the costs of wrong decisions (for example Blair/Iraq war/weapons of mass destruction as the incorrect and possibly illegal impetus to war with Iraq as well as the UK populace's erosion of civil liberties) have proved disastrous under Labour to the public. Blair has used the media for public debate rather than parliament in a way that undercuts MP鈥檚 parliamentary safeguards of the populace. What are each of the candidates going to do to ensure they are for the people and not other interests/governments (USA) so the populace begins to trust them again?
P Kish North London

Why do we need a Deputy Prime Minister? What does the Office of the DPM do?

I have read job adverts for the Office of the DPM and they are quite unintelligible, they have very large salaries - some in six figures - and read as though anyone could apply for the posts.

Can we please abandon the post of DPM and the huge department and staff that go with it?

KATHLEEN

ID Cards, CCTV, Terrorism Acts on the one hand, FoI exemptions on the other: Is the phrase "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear?" more or less important that the poem commonly attributed to Pastor Niemoller:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Do the panel consider that the chances of a military coup are higher now than they were in the 70s.

Who would the candidates vote for if they couldn't vote for themselves?

Concerning the impending 'energy crisis':

Do the candidates recognise that when discussing the future of this countries energy supply, public opinion must play second fiddle to the actual and well-defined technical requirements and issues? If so, are they aware of these issues (e.g. grid stability, backup generation, peak and off-peak energy demands, etc...), and are they prepared actively push for the adoption of actual technical recommendations, even though these will likely be contrary to current public opinion?

As an example: wind power has been promoted as the perfect green energy. However, due to grid stability issues, the maximum percentage of wind power that can be provided to the national grid is only between 15-20%, not to mention the backup generation required for windfarms (which are often fossil-fuel plants), thus rendering wind power a minor overall contributor to the nations energy needs. Even small scale domestic wind turbines cause huge disruption to the local area grid, which the national grid must compensate for, rendering these schemes also technically impractical. Wind power has its place, and is beneficial in certain circumstances, but it cannot be expected to power the U.K.

A final (personal) note: one of the main arguments against nuclear power is that the waste produced will stay dangerous for many hundreds of years. As undesirable as this is, surely this is preferable to pumping waste gasses into the atmosphere, causing potential climate damage which may persist for many millenia? What are the candidates views on this tradeoff?

Jeremy,
Ask them if they will abolish wasteful regional assemblies that no-one voted for and were even rejected by the Labour stronghold in the NorthEast.
Also ask them if they will condemn any strike action by postal workers

What would you do to encourage Gordon Brown to understand that the country needs to spend more money on defence? We currently have far fewer soldiers, tanks, ships and aircraft than 10 years ago and we live in a far more dangerous world.
Labour doesn't get defence it really doesn't. We either fix our broken defences now or we'll pay a greater price in the future.

1. To what extent do the candidates believe that the duty of a government to protect its citizens/subjects outweighs the right of those citizens/subjects to freedom both economically and socially?

2. Do you believe that voters should be able to monitor the performance of their elected officials? What limits should be imposed on this?

I wish Jeremy all the best as with regard to the above questions the answers from all the candidates will simply be inconsequential,well trained politicians non answers and not in contradiction with any of the others.
Question 27 best of all but who would answer it?

Who will be paying for the ballot papers to go out to 3.2m people, the Labour Party or do the taxpayer have to foot the bill for Party organisation????????

Civil Liberties are being removed under a false pretext of "prevention of terrorism" when there is quite clearly no logical connection between the legitimate concern to prevent terrorism and the removal of those Civil Rights (such as justifying extended police stop & search powers by reference to the absconsion of suspects - which is quite unconnected). When Chief Constables deride the idea of the Identity Register being an answer to terrorism or to serious crime as "fatuous" and even say that introduction of such a scheme will actually REDUCE our security, why does the government persist in this charade? Isn't it simply true - as Colin Langham-Fitt, acting chief constable of Suffolk Constabulary, says, that the Identity Scheme is "convenient for government but not for citizens"? Isn't this the real reason, that it is bureaucratically convenient and in fact the government considers this sacrifice of public security a price worth paying for the sake of some half-witted bureaucratic convenience?

