politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Corbyn’s first PMQs buzzword bingo
Comments
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During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company0
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The "volunteers" welcoming migrants to Vienna are actually being paid 10Euros/hour.
http://www.unzensuriert.at/content/0018718-Freiwillige-Fluechtlingshelfer-am-Westbahnhof-sind-bezahlt#.VfWXO2NcJuA.facebook0 -
One of those bizarre confluence's where James Delingpole agrees with Jeremy Corbyn,SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, tweeting in 2010 about his belief in homeopathy
jeremycorbyn 5 Mar 2010
@leftoutside I believe that homeo-meds works for some ppl and that it compliments 'convential' meds. they both come from organic matter...
THEY BOTH COME FROM ORGANIC MATTER
I'm returning to the opinion that our Jeremy is just a bit thick, hence his personal "niceness" allied to some massively stupid and dangerous opinions.0 -
He certainly has good qualities.alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
Though maybe its my cynicism, but I would be worried at something literally called the 'Ethical Property Company' - like going to a contractor called 'Honest somebody'.0 -
Dino FanculoMikeK said:Dino Fancellu @DinoFancellu 53m53 minutes ago
Labour to UKIP Defector: Corbyn Is An Enemy Of Women, Jews, And Free Speech… Abandon Ship! http://bit.ly/1QcENuY via @BreitbartNews0 -
I'd be willing to put a tenner on "security" if Shadsy wants to offer it.TheScreamingEagles said:
The market isRichard_Nabavi said:Is this a market on what Corbyn might say, or on what anyone might say in PMQs? The website is not clear.
"Which exact words or phrases will Corbyn use in his first PMQs"
If I was the kind of person who bets on political bingo, which I am not.0 -
First Labour politician in ________ to respect taxpayer's money?alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
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Who's paying them?LucyJones said:The "volunteers" welcoming migrants to Vienna are actually being paid 10Euros/hour.
http://www.unzensuriert.at/content/0018718-Freiwillige-Fluechtlingshelfer-am-Westbahnhof-sind-bezahlt#.VfWXO2NcJuA.facebook0 -
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Union-bashing Tory minister linked to strike that closed TV service for 20 months http://t.co/2BXJYquBH5 #TUBill pic.twitter.com/MMg4oYZGzg
— Political Scrapbook (@PSbook) September 14, 20150 -
No banging of desks as @JeremyCorbyn4PM arrives for PLP0
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Me too.TOPPING said:
yes you're right.My sarcasm doesn't come out well on chatrooms. Perhaps because I am on the way to losing my sense of humour at all this "good old Jezza at least you know where you stand" bolleaux.Cyclefree said:
Straight talking is not admirable if what is being said is nonsense. The substance of what is being said is what matters.TOPPING said:
Mike you're misunderstanding him. He is a straight talker and what you see is what you get. Admirable qualities for any man, and in particular the LotO to have.MikeK said:The Yorkshire Post @yorkshirepost 56m56 minutes ago
Corbyn is ‘one of ours’ says Argentine envoy over Falklands. #Corbyn http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/corbyn-is-one-of-ours-says-argentine-envoy-over-falklands-1-7459632 …
Corbyn is ‘one of ours’ : The same could be said for Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRA.
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I think the 8000 DNV figure is the most telling. It proves that the 'exciting new members to vote' strategy is not going to do the trick.Lennon said:
An additionally interesting aside is what happens to the Green Party. If even 30% of that 40,000 were previously Green members rather than just voters then that's over 10,000 members that they have just lost... That'll make quite a difference in some places.flightpath01 said:Peter Kellner writes -- "About 70,000 people who voted in the leadership election did not vote Labour in the general election. Some 40,000 voted Green and 96 per cent of these Green voters backed Mr Corbyn. We estimate that the other non-Labour voters were: Liberal Democrats: 10,000; Conservatives: 3,000; Ukip: 3,000; other parties 6,000; did not vote 8,000."
What goes on at PMQs will be the least interesting and least relevant issue for now. What will be interesting and possibly entertaining is what happens inside the Labour Party and the changes to its internal rules.0 -
Perhaps they don't recognise him.Plato_Says said:No banging of desks as @JeremyCorbyn4PM arrives for PLP
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Ghedebrav said:
I've enjoyed pointing this out to a few Corbynista doctor friends! A brief flicker of 'oh, sh1t' in their eyes...SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, tweeting in 2010 about his belief in homeopathy
jeremycorbyn 5 Mar 2010
@leftoutside I believe that homeo-meds works for some ppl and that it compliments 'convential' meds. they both come from organic matter...
THEY BOTH COME FROM ORGANIC MATTER
I'm returning to the opinion that our Jeremy is just a bit thick, hence his personal "niceness" allied to some massively stupid and dangerous opinions.
Anthrax toxins, botulinum toxins, sarin, tabun, VX, ricin come from organic matter. I guess that makes them good too. Same for GM crops.0 -
His comment is very Thatcherite. She said something similar: "I never forget that it is taxpayers' money." (I am remembering so the quote may not be accurate.)Luckyguy1983 said:
First Labour politician in ________ to respect taxpayer's money?alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
It has come to something though that an MP being honest about his expenses and claiming the bare minimum is something to praise. This should be a given not something exceptional and praiseworthy.
