Thread 12 Starmer: From Prescott to Rayner, working class grit

[DuncinToffee]

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https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5203242-thread-11-starmer-will-that-phone-call-be-to-harris-or-to-trump-the-decidedly-superior-looking-cats-thread?page=40&reply=139989436

Disgraceful

DS 5hour train journey on Sunday

Nowhere in the mainland UK should take 5 hours to reach from any other part of the mainland UK by train.

Dh and I chose together the train into Cardiff last year for the 6 nations rugby. We decided to treat ourselves to first class tickets for a change.

The very busy train arrived with 3 carriages, 1st class was declassified and it was every man for themselves. Dh stood for the journey.

It was the same on the return journey. When we complained the staff said that it was extra busy due to being a match day. This wasn't unforeseen, it's not as if the city had decided to host an international match overnight. It was piss poor planning from the train operators. Three bloody carriages.
Some of the staff were lovely, kind, helpful and apologetic, some were definitely enjoying the power and control over people.

They were literally shoving people into the train when dh and I arrived on the platform, we said no thanks, we'll get the next one and went to wait on the correct platform for that train, at which point a woman demanded we join the vack of her queue again. Um no.

Last week ds1 was sruck trying to get back from London due to cancellations. Dh ended up driving for 45 minutes to pick him up from a station he could get to. It's bloody wfl, and there is no accountability. Any fines just get passed back to customers.

It took me six hours to travel from Devon to Cambridgeshire last Friday. Five hours in the other direction on the previous Tuesday.

Last asylum seekers have left the Bibby Stockholm

I would never, in a million years take a UK train anywhere at all, over priced, unreliable, dirty and over crowded.

One storm and the s/w is cut off..... despite Cameron promising to upgrade the Dawlish section.

Our local line closed all day because of trees on the line, they only just spent £3m on two level crossing upgrades, which are totally out of place in a rural setting, £3m better spent clearing the banks of dead/dying trees....

Rant over!!!

Shadow DWP Secretary, Helen Whately, on welfare reform: "You have had fourteen years to think about it. IS THAT IT?", says party that has had fourteen years to actually do it.

I'd actually love them to make a comment like that I'm a tv/radio interview and for the interviewer to respond with exactly that!

I think it’s more like we created this problem over 14 years… anyway completely feeble response by the Conservatives.

Newcastle to Penzance takes 12 hours.

I would regard the difficulties in travelling on Sunday with sympathy for the operator if it wasn't for the fact that so many trains are delayed or cancelled on days when Bert and his mates aren't causing mayhem.

As 'luck' would have it I'm home late after my delayed Thameslink service terminated several stops before mine. Fun times.

No reason why we shouldn't aspire to a better run & ideally less expensive service. I enjoy taking the train (sometimes). I'd use it a lot more if we had some decent east-west services. I constantly have to go into London and then back out to travel cross country.

The new Tobacco and Vapes bill passed its first Commons hurdle comfortably by 415 votes to 47.

35 Conservative MPs voted against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at second reading, including Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick

23 Conservatives backed the bill, including Victoria Atkins and Mel Stride

7 Lib Dems voted against, including Tim Farron and Josh Babarinde (38 voted for)

Rishi Sunak, who proposed the bill as prime minister, was absent for the vote alongside 59 other Conservative MPs

https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/commons/division/1874

Gosh those figures are revealing of the mess the Conservatives are in. Too many not turning up.

Some of them will have been paired but you would think that Sunak who was so passionate about this bill at least want to have his vote on record.

I think it's outrageous, in this day and age of technology, that so many MPs don't vote. Obviously there will always be certain circumstances that might prevent them, but in the main I think they should be required to vote even if not physically present. I'd like to know that my MP takes bills being discussed/voted/passed in parliament seriously. To see half of the Tory MPs not voting is ridiculous.

We need a strong opposition - Labour has such a majority that it's important that at least in some way, they can be held to account. Basically this is the Tories giving parliament the finger, isn't it?

Well yes. But also it tells you a lot of them aren’t backing their leader. It looks bad.

Farage was presenting his gbeebies show at the time of the vote....

Hmmm, sauce for the goose then and introduce compulsory voting for the electorate.

Alternatively, lean the other way, and say if the electorate have the right to abstain, why shouldn't their representatives ?

Am am sure given a few minutes where I could find a topic that I really couldn't give a shit about (along with my constituents) and simply not voting would reflect that.

And if you are really passionate about forcing MPs to vote, maybe you should also tackle the whip system at the same time ?

I refer you back to the link I posted about electoral reform. That may be the forum for such ideas. It is an all party policy group.

I can't find it.

Anyone know how Braverman voted?

Don't worry. Found it on the link. Not sure what happened first time I got something weird 😂

I think @SerendipityJane there's a happy medium between mandatory voting and the system we have now, surely? Just because an MP doesn't care about an issue doesn't mean that their constituents don't.

But MPs are quite happy to ignore their constituents and vote the party line anyway. If you examine the record of (for example) Tory MPs last year, you'd form the impression that all their constituents were in support of Rwanda and all that implied. Certainly that is what the parliamentary record would suggest.

To be honest, MPs abstaining is the least of our problems with UK democracy right now. Fix the roof before you chose the curtains.

I often look at those who abstain as those who want to say "no" but also know they have to toe the party line.

Some it'll be for career purposes.

But I think (hope!) most know you have to be on the inside to make change so prefer to stay in their position but also have enough integrity not to say Aye when they don't agree.

I thought this was interesting and good news. New domestic violence protection orders come into effect to day. There is a lot more to be done in this area but I hope it is something of a turning point in addresses the risks of violence that women and child face in the family courts. This should not be a partisan issue so well done to the previous government for making the change.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/domestic-abuse-protection-notices-orders-b2654488.html

Our local trains are very delayed or cancelled today due to flooding, you can use ticket on bus or claim back your taxi fare.

I have just been watchimg car drivers contemplating whether or not to risk going through a flooded road to get to the gym. The foot path is dry

He should do the job he was elected to do. I expect however that most of those who voted for him in Clacton probably don't care.