Choices, choices

Interesting times for Labour, They're in opposition, broke, having a leadership election which might turn into a civil war and their owners the unions look like they are hell bent on making sure via strike action in transport and public services that they are being made pretty unelectable in the near to mid future.
I know the Milliband clones are the current favourites to take the leadership, though it's far more likely to be eco freak (Ed) rather than banana boy (Dave) but this assumes that the unions don't decide to let Labour commit electoral suicide Michael Foot style by letting Ed (the thug) Balls in or Diane (hypocrite) Abbott. There is another candidate, but he's currently having a hissy fit over Abbott stealing his thunder.
As I have no stake at all in deciding who gets to be Labour leader, (even if it is tempting to join as has been suggested over at Obo's place just to get Ball's in*) I'm pretty undecided who I'd like to see leading them. A healthy democracy needs a good opposition to hold the government to account. Problem being that Labour are not a good opposition in pretty much the same way that they weren't a good government. They are too tied down with either Blairist posturing or socialist idiocy to be of much use or ornament as an effective opposition, at the moment they are tainted goods.
However if not Labour, then who? The Lib Dems don't have enough parliamentarians as yet, though their little scam to get government tax payer funding for parties is still ongoing at the moment (as I never voted for any of them, why should I fund them?) They are also temporarily the government too, though I doubt it will last long. Question being will they be caught out by what needs to be done to put the country right, it might be necessary but it wont be popular.
So, is it worth wanting Labour to make themselves totally unpopular save amongst niche groups like the SWP or that at least they make themselves popular enough to at least give the Tories something to think about.

Guess what I really want is a proper "conservative" opposition to the Tories, EUskeptic, economically sound and not obsessed with social democracy, targets and posturing, at least until they become the government. Basically I want a UKIP opposition/government, but at the moment that's just a pipe dream along with an English parliament in a federal UK.

So, decisions, decisions, it's got to be Balls or Abbot for me ;-)

* Tempting, but I just couldn't, far too much self respect ever to associate myself with Labour