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Incidentally, do candidates for the leadership have to reveal their donations and who donated?0
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The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,0 -
Some of us have been saying this for years. The biggest driver of political sentiment is identity, and threats to our identity. It is only when that gets taken out of the picture, via the formation of nation states, that people start focusing on economic matters.AndyJS said:Matthew Goodwin on UKIP voters in Labour seats:
"Some argue that Corbyn is well placed to win these voters back— that, really, this is about trustworthiness, tapping into an anti-politics mood and desire for authenticity. It is a nice thought to comfort Labour on cold nights but it is simply not accurate. Those who have left Labour for Ukip are chiefly obsessed with immigration. This is not a proxy for something else. These voters really do not like immigration and they want less of it"
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-will-struggle-to-win-back-ukip-voters
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Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
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I actually love him for this, no, I really do. I've been telling my friends about it for months. It made me rejoin the party and restored my faith in Westminster politics that in the midst of a bunch of self-serving troughers there is not only one decent individual but one who's been elected Leader of the Opposition.alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
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Thats so funnyMorris_Dancer said:0 -
Yes, it reminds me of her too. And yes, it has come to something when this is something exceptional and praiseworthy, but it is.Cyclefree said:
His comment is very Thatcherite. She said something similar: "I never forget that it is taxpayers' money." (I am remembering so the quote may not be accurate.)Luckyguy1983 said:
First Labour politician in ________ to respect taxpayer's money?alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
It has come to something though that an MP being honest about his expenses and claiming the bare minimum is something to praise. This should be a given not something exceptional and praiseworthy.0 -
Can't you take your name-calling off to Guido's site where it might find a better home? I assume you find this one clever and funny. It wasn't particularly so the first time and it certainly isn't now.SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, .
I think you can contribute to the site better than this, Sean.0 -
I think I can imagine the response to that.Estobar said:
Can't you take your name-calling off to Guido's site where it might find a better home? I assume you find this one clever and funny. It wasn't particularly so the first time and it certainly isn't now.SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, .
I think you can contribute to the site better than this, Sean.
Don't let it dishearten you.0 -
You think, go off and rest those brain cells, they must be tired.Estobar said:
Can't you take your name-calling off to Guido's site where it might find a better home? I assume you find this one clever and funny. It wasn't particularly so the first time and it certainly isn't now.SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, .
I think you can contribute to the site better than this, Sean.0 -
Took me a while, but I've finally realised that Corbyn reminds me of the Wise Old Elf from Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom.0
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I was looking for a way perhaps the Sun had misunderstood/spun... but nothing.Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
This really is ludicrous.0 -
True, who told them too?Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,0 -
Arf – glad my tea stained laptop is still under warrantyMorris_Dancer said:
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MikeK said:
Union-bashing Tory minister linked to strike that closed TV service for 20 months http://t.co/2BXJYquBH5 #TUBill pic.twitter.com/MMg4oYZGzg
— Political Scrapbook (@PSbook) September 14, 2015
Nothing surprises me anymore with career politicians.0 -
''On Saturday The Sun told how an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class was said to have “brainwashed” other youngsters into writing to jihadi fighters in Syria.Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
The latest batch of letters was trumpeted on Twitter with the words: “Allahu Akbar. Local Muslim primary school kids made greeting cards 4 #MuslimPrisoners.”0 -
LOL Comrade Corbyn will be destroyed by the press just as Red Ed was.0
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He found his way there?Plato_Says said:No banging of desks as @JeremyCorbyn4PM arrives for PLP
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Last week I was told by my Dail Wail reading sister-in-law that someone had been reported as going for a haircut and found that his normal barber, a refugee from Iraq had gone home. There was subsequently somewhat of a tirade about abusers of the system etc.Speedy said:
True, who told them too?Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
Turns out the barber had indeed gone East on holiday, but only as far as Great Yarmouth!0 -
Cathy Newman @cathynewman 18s18 seconds ago
"I might not have chosen the right words" @johnmcdonnellMP tells #c4news
re #IRA0 -
flightpath01 said:
''On Saturday The Sun told how an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class was said to have “brainwashed” other youngsters into writing to jihadi fighters in Syria.Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
The latest batch of letters was trumpeted on Twitter with the words: “Allahu Akbar. Local Muslim primary school kids made greeting cards 4 #MuslimPrisoners.”
So an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class in a muslim primary school.
Why do muslims have their own primary schools?
I thought the whole point of integration would be to include them so they emulate the rest of society.0 -
Not sure I buy is straight talking nonsense. A lot of what he says tends to be absolute waffle - see that silly press release about the women in his shadow cabinet last night.Cyclefree said:
Straight talking is not admirable if what is being said is nonsense. The substance of what is being said is what matters.TOPPING said:
Mike you're misunderstanding him. He is a straight talker and what you see is what you get. Admirable qualities for any man, and in particular the LotO to have.MikeK said:The Yorkshire Post @yorkshirepost 56m56 minutes ago
Corbyn is ‘one of ours’ says Argentine envoy over Falklands. #Corbyn http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/corbyn-is-one-of-ours-says-argentine-envoy-over-falklands-1-7459632 …
Corbyn is ‘one of ours’ : The same could be said for Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRA.0 -
We have spent 1 billion of our own money on our own initiative up to now.MP_SE said:
The UK are indirectly taking part through having to contribute £90 million to fund the relocation of the asylum seekers across those countries who are taking part.Philip_Thompson said:Away from the Labour meltdown and hysterics and onto the migrant crisis, I recall someone a few months ago (isam I think) saying that the EU would find a way to make it mandatory for us to take part in quotas for redistributing migrants, despite our opt-out.
