Real substance from Cruddas in a virtual world Parburypolitica supported deputy leadership candidate Jon Cruddas has an article on comment is free and very good it is to. Here's a snippit that I like:

"One of the reasons I decided to stand for Labour's deputy leadership was a conversation with a cabinet minister, who told me that the era of political parties was over. Modern politics is a virtual politics, he said. This is a politics where parties have supporters whose role is just to pitch up a few quid each year and put up a poster at elections."

So Jon are you going to name and shame the virtual politics cabinet minister? I have my suspicions as to who it could be. Anyway this also misses the crucial point that one of the other reasons Jon Cruddas is standing for the deputy leadership is a meeting with Parburypolitica himself at Labour Party conference last year in Manchester. I was in the newsagents across from Central Library buying a pen when I saw this guy in front buying a paper. "Your Jon Cruddas aren't you" I said and we got chatting and he introduced me to some members of his campaign team. He told me that they were just off to make the decision whether he should run of not but he asked me what I thought, My tupence worth was that he should and the rest as they say is history.  ¶ 4:53 pm