Given that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing us, how would you propose to encourage householders to take up energy saving measures? Will you be making sure that the EPCs for homemovers are kept on track and not allow vested interests and rightwing newspapers try and derail them?

I've worked in the NHS lab for 7 years did 4yrs study (biomedical Science) to progress. Introduction & managers interpretation of AfC, KSF and Lord Carter of Coles policies/changes left me demoralised, unrewarded, unacknowledged, descriminated against and smacked in the face. So I went on to train to be Domestic Energy Assessor, Ruth Kelly's announcement on 22nd has turned that one on its head. Can you please tell me which job/sector you won't be messing about with so that I can apply for that one and get on with it?

what are the candidates plans on how to reverse the decline in party membership?

in the likely event of a hung parliament would you countenance a coalition with Cameronz's pink tory party?

How will any of the candidates for Deputy Leader address the disquiet and discontent of many voters, not just Labour supporters, about the issue of our involvement in Iraq?

Just ask Hazel Blears anything and see if she is actually capable of answering a question.

Can you ask them all how it feels to have the blood of so many Iraqis on their hands.

Regards,

Jeff

Sir/Madam
Which of you have sympathy for Hugo Chavez's "reforms" in Venezuela and if so specifically what reforms?

How will each of the candidates respond to a growing perception among many voters that our government has been too slavish to USA foreign policy, especially in the Middle East?

May I ask what the Government's TRUE intentions are for Home Information Packs? I am one of the hundreds of people who have invested upwards of four thousand pounds and MANY hours to train as a Domestic Energy Assessor to produce EPCs for HIPs. Our plight has all but been ignored yet we have all had our career hopes dashed with Ruth Kelly's statement last week. Quite a number of trainees are now in dire straits financially and emotionally. A recogition of our investment is long overdue at the very least, together with an indication of when HIPs will be implemented fully and as orginally inteded.

I would like to ask the candidates about how they could make the best use of thier role, and engage the party, and other stakeholders to policies so that ideas are generated and the spectrum of ideas/concerns/issues are considered?

One suggestion might be that the Deputy leader is a support role to the PM. But the DPM can do more, they can be the link between the various stakeholders, policy units, goverment departments etc.

There are some common themes that could be championed in every policy and service. For instance, the green agenda, identifying waste and improvement opportunities, sharing best practises etc.,

These could be championed by a Deputy leader ensuring that cross-departmental initatives are happening, best practises shared and common aims being achieved. This is what in business defines the winners or losers. In goverment you can still see the management by silo mentality. Whereby a devils advocate in cabinet close to the PM and ensuring cross-departmental actions are being carried out.

Also, I would like to see the deputy leader closer to stakeholders such as think-tanks, consumer groups, policy units to inspire a debate and innovations so they can be fed into the cabinet as a whole and not to each department silo. A council of representatives could be established that is chaired by the deputy leader. This would encourage debate and ideas across many stakeholders as well the entire political spectrum. Conferences can be designed on particular themes/aims and relevant stakeholders can be invited to debate and generate ideas. The role of the deputy leader would be to consider the actions, and feed them in across the entire scope of goverment.

I beleive this would create a new approach, a different way of thinking. It ensures that the cabinet, PM are aligned. Themes and actions that can be implemented by all departments are championed at a senior level, and stakeholders to particular policies are represented and truly engaged in the debate..

Your thoughts please?

A third of UK children are now overweight or obese. Despite the severity of this issue, the food industry still remains free to promote junk foods to children. What would the candidates do to protect children from such advertising?

Another:-
No doubt all six will refer to the word 'Democracy' do they have any idea what it means? We know they have changed the description of a Lie into an Un-truth, so have they changed the meaning of the word 'Democracy'?

I ask this on the basis that the Current Deputy Leader who put in place a Referendum regarding Regional Assemblies in my area.

As we all know the principle was overwhelmingly voted against.
Yet we and across the country have had Regional Assemblies foisted onto us in-line with the wishes of the EU.