It seems to be settled now that won't happen and that Denmark, Ireland and ourselves are exempt. If you see this post, do you accept that now or still expect the EU to find a way to make us take a quota against our will?0 -
Big_G_NorthWales said:
Thats so funnyMorris_Dancer said:ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyNI7wmjS6s
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Listening to some of the phone-in programmes today, my overall impression is that JCorbyn should be given a chance (all types of voters). I think the MSM have been way off base on this one and believe they are beginning to realise it.0
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The reason that Corbyn is unspun is that you cannot make a silk purse ouf of a sow's ear. The reason that he is unpolished is that you cannot polish a turd.Razedabode said:
Not sure I buy is straight talking nonsense. A lot of what he says tends to be absolute waffle - see that silly press release about the women in his shadow cabinet last night.Cyclefree said:
Straight talking is not admirable if what is being said is nonsense. The substance of what is being said is what matters.TOPPING said:
Mike you're misunderstanding him. He is a straight talker and what you see is what you get. Admirable qualities for any man, and in particular the LotO to have.MikeK said:The Yorkshire Post @yorkshirepost 56m56 minutes ago
Corbyn is ‘one of ours’ says Argentine envoy over Falklands. #Corbyn http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/corbyn-is-one-of-ours-says-argentine-envoy-over-falklands-1-7459632 …
Corbyn is ‘one of ours’ : The same could be said for Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRA.0 -
Two can play that game:Big_G_NorthWales said:
Thats so funnyMorris_Dancer said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqzXcvlNmgw0 -
Paul Mason can barely control his delight at Labour's economic policy on C4 news.0
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"But you don't last 30 years....without developing skills....." He's been MP for Islington for 30 years ffs. There, they vote Labour for donkeys with red rosettes.kle4 said:
I can believe he is authentic and straightforward in most instances, but the thing is that 'person who doesn't care about presentation' is itself a presentation, as is his 'authentic, normal person' schtick. I don't doubt that is, in general, who he is, but we also know he is a political animal, and he has been shown to use cliche, obfuscating explanations and distraction techniques like any politician would. I don't condemn him for doing that, it's part of the game. But you don't last 30 years as a politician without developing the skills necessary to survive. He hasn't needed some of the skills that people on the front bench needed, and that may help or hinder him right now, but he has others, and he has used them well.Cyclefree said:
I'm not sure I buy this latest bit of spin that he is all WYSIWYG and that he's honest. He has said some things which are clearly contradicted by the evidence and which he must have known were. I think there is a danger of assuming that because he's quiet and polite and looks like an inoffensive folk singer that he therefore cannot also be as dishonest and disingenuous as other politicians. He strikes me as more in the Livingstone mould, another politician who constructed a persona to make him seem nicer and cuddlier than was in fact the case.
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One we have a choice in, the other we do not.flightpath01 said:
We have spent 1 billion of our own money on our own initiative up to now.MP_SE said:
The UK are indirectly taking part through having to contribute £90 million to fund the relocation of the asylum seekers across those countries who are taking part.Philip_Thompson said:Away from the Labour meltdown and hysterics and onto the migrant crisis, I recall someone a few months ago (isam I think) saying that the EU would find a way to make it mandatory for us to take part in quotas for redistributing migrants, despite our opt-out.
It seems to be settled now that won't happen and that Denmark, Ireland and ourselves are exempt. If you see this post, do you accept that now or still expect the EU to find a way to make us take a quota against our will?0 -
"All those that voted Corbyn but don't support Labour please leave the room" - brilliant.Speedy said:
Two can play that game:Big_G_NorthWales said:
Thats so funnyMorris_Dancer said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqzXcvlNmgw0 -
And that confluence by appointment to HRH The P. of W. Funny old world.Alistair said:
One of those bizarre confluence's where James Delingpole agrees with Jeremy Corbyn,SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, tweeting in 2010 about his belief in homeopathy
jeremycorbyn 5 Mar 2010
@leftoutside I believe that homeo-meds works for some ppl and that it compliments 'convential' meds. they both come from organic matter...
THEY BOTH COME FROM ORGANIC MATTER
I'm returning to the opinion that our Jeremy is just a bit thick, hence his personal "niceness" allied to some massively stupid and dangerous opinions.0 -
Probably can, but why bother? 70 per cent of the posts are generic earnest Tory or MailOnline/Guido type outrage about modern libruhls, 20 per cent generic earnest Labour/Lib Dem. At least SeanT is funny.Estobar said:
Can't you take your name-calling off to Guido's site where it might find a better home? I assume you find this one clever and funny. It wasn't particularly so the first time and it certainly isn't now.SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, .
I think you can contribute to the site better than this, Sean.0 -
Even when it comes to satire, I'm vastly superior in my choices.Philip_Thompson said:
"All those that voted Corbyn but don't support Labour please leave the room" - brilliant.Speedy said:
Two can play that game:Big_G_NorthWales said:
Thats so funnyMorris_Dancer said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqzXcvlNmgw0 -
The Pink One seems less than impressed by the government's union clampdown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7a25a76-5acc-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3ljpiVb3N
Not sure this is owning the centre ground as Osborne appeared to suggest to the New Statesman he wanted.0 -
Oh come on, since when is cracking down on the unions at a time the last major industrial strife was 30 years ago, being centre ground?FrankBooth said:The Pink One seems less than impressed by the government's union clampdown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7a25a76-5acc-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3ljpiVb3N
Not sure this is owning the centre ground as Osborne appeared to suggest to the New Statesman he wanted.
