Little chance in leadership race

So Andrew Little is going to contend for the Labour leadership.

For Cunliffe's supports, Little has the distinct advantage of not being grant Robertson; for Robertson's adherents, he has the decisive positive of not being David Cunliffe.  Given that it is a preferential voting system, the curious position of being no-one's first or third choice may serve him well.

There is precedent.  Ed Miliband won the British Labour Party leadership by being no-one's first choice and everyone's second choice; I suspect the Cunliffe / Robertson camps are so embittered that they will probably find they do the same as the supporters of David Miliband, Ed Balls, Dianne Abbott and Andy Burnham, and achieve curious unity and elect the leader none of them want.

Whether a universal second choice not that is what Labour (British or New Zealand editions) needs is a very profound question.