Diane Abbot taking part in Anti-Israel protest march.

'I am what a 21st century leader looks like'. This quote is taken from the website of Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington. The race for the leadership of the Labour Party is gathering pace and Diane Abbott is in the running.

A member of the Labour Party for over 30 years, Ms Abbott was the first black woman MP in Westminster. Her constituency is blighted by unemployment, crime, and some of the worst social housing problems in the country.

Diane Abbott is widely considered to be on the very far left of the the Labour Party. On 17 Jan 2009 she took part in an Anti Israel protest march in London. The march was marred by violence and many of her fellow protesters carried pro Hammas/Hezbula banners. Despite this, Ms Abbott chose to walk at the head of the march. She accompanied some very young children who presented a gruesome sight, dressed in shrouds drenched in fake blood. The children also carried plastic dolls covered in blood. The children did not look happy and there was a general feeling among onlookers the this was child exploitation ( even if it was in a good cause).

While her commitment to the Labour party in general cannot be questioned, her well documented 'leftist views' mean that her current ranking of 'outsider' in the race to become Labour leader is well deserved.