My rule of thumb in politics is if people don't care about it then it's party prejudice.
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I read it as, muslim who are in a primary school, not a 'muslim primary school'.Speedy said:
So an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class in a muslim primary school.flightpath01 said:
''On Saturday The Sun told how an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class was said to have “brainwashed” other youngsters into writing to jihadi fighters in Syria.Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
The latest batch of letters was trumpeted on Twitter with the words: “Allahu Akbar. Local Muslim primary school kids made greeting cards 4 #MuslimPrisoners.”
Why do muslims have their own primary schools?
I thought the whole point of integration would be to include them so they emulate the rest of society.0 -
Who are the 'people', and who defines 'if they care' ?Speedy said:
Oh come on, since when is cracking down on the unions at a time the last major industrial strife was 30 years ago, being centre ground?FrankBooth said:The Pink One seems less than impressed by the government's union clampdown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7a25a76-5acc-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3ljpiVb3N
Not sure this is owning the centre ground as Osborne appeared to suggest to the New Statesman he wanted.
My rule of thumb in politics is if people don't care about it then it's party prejudice.
I bet lots of people cared about the last tube strikes.0 -
When do we get the second reading vote on the Trade Union bill?0
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Conservative policy is to encourage faith schools, isn't it?Speedy said:flightpath01 said:
''On Saturday The Sun told how an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class was said to have “brainwashed” other youngsters into writing to jihadi fighters in Syria.Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
The latest batch of letters was trumpeted on Twitter with the words: “Allahu Akbar. Local Muslim primary school kids made greeting cards 4 #MuslimPrisoners.”
So an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class in a muslim primary school.
Why do muslims have their own primary schools?
I thought the whole point of integration would be to include them so they emulate the rest of society.0 -
Easy to tell who doesn't use the tube to get to workSpeedy said:
Oh come on, since when is cracking down on the unions at a time the last major industrial strife was 30 years ago, being centre ground?FrankBooth said:The Pink One seems less than impressed by the government's union clampdown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7a25a76-5acc-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3ljpiVb3N
Not sure this is owning the centre ground as Osborne appeared to suggest to the New Statesman he wanted.
My rule of thumb in politics is if people don't care about it then it's party prejudice.0 -
Many belly laughs in that one
Speedy said:
Two can play that game:Big_G_NorthWales said:
Thats so funnyMorris_Dancer said:ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyNI7wmjS6s
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqzXcvlNmgw0 -
Or have children in state schools.maaarsh said:
Easy to tell who doesn't use the tube to get to workSpeedy said:
Oh come on, since when is cracking down on the unions at a time the last major industrial strife was 30 years ago, being centre ground?FrankBooth said:The Pink One seems less than impressed by the government's union clampdown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7a25a76-5acc-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3ljpiVb3N
Not sure this is owning the centre ground as Osborne appeared to suggest to the New Statesman he wanted.
My rule of thumb in politics is if people don't care about it then it's party prejudice.
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The thing is that the truly disruptive strikes are the ones which would possibly be largely unaffected by the Bill. Many workforces these days are simply not massively unionised, which immediately reduces the effect of strikes, and also means that fewer union members feel compelled to strike when the Union calls them out. Strikes are effective when they attract large scale support from the membership (regardless of whether they've actually voted). It really isn't that difficult to see that if thresholds are introduced you may get significant increases in ballot participation. Which in turn will make it much harder for the Government to portray strikes as illegitimate and automatically gain public support in opposing them.JosiasJessop said:
Who are the 'people', and who defines 'if they care' ?Speedy said:
Oh come on, since when is cracking down on the unions at a time the last major industrial strife was 30 years ago, being centre ground?FrankBooth said:The Pink One seems less than impressed by the government's union clampdown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7a25a76-5acc-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html#axzz3ljpiVb3N
Not sure this is owning the centre ground as Osborne appeared to suggest to the New Statesman he wanted.
My rule of thumb in politics is if people don't care about it then it's party prejudice.
I bet lots of people cared about the last tube strikes.0 -
Not clear. It's an employment agency that is advertising.AndyJS said:
Who's paying them?LucyJones said:The "volunteers" welcoming migrants to Vienna are actually being paid 10Euros/hour.
http://www.unzensuriert.at/content/0018718-Freiwillige-Fluechtlingshelfer-am-Westbahnhof-sind-bezahlt#.VfWXO2NcJuA.facebook
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The way the thresholds are designed is also fundamentally flawed. If you are going to introduce thresholds you absolutely should not allow a scenario where it is potentially more effective in preventing a strike to not vote rather than to vote to oppose (which would be the case if the vote in favour would not be close, but the turnout threshold would)0
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11864292/Welcome-to-the-hypocrisy-of-the-Corbyn-era.html
Dan's keyboard has been busyBut aside from the institutional sexism, the hypocrisy and the cynicism – which are pretty damned hard to stomach – what really angers me the most is Jeremy Corbyn’s arrogant insistence that we all suspend our disbelief.
