But the worst part of this leadership election is that what was supposed to be a means of showcasing Labour’s leadership hopefuls is instead diminishing them. Yvette Cooper is strong, intelligent and passionate. Yet she appears to have become terrified of her own shadow. Liz Kendall is brave and imaginative. But as the contest has unfolded it has become increasingly obvious that she does not yet possess the experience or gravitas to be leader of a major British political party, let alone prime minister of her country. Andy Burnham proved both in government and opposition – with his ferocious lobbying for a proper inquiry into the Hillsborough victims and his plans for radical reform of social care – that he is a politician of substance and principle. But over the course of the campaign he has become a self-parody – literally arguing he deserves to be elected because he has a scouse accent. Only Jeremy Corbyn is emerging stronger from the process. And even he has failed to inject any serious, radical energy into the race.