So it would appear that the Government have re-defined the word 'Democracy' as did the Soviet Union. 'Vote for what you want, but we will tell you what you will get'.

Bit like Pravda 'the truth as we say it is'.

How about Prescott's 10 year transport plane, knew he couldn't con on the Soviet 5 year plans so 10 years is it, knowing that he would be out and on a flame proof pension before anyone noticed he'd done rock all.

Do any of the candidates see the similarities between what's happening to our country and George Orwell's 1984?

Also, its interesting to note the similarity between how nothing about the Government works properly except the SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS, which work perfectly well, except when they "were not turned on".

What do each of them consider as their most superlative quality which gives them the edge over any of the remaining candidates?

Could the panel please state what action they would take in the event that an egg had been thrown and successfully hit its target?

Could you please ask this obvious but burning question. With New Labour continually spouting-on about education and selection what justification do New Labour Cabinet Ministers have for sending their children to be privately educated? Why do they not use the State system which they say is adequate for the rest of the Electorate. Three very galling examples are the Blairs who used religion as an excuse to avoid putting their children through the State system, Blair's friend Lord Falconer and the most self styled Socialist of Socialists Dianne Abbot.

London has some of the richest people in the country but also many of the poorest, for example 51% of inner London children live in poverty. What will the candidates do to help people in London struggling with problems like high living costs and low wages, who can sometimes be forgotten about?

2 questions:

1) what differentiates you from the other candidates?

&

2) when you get your own voting slip, who will you vote for as your 2nd choice candidate?

Given the huge reforms that are proposed for the judiciary and legal profession (supreme court etc), is it not time for the government to now ensure that the big law firms in this country give a fair chance to all law students? I am a second year law student and it's shocking to see what a difference it makes when recruiters find out what university you go to. I chose to go to Plymouth University because I love the city and the quality of life (compared to growing up in inner-city London). Is it fair that I should not be given a chance because I did not choose to go to Oxbridge?

To each candidate:
"Will you promise to STOP SPIN and also reduce the number of none government staff supporting and publicising your image and that of your party.鈥�

Do the candidates support the discourtesy shown by both their current and future leader, in refusing to congratulate Alex Salmond on becoming Scottish First Minister?

Could you ask Hazel Blears why she feels her most important quality that she has to bring to the job is her working class background and her residency in Salford? Is she simply trying to occupy the same position that John Prescott ineffectually held in garnering support from the hard left for centrist policies without providing anything substantial? Is the role of DPM a plastic one? Is it all about spin? Will she ever not tow the party line?

Do you think all candidates should've been able to stand for Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and if so would any of you have challenged Gordan Brown for the Premiership?

I lived in South Africa for 40 years, and recently returned to UK.

For Peter Hain,

''Youve Got to be kidding haven't you?????????''

This is a guy who is out to feather his OWN nest. TOTALLY self-centered!! Should have been a liquorice allsort !!!!
Royden Harrison

Nothing will change the fact that we are all doomed any way.

Politicians get paid vast tracts of our money to lie through their teeth. This will never change: its human nature. These people have persisted through hell and high water to get where they are, for one simple reason.

Will Gordon Brown perform as a better or worse prime minister than Tony Blair?

If their is a difference, where were/will the failings be, and how did/will they address those issues.

Please can any of the candidates explain why Britain needs Trident, why did Labour oppose nuclear weapons in the Cold War but now support them once any rational justification has ceased to exist. Also is the new nuclear power programmee designed mainly to provide raw materials for the Trident replacement?

please ask 118

What steps would you take to integret British muslims
to the mainstream?
Q2:
What step would you take to alenate the muslim terrorist from peaceful muslims/ peace loving people?

Why is there no English candidate for the Prime Minister's role? Tony Blair was a Scot, now we are almost certain to have another one.

Incidently, why is it there are so many Scottish (high ranking) MPs in the UK Government, compared to English, Welsh and Northern Irish? Is the selection process biased towards Scots?

As a recently qualified Licensed Home Inspector, I want all candidates to declare their views on Energy Performance Certificates as part of the home selling process. Are they for or against this initiative? If they support it, what will they do to hasten their introduction?

