To think Corbyn has been exposed as a liar

[JonathanDunn]

He lied about the train. Aibu to think this is a show of character

I don't believe he was lying or that he was trying to 'spin' anything ... he missed the train he had reserved seats on then the next one was packed and he had to sit in the corridor until seats became available. He used the situation to make a wider point about the state of the railways and how privatisation hasn't served the public as we were promised it would - perfectly fair point, surely, and hardly a black spot on his character.

Since Virgin started running the East Coast line it's been a much less pleasant experience than hitherto ... much busier, hardly any plugs for phone/laptop charging, rubbish yet expensive wi-fi, no trolley service, trains a bit grubby ... all while the price has gone up. I used to love getting the train from London to Edinburgh to visit family, but it's all a bit shit now while Branson's profits are subsidised by the tax payer and job cuts are threatened at the same time as the trains appear to be understaffed.

I hope this attempt to rubbish Mr C and undermine his valid point backfires, but I'll still be fucked off for as long as I can't get to Scotland on a train without lining the pockets of the REAL liar in all this.

Nothing wrong with the CCTV release. The quote on the tweet was the data protection and related to data given to Virgin. CCTV is different and it does not say it will not be released/used.

Well he isn't really doing a different kind of politics is he

The press don't need to discredit him to it suits right wing press for him to be leader of the opposition. Come general election time, should he still be leader of the Labour Party, he will be discredited by his connections and history

Funny that you think this exposes him as a liar.

Boris Johnson had to resign from a previous job for lying, both to his wife and to Michael Howard.

Liam Fox did too.

In fact the Tory party is full of liars, cheats and crooks, yet you pick this, which is independently corroborated by passengers, and say it discredits him?

Yeah, totally.

But you still vote Tory right?

*NNchangeagain
*
You must buy another ticket if you miss your booked train. Advance tickets are cheaper but restrict you to travel on a specific train. An open ticket is more expensive.

So yes, Corbyn's party would have paid twice for all those £90 train
tickets.
https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/rail-travel/your-ticket/train-ticket-options/advance-tickets/]]

Clearly says that here.

Corbyn is about a different type of politics

Yet he has played the same game and been caught

I don't think he was caught here, the story stands up.

Virgin are desperately trying to change it so they don't look so bad.

Can you imagine the delight of the Torygraph and co if he had sat in another passenger's reserved seat!

YANBU, OP.

I really don't get the cognitive dissonance shown by Corbyn supporters.

He has admitted there were empty, unreserved seats. He is clearly shown walking past empty, unreserved seats (he actually went and sat in coach H afterwards). His main passenger defence was from a Momentum shill who was apparently there with him but thought the empty seats could have been filled with children/luggage/dancing unicorns (delete as appropriate).

This is such a pathetic thing to do and he has served Labour up to May on a huge platter with a parley garnish.

Smallfox - I'm not anti-Corbyn or anything but I'm curious as to why you still think JC's story still holds up - saying the train was ram-packed when the Virgin video clearly shows him walking past empty seats. Now he says he wanted to sit next to his wife so he has changed his story. Not to mention that anyone with a bit of common sense would ask another passenger if they would mind changing seats so that he and he wife could sit together- there were clearly enough empty seats to enable that. Likewise, if a person sees bags/coats on an empty seat you just ask for the owner to move them and sit in the seat. I would think it would take some impressive mental gymnastics to remain convinced that JC's claims that the train was in fact packed and there were no empty seats are factually true in the face of the clear video evidence.

It's still a ridiculous fuss about a small incident but the fact remains that JC instigated it by making that video and then got caught out.

Re 'a different kind of politics' ... any time Corbyn, or anyone on the left for that matter, falls short of perfection and behaves like an actual human person (or in this case a human person AND a canny politician) they get slammed by the the ‘oooooo a different kind of politics my arse’ brigade. The different kind of politics is not about being nice and saintly and letting people trample over the top of you … it’s about creating a culture, an environment, a WORLD where politicians, and the powerful generally, actually listen to real people and ordinary folk are included in the debate. Politics shouldn’t be something that’s done TO you, surely – Corbyn’s different kind of politics means you are allowed, indeed encouraged, to have an opinion, to voice that opinion, and to participate on an equal footing with those who consider themselves your ‘betters’. It’s not about having a license to be equally abusive or slippery, obviously, but it isn’t about being a plaster saint either, and anti-Corbynites pulling out the old 'different kind of politics' line as a weapon to silence the left is getting really tedious. It's politics. It's combative by its very nature. But the aim isn't to crush your opponent but to ensure everyone's voice is heard and everyone gets to have a bit of a say. A terrifying prospect for the Bransons of this world who just want us to shut up, take whatever we're given, and carry on making money for them.

I don't think he was caught here, the story stands up.