He and his supporters honestly expect everyone to say: “Oh look! Here’s a white, male Labour leader, appointing a white, male shadow chancellor, a white, male shadow home secretary and a white, male shadow foreign secretary, and that’s great. This is a new political dawn. He’s dragging Labour and British politics out of the 18th century and into the 21st century. By appointing all these white men.”0 -
Muslim families often send their children to madrasas after normal school. They study the Koran. A bit like Sunday school in the C of E0
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As I understand it there are very, very few designated Muslim faith schools (possibly even fewer than Jewish faith schools). 99% of faith schools are CoE or Catholic.OldKingCole said:
Conservative policy is to encourage faith schools, isn't it?Speedy said:flightpath01 said:
''On Saturday The Sun told how an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class was said to have “brainwashed” other youngsters into writing to jihadi fighters in Syria.Cyclefree said:
Told by whom? I would hope that parents have a veto over any writing of letters to or contact with third party strangers by children.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,
The latest batch of letters was trumpeted on Twitter with the words: “Allahu Akbar. Local Muslim primary school kids made greeting cards 4 #MuslimPrisoners.”
So an 18-year-old taking an after-school Koran class in a muslim primary school.
Why do muslims have their own primary schools?
I thought the whole point of integration would be to include them so they emulate the rest of society.
What's going on in that particular school - if true - will land them in very hot water.0 -
After his Franco remarks I think David Davis could be my latest Tory hero. Certainly joining Ken Clarke and Crispin Blunt. Hopefully a few more rebels will out themselves.0
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Ken Clarke is a euro-federalist traitorFrankBooth said:After his Franco remarks I think David Davis could be my latest Tory hero. Certainly joining Ken Clarke and Crispin Blunt. Hopefully a few more rebels will out themselves.
Agree with you on Mr Davis though.
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1. Matter of principle, innit. I don't like *anyone* telling me what to do.Cyclefree said:
Well, I'm not Pope (obviously).Charles said:@Cyclefree FPT
I might be tempted to join, although generations of ancestors would disapprove.
Only three (main) issues for you to fix first:
1. Papal infallibility - a little arrogant, no?
2. Marianism - mother fixation?
3. Transubstantiation - nah. That's just silly.
1. Maybe - but given that it's meant to be on matters of doctrine and in practice Popes do change - albeit slowly - how much of a practical problem is it? Also you could say the same about Jesus. I will be controversial now and say that this is just English fear of a foreign ruler. It's time to get over Henry VIII and all that.
2. What's wrong with thinking mothers are wonderful, eh?? Honestly: Englishmen!!! A man loves his first love the deepest, his wife the best and his mother the longest. And as you know, if you want a man to do something you get to the woman closest to him. At least women have some status: not just Mary but Mary Magdalene and Martha etc and St Anne. We honour the older woman - unlike some other organisations we could mention.
3. Well, given that we've got Turning Water into Wine, Feeding Five Thousand on 5 Loaves and 2 Fishes, Walking on Water, the Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, you're gibbing at swallowing the gnat having swallowed the camel, as it were.....
2. Of course mothers are wonderful (especially as mine lurks on this site from time to time). But the route to redemption is through Christ and Christ alone. All of the saints are equally worthy of veneration; I don't believe in class-based division. Except for St. Dunstan, of course, because he was just cool (and the patron saint of bankers)*
3. Symbolism vs. reality...
* An example of Dunstan's coolness: the feud with Dunstan began on the day of Eadwig's coronation, when he failed to attend a meeting of nobles. When Dunstan eventually found the young monarch, he was cavorting with a noblewoman named Ælfgifu and her mother, and refused to return with the bishop. Infuriated by this, Dunstan dragged Eadwig back and forced him to renounce the girl as a "strumpet". Later realising that he had provoked the king, Dunstan fled to the apparent sanctuary of his cloister, but Eadwig, incited by Ælfgifu, whom he married, followed him and plundered the monastery
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I think there are exceptions to that rule thatAnneJGP said:
That is what I find supremely off-putting about the left-wing people. They have actively taught their young people to hate - whether a single figure from the past, or anyone whom they can label as 'Tory'.kle4 said:
Those people are idiots. I don't like labelling whole groups of people, I strive to be reasonable in all things, but that is seriously idiotic behaviour.Estobar said:Big_G_NorthWales said:
Half the Country would love to have 'assassinated' her. Do you think before you spout such rubbishEstobar said:
Despite the fact half the country or more would love to have done? (As hyperbole.)DavidL said:
Mistake. Mentioning "Thatcher" allows Cameron to ask if the Shadow Chancellor would still want to assassinate her given the chance. Too easy a hit. He will avoid it.Richard_Nabavi said:OK, a fiver on 'Thatcher' at 12/1. The guy is fixated with the great lady, and I'm thinking he might come up with 'the biggest attack on workers since Mrs Thatcher' or some such tosh.
Edit: 'Inequality' is a pretty good guess but 1/2 is a bit mean. Ditto 'Poverty'
Inequality and poverty much better bets.
I do. Thatcher was the most divisive politician of the twentieth century by all measures. I can't really be bothered to give you a history lesson on it. Have a look at YouTube on the poll tax riots to remind yourself. That's not a comment on whether she was right or wrong. She was just incredible divisive and even now if you speak her name people a significant number of people will well up in a near-allergic reaction. Go to some parts of the country and try and deny this at your peril.
I truly want people, left and right, to stop trying to get me to worship or demonise Thatcher. I know there are young people who, for some reason, get really emotional about a PM who was ousted when they were children or not even born, but I don't understand it. Hate her politics sure, particularly if raised to do it, but I just cannot get worked up about her. Things have moved on, the legacy is important but not to the point people should still be getting so bloody upset and talking of assassination and the like, it's insanity.