What is the attitude of the candidates to private healthcare companies operating in the clinical services of the NHS e.g. as in Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs)?

The childhoos obesity crisi has become far worse under this Labour Government. What would the candidates do about this? Specificallly, would they support a 9pm watershed for junk food TV adverts supported by a range of medical and children's grops?

Assuming none of you are a socialist, which one of you would like to pretend that you are.

Has the unelected Communications magnate Rupert Murdoch been allowed too much influence over the Labour Government decisions?

Asumming my husband has not submitted a similar question already:

"During the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union(1707),250th anniversary of the Battle of Palassey(1757)and 150th anniversary of India's First War of Independence ('Sepoy Mutiny', 1857), would you denounce Britain's imperialist past and present?"

New Labour created this new powerful position.
Why does Britain need a Deputy Leader anyway?

After the next general election, in the likely event of a hung parliament - and the reduction of the lib-dems to an insignificant rump - should the Labour Party consider entering into coalition government with Cameron's very pink Tory Party?

Assuming each candidate understands the job description please get them to tell me; Why we need the post and how they will they be doing things differently to John Prescott? (Unless they believe he has performed well.)

why not put the budgets of the 3 largest parties to the electorate every year?

Questions 1:
Britain's social makeup, increasingly trumpeted and decried as Multicultural, has had a number of benefits (such as cheap labour and a broad infusion of new ways of thinking to our social strata) and a number of problems (such as domestic disturbances and so called 'white shift') in the last decade.
Aside of what policies they will seek to put forward, how do they fundamentally see the Nation with regard to its National Cultural identity and how this is being impacted upon by newcommers, both positively and negatively.
Will they safeguard the fundamental traditions of a Country which is undeniably and rightfully a Christian Monarchy and how will they seek to translate current cultural and social integration to our way of life.

Perhaps most importantly, do they feel that they as public servants are proper and appropriate agents of social change without consulting the thoughts of the indigenous populous?
--The recent reaction to Ms Hodge seems to have highlighted a long suffered rift between public opinion and West Ministers estimation of public opinion on these and many other matters.

Question 2: When for the love of Christ are we going to have a driving and substantial policy of rebuilding British heavy industry? Or are we content with the fading status of the British economy with regard to Percentages or World output?

In the absence of any respect for Scottish voter from Blair and Brown by refusing to make any kind of contact, will the panel members congratulate Alex Salmond on becoming First Minister in Scotland's devolved Parliament?

To all the contestants perhaps they should spend the pre election time in the big brother house and then see how many viewers turn off! because it does not matter what they promise to do if they get the job they will follow in prescotts gruby hands and take all the trappings also! How many remember what the labour party stands for! It seems to me its another way into the celebrety world that everyone seems to want to get into! Where have all the dedicated labour politicians gone who realy cared about the policies that they were elected on! Not you lot who will say anything knowing that you will not be held resposible!

Which one of you is Kermit? Lets face it, they are all Muppets.

Traditional Labour supporters up and down the country are losing there jobs or being forced to take pay cuts due to an influx of immigrant labour, what will the candidates do about this situation which is ripping the heart out of this country?

The Labour leadership often talks about justice, equality and fairness but why doesn't it fix the problem where half a million overseas pensioners receive the annual increase for inflation, just like all pensioners living in the UK but a further half a million pensioners have their pensions frozen at the rate at which it is first granted?

All those pensioners, whether they get the increase or remain frozen have paid exactly the same amount of contributions into the National Insurance Fund which pays all state pensions and that fund has a surplus of over 拢34 Billion and growing each year.

Particularly to Peter Hain:
If you wish to curtail the salaries of certain high paid workers in the financial sector, whose remuneration is market driven, would you also extend that to entertainers,say, footballers whose remuneration is also market driven?

Who is the best supporter and most loyal of Gordon Brown? If there is one government policy that needs to be changed, what would that be on?

good luck!