Er, no it doesn't - by his own admission, actually, as evidenced today when he amended his account to say that he'd been looking for 2 seats together so he could talk to his wife. He also said that the train was "ram-packed" (although I presume he meant either "jam-packed" or "rammed"), when CCTV footage showed that there were seats available.

And his "Mr Straight/New Kind of Politics" persona looked even more hollow when he took a jibe at Richard Branson for being on holiday. Is there anything unusual about someone being on holiday in August? That was snide.

I don't think he was caught here, the story stands up.
Which story?

Yesterday, a member of JCs team was asked if JC was looking for two seats together, which is why he walked past single empty seats, and the spokesperson said that was "rubbish". That was broadcast last night on mainstream TV.

This morning, JC stated in a press conference that he walked past single empty seats because he wanted to sit with his wife.

Later today, a spokesperson said that he wanted a group of several seats together for him and his team.

JC could have put this to bed yesterday with some savvy PR - but instead, he shouted at reporters last night at his home, argued with a reporter from a leading media outlet at a press conference this morning, and basically he kept the story alive.

His inexperience in dealing with these kinds of situations is showing. He doesn't have the luxury of a probation period in the job, he has to be able to do the job, well, from day 1.

The fact that he's never worked on the front bench, never been exposed to this kind of scrutiny before, and has dismissed staff and colleagues with valuable experience from his team is contributing to the way in which he is coming across.

A man who loses his temper over something so trivial is not really first choice to enter into Brexit negotiations, is he?

He made a comment about Branson being on holiday

Didn't he go on holiday during the referendum campaign

None of this needed to happen. Why on earth didn't he do a little film from his seat - you know, 'I'm sitting comfortably right now but I know that's rarely the case for commuters on our packed trains, blah blah blah,' instead of pulling such a stupid stunt that has further discredited a party already almost down for the count?

any time Corbyn, or anyone on the left for that matter, falls short of perfection and behaves like an actual human person (or in this case a human person AND a canny politician) they get slammed by the the ‘oooooo a different kind of politics my arse’ brigade.

You know what? If he'd come out of his house last night, and admitted to the press that he'd buggered up, and that he shouldn't have tried to make a cheap political point, and had then presented a strong argument for renationlisation, then I'd have a lot more respect for him.

That's a different kind of politics. That's admitting he is human.

This undignified scrabbling around to try and create facts that fit the evidence is just traditional politics being done badly.

Whataboutism regarding bores has no place in this discussion and is a poor play on tribalism, Corbyn and his team have stood on the pedestal of none of this evil PR spin the evil Tories or worse blairites used to get up to, new kinder politics, the kinder politics is often forgotten with momentum under the banner of 'muh mandate' and calling any critism of dear leader as a blairite/right wing smear.

He had an opportunity to make this PR stunt on any packed train in the north or south, any seasoned commuter is already on his side in a way (if nationalisation can realistically work is another matter).

His story doesn't add up from the initial spin that was put out by his team, for him now to say that he wanted 2 seats together to sit with his wife, pass multiple vacant seats (being the seasoned commuter he is) to fuck of on his own and sit in a door way is just trying to muddy the waters.

It's been said loads since, that this isn't going to sway anyone who either supports, or opposes Corbyn, but don't expect the right leaning media not to pick it up considering the platform he put himself on.

He is turning a lot of labour voters away, he is showing niavity and it's becoming cult like in its supporter base, people are going to poke the hornets nest, just the same as the most ardent supporters ran for weeks with the pig gate scandal.

The new, kinder gentler politics have proven to be false, if he is rather inept at playing the game, that solely down to him.

Can you imagine the delight of the Torygraph and co if he had sat in another passenger's reserved seat!

I could, it would probably be with the same gusto that the guardian reported Osborne trying to get a free ride in first class with a standard rail ticket, media scrutiny isn't new, and if in the slight chance he actually became PM there is a lot of the world wide media looking for stories, and the argument of blairite/right wing wouldn't hold much sway.

Hmmmm

The Branson stuff is a red herring, Virgin only own 10 percent, the rest is stagecoach

The sharing of Facebook memes should be kept to your hug box, if you did some reading around privatisation you would see its around 3p to the £1 in profit, the government already subsides as we own the infrastructure (you know that thing that everyone is against upgrading to build more capacity)

There is a strong case to be argued for nationalisation, uninformed memes are not part of that discussion..
Hmmmm

He's an amateur, not overly intelligent, and a political dinosaur. Any party leader who can generate a bad-press mountain out of an irrelevant molehill like this is going to be chewed to pieces when it really matters.

But having said that, keep him in place, please. Him, his shattered party, and the constituency boundary changes will all add up keep the Left from power for the next two decades at least.

Christ some people on here are quick on the narky retorts! 😁

Smallfox it says here that Stagecoach only own 49%? I admit that rail ownership isn't my speciality (thank goodness) so am willing to be educated...