I was not raised to hate any political party or figure, and it is much more relaxing (and as I've never voted Tory, cannot be 'defending' Thatcher out of loyalty)
Teaching young people to hate anyone or anything just turns me up. I don't know how anyone with any principles at all can find common cause with people who do that.everyonemost people could agree to0 -
I hope he's paid by volume, as he is reliable as clockwork most days for years it seems.Plato_Says said:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11864292/Welcome-to-the-hypocrisy-of-the-Corbyn-era.html
Dan's keyboard has been busyBut aside from the institutional sexism, the hypocrisy and the cynicism – which are pretty damned hard to stomach – what really angers me the most is Jeremy Corbyn’s arrogant insistence that we all suspend our disbelief.
He and his supporters honestly expect everyone to say: “Oh look! Here’s a white, male Labour leader, appointing a white, male shadow chancellor, a white, male shadow home secretary and a white, male shadow foreign secretary, and that’s great. This is a new political dawn. He’s dragging Labour and British politics out of the 18th century and into the 21st century. By appointing all these white men.”0 -
Jeremy Corbyn now promises to wear a red poppy at remembrance day commemorations after suggesting otherwise to Labour MPs.0
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UKIP anti-migrant surge?0
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I agree completely and how and where the EU unfolds has huge implications here for how JC faresLucyJones said:
Given that Juncker, Merkel et al seem to be making up EU migration policy as they go, I think it is premature to suggest that anything is "settled".Philip_Thompson said:Away from the Labour meltdown and hysterics and onto the migrant crisis, I recall someone a few months ago (isam I think) saying that the EU would find a way to make it mandatory for us to take part in quotas for redistributing migrants, despite our opt-out.
It seems to be settled now that won't happen and that Denmark, Ireland and ourselves are exempt. If you see this post, do you accept that now or still expect the EU to find a way to make us take a quota against our will?0 -
I thought Jesus made it very clear in 25:35 how redemption would be earned:Charles said:But the route to redemption is through Christ and Christ alone.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
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http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/14/prime-minister-jeremy-corbyn-the-first-100-days by Chris Mullin
"At dawn, the result remains unclear. Most of the traditional Tory strongholds have held firm. In Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and North Yorkshire, Tory MPs are returned with increased majorities. The outcome hangs on what happens in the 40 seats in which Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have agreed not to oppose each other."0 -
Don't think so. Distinctly remember the same with Miliband, often positive phone ins etc.LadyBucket said:Listening to some of the phone-in programmes today, my overall impression is that JCorbyn should be given a chance (all types of voters). I think the MSM have been way off base on this one and believe they are beginning to realise it.
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The sickly faces round the shad-cab table (on BBC now) have the air of Downfall.0
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I think the change in his profile makes him hugely more vulnerable now, not just in respect of now but in respect of what he got away with saying (relatively) in the past since becoming an MP and before. His need is for a different skill level now against much better equipped adversaries.kle4 said:
I can believe he is authentic and straightforward in most instances, but the thing is that 'person who doesn't care about presentation' is itself a presentation, as is his 'authentic, normal person' schtick. I don't doubt that is, in general, who he is, but we also know he is a political animal, and he has been shown to use cliche, obfuscating explanations and distraction techniques like any politician would. I don't condemn him for doing that, it's part of the game. But you don't last 30 years as a politician without developing the skills necessary to survive. He hasn't needed some of the skills that people on the front bench needed, and that may help or hinder him right now, but he has others, and he has used them well.Cyclefree said:
I'm not sure I buy this latest bit of spin that he is all WYSIWYG and that he's honest. He has said some things which are clearly contradicted by the evidence and which he must have known were. I think there is a danger of assuming that because he's quiet and polite and looks like an inoffensive folk singer that he therefore cannot also be as dishonest and disingenuous as other politicians. He strikes me as more in the Livingstone mould, another politician who constructed a persona to make him seem nicer and cuddlier than was in fact the case.0 -
In statesmanship terms, Cameron is showing Merkel and the EU how it should be done. It hasn't always been so but it is now, in spades.Baskerville said:Compare the imagery.
Corbyn, on his first day as Labour leader, walking stolidly along the street ignoring questions from a TV reporter.
Cameron, in his sixth year as prime minister, on the ground in Lebanon and Jordan arguing the case for more spending on the refugees in the region.0 -
Cameron grows in stature day by day.ReggieCide said:
In statesmanship terms, Cameron is showing Merkel and the EU how it should be done. It hasn't always been so but it is now, in spades.Baskerville said:Compare the imagery.
Corbyn, on his first day as Labour leader, walking stolidly along the street ignoring questions from a TV reporter.
Cameron, in his sixth year as prime minister, on the ground in Lebanon and Jordan arguing the case for more spending on the refugees in the region.0 -
I can't agree that JC's getting away with it.kle4 said:
Not permitted. We must compare them when Corbyn was in his mid 30s and Cameron in his early 20s, it's the only fair way.Baskerville said:Compare the imagery.
Corbyn, on his first day as Labour leader, walking stolidly along the street ignoring questions from a TV reporter.
Cameron, in his sixth year as prime minister, on the ground in Lebanon and Jordan arguing the case for more spending on the refugees in the region.
In all honesty, I;m sure Corbyn will talk to the media in time - it's weird not to do so now, or act affronted at the idea they will want to, but if ever there was a time he could get away with this, it's now.0 -
From the article:RodCrosby said:http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/14/prime-minister-jeremy-corbyn-the-first-100-days by Chris Mullin
"At dawn, the result remains unclear. Most of the traditional Tory strongholds have held firm. In Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and North Yorkshire, Tory MPs are returned with increased majorities. The outcome hangs on what happens in the 40 seats in which Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have agreed not to oppose each other."
