UNISON backs
Alan Johnson for Deputy The Labour leadership succession has been the first substantial chance since the early 1990s for Labour Party betrayal was delivered without any sense of shame.
As each candidate was barely half way through their first sentence interlocutor David Dimbleby, to his credit, started interrupting, "but weren't you part of the government", "did you object about this at the time?", "and what have you done about this since 1997?" etc.
They had nothing to say. What could they say?
Unfortunately Cruddas failed to polarise the issue into a debate over the legacy of the last decade. He tried too hard to avoid being sidelined as a leftie.
As the only backbench candidate he combines independence from government, a credible involvement in some real campaigning - against the fascist threat in London - and a programme (focussed on Iraq, defence of public services, opposition to the renewal of Trident and backing for the Trade Union Freedom bill) that if implemented would involve a break with a decade and a half of New Labour policies.
His problem, as he freely admits, is that he supported the war at the time of the invasion and, until recently had little public profile as a radical. Indeed, before election of MP he was a Blair advisor.
His candidacy at least ensured there was a debate and raised the flag of left opposition. His vote will be a marker of the state of play in party and unions.
But even that will come with qualifications. Most of his supporters were far from visible in support of John McDonnell's bid for the leadership.
Ken Livingstone is prime example - and Tony "Baldrick" Robinson. And Cruddas himself nominated Brown for leader, signalling that he saw his campaign primarily as vehicle for placing left pressure on Brown - and giving grateful union leaders Simpson and Woodley an easy option to pose as left critics rather than a call for a decisive change.