Current Affairs Labour and Anti Semitism.......

[Bruce Wayne]

In fairness, Corbyn's first cabinet was from up and down the country - they just all resigned and refused to take their roles up.

• McDonnell: Liverpool*
• Burnham: Aintree*
• A. Eagle: Bridlington*
• Smith: Pontypridd*
• Powell: Manchester*
• Trickett: Leeds*
• Nandy: Manchester*
• Abbott: Paddington
• Malhortra: Hammersmith
• Watson: Sheffield*
• Alexander: Swindon*
• M. Eagle: Bridlington*
• Bryant: Cardiff*
• Greenwood: Bolton*
• Griffith: Dublin/Neath*
• McCarthy: Luton*
• Green: Edinburgh*
• Berger: Wembley
• McKinnell: Newcastle*
• Healey: Wakefield*

Facts Brucey boy, facts.

Just wondered how it squared with the working class thing is all (and I thought McDonnell was the MP for Hayes & Harlington in North London?). I live in London so don't see being from here as a negative thing, but the perception was very much that south England was Tory country, so I wondered how the wider party felt about being represented by people who were from the south of the country.

 

[peteblue]

You telling me that the Valleys are in the South?

The clue is in the term ‘South Wales’......

 

[Number_25]

Just wondered how it squared with the working class thing is all (and I thought McDonnell was the MP for Hayes & Harlington in North London?)

You share my desire to have more working class people in high office then?

 

[Number_25]

The clue is in the term ‘South Wales’......

South is relative to the nation, not in relation of the North/South divide.

If memory serves me correctly, South Wales is one of the poorest areas in Western Europe.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

You share my desire to have more working class people in high office then?

I would like people to be in office who are competent and who have had a decent career outside of politics. That seems to me to give them more chance of representing people if they've actually lived a life that reflects what many people have lived.

 

[peteblue]

The difference between this Labour and New Labour is that the leadership of this Labour live in and represent boroughs from North London, wheras New Labour lived in North London but had safe seats elsewhere.

TBH I'd rather have people who live in and know their consituencies lead the party than those who have been parachuted in and live elsewhere (and who got that post because of activity not in the constituency).

This with bells on.......

 

[roydo]

South is relative to the nation, not in relation of the North/South divide.

If memory serves me correctly, South Wales is one of the poorest areas in Western Europe.

The Valleys certainly are. Less so Cardiff, Swansea, and to a lesser extent, Newport.

 

[tsubaki]

I would like people to be in office who are competent and who have had a decent career outside of politics. That seems to me to give them more chance of representing people if they've actually lived a life that reflects what many people have lived.

TBH that is most of the reason why I support Corbyn - under the old system, that would never have happened because the centre dominated selection and could (and did, repeatedly) impose candidates. At least with him (and the proposed changes to be voted on at Conference (and which are probably behind a lot of this summers attacks)) there is more of a chance for "normal" people to get in, as they once did.

 

[Number_25]

I would like people to be in office who are competent and who have had a decent career outside of politics. That seems to me to give them more chance of representing people if they've actually lived a life that reflects what many people have lived.

That's ignoring the extremely obvious inhibitors to the working class having a "decent" career.

I've always been a key advocate for mandatory reselection within the Labour Party as a means of ensuring a sizable chunk of the people that are put forward are local working class people, with a grasp of the realities. Too many times have I see middle class white boys move swiftly from being a "special advisor" to potential parliamentarian, with little to no knowledge as to what people want or need.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

TBH that is most of the reason why I support Corbyn - under the old system, that would never have happened because the centre dominated selection and could (and did, repeatedly) impose candidates. At least with him (and the proposed changes to be voted on at Conference (and which are probably behind a lot of this summers attacks)) there is more of a chance for "normal" people to get in, as they once did.

I think it's worth clarifying what I mean by normal though. I wouldn't want Joe Bloggs from the local checkout running a government department, but would expect that minister to have experience in that domain, and if they're the PM for them to have run at least a reasonably sized organisation in the past to show their leadership skills.

For me, that's a major black mark against Corbyn, as he's by and large a professional politician who has never had so much as a shadow cabinet post in his life, yet could be leading the country in one of the most important periods in recent history.

I get that people like his politics, but this isn't a student union debate here, if the recent past has shown us anything about our politicians is that competence is a whole lot more valuable than any specific ideology.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

That's ignoring the extremely obvious inhibitors to the working class having a "decent" career.

On the presumption that you're not saying that all working class people have zero value, then I'm sure there is still a sizeable pool of people to choose from.

 

[peteblue]

South is relative to the nation, not in relation of the North/South divide.

If memory serves me correctly, South Wales is one of the poorest areas in Western Europe.

However you try to carve it up, the valleys are in South Wales and South wales is further south than the upper M25. It is a poor area, I’ve lived there on and off for over 40 years and we still own a house in a mining town in the eastern valley. The valleys will never vote anything other than Labour, it’s in the blood, and also explains why the valleys will always be poor.......

 

[Number_25]

On the presumption that you're not saying that all working class people have zero value, then I'm sure there is still a sizeable pool of people to choose from.

With a even larger pool of people being ignored.

 

[Number_25]

It’s in the blood, and also explains why the valleys will always be poor.......

Sorry, am I reading this correctly?

Do you believe that people are poor because of genetics?

 

[peteblue]

Sorry, am I reading this correctly?

Do you believe that people are poor because of genetics?

No, because they vote Labour......