Scottish Elections. I am not a SNP supporter/voter, but why can`t Tony Blair or Gordon Brown congratulate Alex Salmond on the SNP`s success in the election and accept defeat without hiding their head in the sand and refusing to answer questions. May be arrogance and conceit whilst TB struts the world in his holiday farewell and GB just sits and grins whilst hundreds of people are killed in Iraq daily .

Margo McDonald summed it up tonight on TV Quote I Think "both need a good slap" As there are so many PC people around she will probably sent to prison!! Well done Margo

Who is the best supporter and most loyal of Gordon Brown? If there is one government policy that needs to be changed, what would that be on?

good luck!

Could the candidates indicate when, how and to what level the people who have qualified at their own expense to produce Home Condition Reports for the now almost dead in the water Home Information packs which the Office of the Deputy prime Minister encouraged the introduction of and marketed heavily to encourage people to engage in training.

I would like to know how close are Hilary Benn's political leanings to those of his dad, left of centre, far left, or extreme left.

To Peter Haines, does he subscribe to the New Labour Policies or he will conveniently mould them as he goes along to please his boss & to keep his job.

What the candidates personal recommendation is for what should go into the CLIMATE CHANGE bill being tabled this year in parliament.

Could Mr.Paxman put a question - any question - to Hazel Blears and see if he can break his own record of 12 questions without a straight answer from Michael Howard? With Ms. Blears, it should be a doddle!

What defined the last 10 years for them in terms of labours greatest achievement?, and what would they like to contribute towards in the next decade?

Would Mr Paxman please ask each candidate how he or she plans to make government leaders more accountable to the voters? Government and finance have become more concentrated and isolated, checks and balances under Labour have become much weaker, and the costs of wrong decisions (for example Blair/Iraq war/weapons of mass destruction as the incorrect and possibly illegal impetus to war with Iraq as well as the UK populace's erosion of civil liberties) have proved disastrous under Labour to the public. Blair has used the media for public debate rather than parliament in a way that undercuts MP鈥檚 parliamentary safeguards of the populace. What are each of the candidates going to do to ensure they are for the people and not other interests/governments (USA) so the populace begins to trust them again? Pam, North London

So who has two Jags?

Why did you stay silent when Blair and his pack destroyed this country and why should we beleave things are going to be ant better now he is keaving.

Should Tony Blair face charges if the iraq campaign fails?

over the last 20 years all polititians have killed all faith in the electors with lies and spin people will not vote we are all fedup of it labour are in a deep hole to deep and dont know how to get out of it FROM NOW ON YOU MUST CHANGE LABOUR HAS SOLD THE COUNTRY DOWN THE RIVER. you have a lot to answer for

Why does Hazel Blears talk about a stronger United Nations when her, and all the other candidate hopefuls, ignored the UN (and its resolutions) when voting for the war in Iraq?

The night of the long knives mark two. Those six people are doing a very good job in condemming the Labour Party into oblivion.

The bit about the War thay all said that at the time thay beleved that Iraq had W.O.M.D. At the time I didnt. So in the future how can we trust any one who can so easly be persuaded that a lie is the truth.

Whilst listening to the debate I cannot believe the drivel that emanates from their mouths. One of them said (I don't recall which one because they all look and sound like brainwashed droids) that the people should be making a bigger contribution and not just expect everything to be taken care of by the Government and to 'give and less take'. Is this for real? I consider my contribution enough when I pay over 拢400.00 a month in income tax and NI contributions whilst struggling as a single parent with no benefits to speak of (my working families tax credit entitlement was taken off me). How dare they?

They were so quick to talk about their successes - whilst not mentioning their failures such as the travesty in Iraq, the total lack of immigration law in this country, the prisons being full to capacity, Tony Blair's misguided loyalty to the most corrupt man in the world George Bush. I could go on and on.

I'm a civil servant and have served the Government for the past thirteen years - I therefore consider my contribution enough -I would like something in return. No one on that debate offered me anything. I will not be voting for Labour in any election.

Quite obviously the best candidate for the Job lies somewehre between John Cruddas and Harriet Harman. While Cruddas might bring a youthful modesty to the party, Harriet Harman would bring valuable experience. Either way, neither would hold much sway over Brown's policies.