How the F*@k do you pay down a deficit over 25 years, like a mortgage? The deficit represents the annual increase in debt, reducing it doesnt reduce debt, it just reduces the pace at which the debt increases.0 -
He's proving a far more comfortable Conservative PM than he was a coalition PM.flightpath01 said:
Cameron grows in stature day by day.ReggieCide said:
In statesmanship terms, Cameron is showing Merkel and the EU how it should be done. It hasn't always been so but it is now, in spades.Baskerville said:Compare the imagery.
Corbyn, on his first day as Labour leader, walking stolidly along the street ignoring questions from a TV reporter.
Cameron, in his sixth year as prime minister, on the ground in Lebanon and Jordan arguing the case for more spending on the refugees in the region.0 -
Does Charlie get a vote? That would certainly be +1 at leastGhedebrav said:
I've enjoyed pointing this out to a few Corbynista doctor friends! A brief flicker of 'oh, sh1t' in their eyes...SeanT said:Jihadist Jez, the soixante-retard, tweeting in 2010 about his belief in homeopathy
jeremycorbyn 5 Mar 2010
@leftoutside I believe that homeo-meds works for some ppl and that it compliments 'convential' meds. they both come from organic matter...
THEY BOTH COME FROM ORGANIC MATTER
I'm returning to the opinion that our Jeremy is just a bit thick, hence his personal "niceness" allied to some massively stupid and dangerous opinions.0 -
Hilarious. A coupon election! A lib lab pact. A green tsunami!RodCrosby said:http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/14/prime-minister-jeremy-corbyn-the-first-100-days by Chris Mullin
"At dawn, the result remains unclear. Most of the traditional Tory strongholds have held firm. In Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and North Yorkshire, Tory MPs are returned with increased majorities. The outcome hangs on what happens in the 40 seats in which Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have agreed not to oppose each other."0 -
Democratic Republics tookle4 said:
He certainly has good qualities.alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
Though maybe its my cynicism, but I would be worried at something literally called the 'Ethical Property Company' - like going to a contractor called 'Honest somebody'.0 -
or removal of shoesPlato_Says said:No banging of desks as @JeremyCorbyn4PM arrives for PLP
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Depends what they're told to write although I think I can guess so I'll join you in a vomit.MikeK said:The Sun Newsdesk @SunNewsdesk 12m12 minutes ago
Primary school pupils told to write letters to extremist Muslim prisoners http://thesun.uk/6015BJkLW
No comment needed, except to vomit,0 -
Hilarious hearing MPs who are members of the unions declaring their interest, and then protesting against more democracy being brought to unions.
Most people join a Union for their own self-interest rather than collective purpose; hence low turnouts in strike ballots.
The political levy is particularly pernicious. I bet a large number of Union members are supporters of other parties.
Get on with the vote - can't wait to see Corbyn's face when he loses a vote on trade unionism.0 -
Thats always the way. It is the Teletext political poll of yesteryear. Who remembers them? This is what we thrived on before everyone had internet access. It showed a labour landslide from up until 1997, and then about a month later is showed a Conservative Landslide again.Razedabode said:
Don't think so. Distinctly remember the same with Miliband, often positive phone ins etc.LadyBucket said:Listening to some of the phone-in programmes today, my overall impression is that JCorbyn should be given a chance (all types of voters). I think the MSM have been way off base on this one and believe they are beginning to realise it.
Only those who are really interested and motivated are the slightest bit interested in politics right now. Measuring positive phone calls does not make it representative. Twitter acts as an echo chamber of millions, Radio acts as one for about the dozen people who can be bothered to ring.0 -
Once upon a time in Neverneverland ........Estobar said:
I actually love him for this, no, I really do. I've been telling my friends about it for months. It made me rejoin the party and restored my faith in Westminster politics that in the midst of a bunch of self-serving troughers there is not only one decent individual but one who's been elected Leader of the Opposition.alex. said:During the 2009 expenses scandal, Corbyn was revealed to have claimed the lowest amount of expenses of any Member of Parliament.[19][20] In 2010 he claimed the smallest amount of all 650 MPs. In an interview with The Islington Gazette he said: "I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it's obviously public money. In a year, rent for the [constituency] office [on] Durham Road, Finsbury Park is about £12,000 to £14,000."[20] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company
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ReggieCide said:
(edited to add, this is my comment:)AnneJGP said:
I think there are exceptions to that rule thatkle4 said:
That is what I find supremely off-putting about the left-wing people. They have actively taught their young people to hate - whether a single figure from the past, or anyone whom they can label as 'Tory'.Estobar said:
Those people are idiots. I don't like labelling whole groups of people, I strive to be reasonable in all things, but that is seriously idiotic behaviour.Big_G_NorthWales said:Estobar said:
Half the Country would love to have 'assassinated' her. Do you think before you spout such rubbishDavidL said:
Despite the fact half the country or more would love to have done? (As hyperbole.)Richard_Nabavi said:OK, a fiver on 'Thatcher' at 12/1. The guy is fixated with the great lady, and I'm thinking he might come up with 'the biggest attack on workers since Mrs Thatcher' or some such tosh.
snipped.
