Good for Silly for actually doing something positive. I generally think there is much weight in your thinking but we need also to bear in mind that we cannot just assume that the heartlands will stay positive on the conservatives for the long haul. This is said with no wish to stir up the ‘project fear’ argument again because no one knows what deal, if any, we will land with our biggest trading partners, and then beyond that we have no way of knowing how our lives and communities will be affected. We may play hardball on freedom of movement which might, if it reduces the numbers of low skilled immigrant workers/non workers in heartlands communities sufficiently to be tangible, then what might be the trade-offs on tariffs and barriers to trade with the EU that we may have to swallow? How will these trade barriers on companies that rely on trade with the EU respond? Will companies be able to fund wage increases in order to attract UK workers into low skilled positions that will need filling? Is the government willing to fund the huge amount it will need to pay to upskill the UK workforce to step into the more skilled jobs that will need filling? Is the government willing to at least match the sudden absence of EU funding into targeted areas that receive their social funds to develop less well-off UK areas?

I sincerely hope that Brexit is a trading success and that people feel the benefits, especially in heartlands towns but there is a weight of evidence and questions that throw doubt onto this and the possible reality in 3 years’ time, particularly in the heartlands towns could well be feeling either a hit on their already diminished prosperity, or feeling betrayed that the Brexit they got wasn’t the one they feel they voted for. Labour have to rebuild, choose the most able candidate to keep holding the government to account against their promises in the public eye but crucially build up Labour’s own vision of what the UK should look like in 5 years’ time and beyond. More positivity despite this being difficult when there is inherent anger at what we see around us. It certainly doesn’t resonate with your average Josephine voter.

At the moment, all candidates are being strategic and ultimately bland, trying to appeal to all sides of a split party. I’m disappointed that Philips withdrew as she can be a very challenging and eloquent opponent, but clearly struggled with strategy and the rather false discipline of modern politics. A real shame as I think she has good potential but obviously need to match the engaging personality with strategy. I tend to agree with Silly that RLB and Starmer already carry loads of PR baggage in their respective support of Corbyn and Brexit. An important thing for me is likability and warmth matched with intelligence and incisiveness. RLB, in trying to combat her long term support for Corbyn which of course will be flung at her in spades, will struggle to defeat this as, despite her eloquence, she comes over as stern and angry, also a Corbyn fate. By contrast Starmer has huge intelligence, but lacks inspiration and zest on the platform. I’ve been impressed with Thornbury when she has addressed the supporters, but sometimes seen her struggle with opponents when trying to hold the party line, and gets flustered. Of the four, I like Nandy the most in being someone that I think people from different sides of the party, and the country will be able to relate to and actually quite like. But not seen enough of her to be fully confident in her as a choice yet.