If Hazel Blears & Harriot Harmen want people to vote for them because they're women does this mean that they wouldn't want the other candidates to be voted for because they're men? Isn't this called sexism?

The failure of Tony Blair and, more importantly, Gordon Brown to congratulate or at least acknowledge Alex Salmond's election as First Minister in the Scottish Parliament speaks volumes about the pettiness of their outlooks. Neither is fit to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. They are probably among the most effective recruiting agents for the movement inn support of an independent Scotland!

I posted a comment but apparently no one received it,it has not shown up anywhere Why, there are 356

john cruddas 1st, harriet harman 2nd

IF HAZEL BLEARS WINS THEN I WILL STOP PREVARICATING ABOUT EMIGRATING AND GO, THIS COUNTRY IS TRYING TO BE FACIST/COMMUNIST UNDER "new labour(?)"

Who answered honestly?

We may vote for the most morally ambiguious people to lead us, but surely there has to be a person of principle in the loop, if only to act as a moral check on our ELECTED governers?

Jeremy should ask them why none of them are brave enough to stand against Gordon!

The deputy leadership contest has so much publicity because it's the only election at the top of the labour party, yet it is not clear what the deputy leader can do. Some reportsd suggest that Brown wont necessarily make the DL DPM as well. If this happens why should this position matter to the general public?

What positions will the chosen deputy leader be able to instigate if they remain outside of cabinet? In this case, what will matter to the general public? What will matter to labour party members over internal political issues?

mr moderator are you so slow because you are trying to present the establishment view?

the licence fee is more than my fully comp car insurance. But I can choose my car insurer?

Do we need a competition for the Deputy Post? - Given the significant swing to the centre by David Cameron, perhaps he should become the new deputy leader!

Peter Lawrence

The questions say more about this government than any answers, i.e. this is a dysfunctional, corrupt government lead by vain megalomaniac sociopaths.

If Hazel Blears wins then there is no further use for the Labour Party, they may as well just disolve the party and do britain and the world a big favour, she is an insult to the human race.

Why has Ruth Kelly and her team handled the implementation of Home Information Packs (HIPs) so badly that the old institutions such as the RICS with vested interests are now campaigning for HIPs to be cancelled?

Thank you.

Like Rose Howard and Simon Barrington-Jones, I would like to know if some comments are being left out.

My comment queried why no question was asked about the government removing human rights, and whether the candidates supported a referendum on ID Cards. Has this become a non-issue to the 大象传媒, even to the point where they don't allow questions or comments on it? Are you still browbeaten by the government?

Even if this comment disappears, someone at the 大象传媒 will have to read it first.

Hazel Blears - methinks she doth pout too much.
Blairites and Brownites - or Brownoses?
Hilary Benn - a good man in the true sense of the word. His goodness however leads him overseas with too much missionary zeal and taxpayers money. Charity begins at home.
Peter Hain - the good old fence sitter from which he hops from side to side, as it benefits himself.
Harriet Harman - charming but too laid back. When she was dealing with pensions, a letter was sent to her from the OAP overseas who were not receiving any annual increases. No response. Pity she did not take the trouble to look into the matter and give a response on her findings.

Even though we assume you all favour the welfare state, I would like to ask each of you what role you think the private sector should play in (a) the Natinal Health Service, (b) education, (c) industry, (d) financial services, and (e) the military.

I simply would like to ask which ones of the canidates voted for the IRAQ invasion. A simple yes or no answer please................

Well as a struggling wanabee first time buyer I am struck dumb by the sheer incompetency of HIP's.
10 years in the planning, hundreds of hard working and hard up citizens pushing themselves further into debt to become trained and the promise of self employment for a government project and then they all resign from their current jobs to be ready for June 1st - all not even considering failure - all ready to answer the latest call by the government - all let down by the government.

So my question - Where does this leave the current property situation? Will we enter free fall sparking a potential economy crash or is the old system actually ok to go with anyway?
Oh and will the unemployment figures when they are next released reflect the higher government caused unemployment?