I do. Thatcher was the most divisive politician of the twentieth century by all measures. I can't really be bothered to give you a history lesson on it. Have a look at YouTube on the poll tax riots to remind yourself. That's not a comment on whether she was right or wrong. She was just incredible divisive and even now if you speak her name people a significant number of people will well up in a near-allergic reaction. Go to some parts of the country and try and deny this at your peril.
I truly want people, left and right, to stop trying to get me to worship or demonise Thatcher. I know there are young people who, for some reason, get really emotional about a PM who was ousted when they were children or not even born, but I don't understand it. Hate her politics sure, particularly if raised to do it, but I just cannot get worked up about her. Things have moved on, the legacy is important but not to the point people should still be getting so bloody upset and talking of assassination and the like, it's insanity.
I was not raised to hate any political party or figure, and it is much more relaxing (and as I've never voted Tory, cannot be 'defending' Thatcher out of loyalty)
Teaching young people to hate anyone or anything just turns me up. I don't know how anyone with any principles at all can find common cause with people who do that.everyonemost people could agree to
There may well be, but do you see democratic political-party engagement in a democratic country as one of the exceptions?0 -
Labour MPs are just ranting at this trade union bill.0
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I second that. Much to my surprise.MarqueeMark said:
He's proving a far more comfortable Conservative PM than he was a coalition PM.flightpath01 said:
Cameron grows in stature day by day.ReggieCide said:
In statesmanship terms, Cameron is showing Merkel and the EU how it should be done. It hasn't always been so but it is now, in spades.Baskerville said:Compare the imagery.
Corbyn, on his first day as Labour leader, walking stolidly along the street ignoring questions from a TV reporter.
Cameron, in his sixth year as prime minister, on the ground in Lebanon and Jordan arguing the case for more spending on the refugees in the region.0 -
From the guardian blog:
New members of Corbyn’s new team are giving his leadership a lukewarm response. Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, who had never met the new leader in person until this evening, told Radio 4’s PM programme accepting the role had been a “difficult” decision.
The former election campaign vice chairwoman said one of the critical problems Labour faced at the polls was economic credibility. Asked if she believed Corbyn and John McDonnell could convince voters where the previous leader failed, she said: “Not on everything, no, not at all, and some things they have said I don’t agree with.
They're not even trying to demonstrate any sense of unity. Surely this is going to fall apart very quickly - Corbyn isn't going to be able to get anything vaguely controversial through the Shadow Cabinet and if so what's the point in being leader?0 -
Phone ins to gauge trends, really? You'd be much better off with tweets, maybeLadyBucket said:Listening to some of the phone-in programmes today, my overall impression is that JCorbyn should be given a chance (all types of voters). I think the MSM have been way off base on this one and believe they are beginning to realise it.
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I didn't get much beyond the Greens winning Totnes..... Yeah, right....flightpath01 said:
Hilarious. A coupon election! A lib lab pact. A green tsunami!RodCrosby said:http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/14/prime-minister-jeremy-corbyn-the-first-100-days by Chris Mullin
"At dawn, the result remains unclear. Most of the traditional Tory strongholds have held firm. In Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and North Yorkshire, Tory MPs are returned with increased majorities. The outcome hangs on what happens in the 40 seats in which Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have agreed not to oppose each other."0 -
The speeches are dreadful, as well. The sort of rhetoric that used to be deployed on Wednesday lunch-times in the debating society. Cicero must be turning in his grave....Casino_Royale said:Labour MPs are just ranting at this trade union bill.
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Did JC dress up when first selected?perdix said:
"But you don't last 30 years....without developing skills....." He's been MP for Islington for 30 years ffs. There, they vote Labour for donkeys with red rosettes.kle4 said:
I can believe he is authentic and straightforward in most instances, but the thing is that 'person who doesn't care about presentation' is itself a presentation, as is his 'authentic, normal person' schtick. I don't doubt that is, in general, who he is, but we also know he is a political animal, and he has been shown to use cliche, obfuscating explanations and distraction techniques like any politician would. I don't condemn him for doing that, it's part of the game. But you don't last 30 years as a politician without developing the skills necessary to survive. He hasn't needed some of the skills that people on the front bench needed, and that may help or hinder him right now, but he has others, and he has used them well.Cyclefree said:
I'm not sure I buy this latest bit of spin that he is all WYSIWYG and that he's honest. He has said some things which are clearly contradicted by the evidence and which he must have known were. I think there is a danger of assuming that because he's quiet and polite and looks like an inoffensive folk singer that he therefore cannot also be as dishonest and disingenuous as other politicians. He strikes me as more in the Livingstone mould, another politician who constructed a persona to make him seem nicer and cuddlier than was in fact the case.0 -
Seriously, how far down the bums-on-seats list do you have to go to offer the job to Lucy Powell, someone you've ever even met?alex. said:
From the guardian blog:
New members of Corbyn’s new team are giving his leadership a lukewarm response. Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, who had never met the new leader in person until this evening, told Radio 4’s PM programme accepting the role had been a “difficult” decision.
The former election campaign vice chairwoman said one of the critical problems Labour faced at the polls was economic credibility. Asked if she believed Corbyn and John McDonnell could convince voters where the previous leader failed, she said: “Not on everything, no, not at all, and some things they have said I don’t agree with.
They're not even trying to demonstrate any sense of unity. Surely this is going to fall apart very quickly - Corbyn isn't going to be able to get anything vaguely controversial through the Shadow Cabinet and if so what's the point in being leader?0