Also why did they not just follow the Scottish system? While not being perfect with sealed bids (especially when the UK public seem to know no bounds to their spending on property) but at least you have 'bought' the house before you spend hundreds on a survey and you cannot be gazumped.

I trawled through the questions as far as 298. By that time ,among thes eriously thoughtful and the frighteningly ill-informed, I'd only found three that mentioned Iraq, with one on Palestine/Israel. No-one has asked, which candidate is for acknowledging we're making matters worse in Iraq and need to bring the troops home, sharpish. It's alarming that such a small proportion of respondees have considered Mid-East problems as vital issues, or anything to do with us.

I thought Harriet Harman 1st and Hazel Blears 2nd.

John Cruddas was far too critical of his own party. He spent too much time running Labour down and very little time presenting new ideas. His inexperience showed.

If the left wingers like John are allowed to take over the party, the party will return to the likes of punative tax rates for the 'rich' etc. This would be a recipe for disaster and would take the party back to being unelectable again. Allowing left wing candidates to have any influence would be the kiss of death.

As for allowing people more rights at work, I am a civil servant and have 1st hand knowledge of how managers are having to tip-toe around staff to avoid the unions becomming involved. We need to clamp down on the unions not give them more power! (and I'm a Labour voter!)

John Cruddas seemed to be the only candidate capable of a straight answer, all credit to him. The Labour Party is in dire need of a (relatively) 'untainted' influential figure.

I recall a slight mention about some 200,000 members who have left the Labour Party, including my wife and I, who were activists and unpaid skivvies to the party both locally and nationally.

A point about the big divide between the lower paid was made, and what bigger example of this than the abolition of the 10p tax level from next April. (Message 97 puts this across nicely)

Here we have an ex-Chancellor -cum- PM who's Deputy is to be one of those featured on Newsnight. Mr Brown, and those interviewed by Paxo, are obviously totally ignorant of the fact that many thousands of low income, possibly sub/pre-State Pension age group are going to be around 拢240 worse off!

The Personal Allowance between the under OAP aged resident of the UK and those who are receiving their State Pension is over two thousand pounds a year. Unless the next Chancellor, whosoever that may be increases Personal Allowances by 拢2000, which is unlikely, before next April, the poorer in society will have to pay this additional amount of tax.

The party has lost all feeling for the less well-off and in effect has these people paying more tax to the benefit of those earning in excess of 拢15,000 per year.

Something has gone badly wrong and they do NOT acknowledge it!

It's time that someone pointed out a few facts to this Government, and unfortunately I do not think we saw that person on Newsnight. There are many thousands of people who have been thrown on the scrap heap, in their fifties, for example, who cannot find full time regular work. Often part-time work at the minimum wage or living on savings is the only income. Many are not actually listed as unemployed or in a medical situation, but, believe me, they exist and are many in number.

Paul.

Sorry Jeremy, you tried your best, but they just cannot put their "on the fence", prevaricating habits aside for just 50 minutes and give us a bit of honest speak, can they? Hazel Blears exceeded even her usual sycophantic self, Peter Hain said virtually nothing as usual, apart from blowing his own trumpet about Northern Ireland which he managed to do at least 3 times, Alan Johnson said some things, which, had he uttered them during his time as Trade Union leader of the Post Office would have ensured he never got elected again and Hilary Benn just came over as an ineffectual and wishy washy half Blairite version of his formidable father. The "debate", such as it was, was only redeemed by the honesty of John Cruddas, and without his presence and genuineness, and to a lesser extent Harriet Harman's, it would have held all the interest, impact and argument of a Convention of Trappist monks. Cruddas apart,they couldn't even be persuaded to hazard a vote for each other. How pathetic. And these are the chosen few who hope to be charged with regenerating interest and bringing politics back to the people?!! Sorry Newsnight, on that score and on the basis of those performances, you are on your own, as ever!

What took these jokers so long to admit the Blair government got it all wrong? Their discussion on how they will get back to basic Labour values is laughable as they all stood back (or supported Blair) in destroying the Labour Party.