Webchat with Deputy Labour Leader Harriet Harman MP; THURSDAY 12 FEBRUARY 12-1pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman MP will be joining us at MNHQ on Thursday 12 February between 12 midday and 1pm.

Harriet is Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Shadow Deputy Prime Minister. She was first elected as an MP aged 32 when she was 7 months pregnant, and her long-term campaigning interests include gender equality, better maternity pay and conditions, and women-only shortlists.

Come and chat to Harriet this Thursday at 12 midday, or post a question in advance on this thread if you can't make it on the day.

Thanks
MNHQ

There were quite a lot of questions about why/whether or not labour has swung to the right.

Here is the political compass image for the UK 2015 elections from www.politicalcompass.org.

I am not sure labour has moved much recently - but they are pretty damn right wing!

If only we had a green candidate where I live....

My question on the Education Budget 2015 onwards was answered by Mr Miliband today, thanks for the heads up Harriet;

Whereas the Conservatives would freeze the budget in cash terms (and add a further £7 billion for school places), Labour will per pupil do the same BUT increase it in at least real (inflation adjusted) terms per pupil.

Labour have been accusing the Conservatives of planning a 10% real term CUT in the Education Budget over the next parliament, but the BoE Governor Carney warned today that the UK (like Europe) is in for a period of DEflation, I fail to see where the 10% real terms cut estimate comes from, maybe someone can enlighten me.

But money isn’t everything, the Conservative both acknowledge and are ensuring Primary School children leave with a better grasp of the English, Maths etc basics, while Labour’s big education initiative for our youngster appears to be they all had sex education at 5-years old. Marvellous.

3 months until a general election and you have 1 hour to answer as many questions as you can on one of the biggest parenting websites in the country and that was it?? Disappointed to say the least and I am an undecided voter you have not helped at all today Harriet.

This goes for me too. Seriously Harriet you could have got your message across to more women in 1 hour on this web chat than a whole week in your silly pink van and you missed your opportunity.

I don't know what level of sex education is being planned for 5 year olds, Isitmebut but my children have had graduated relationship/sex education from early in primary school - all age appropriate, and no adverse impact on their maths and literacy either. And before any of the usual suspects claim that as a crowning success for the SNP, the SNP have built on the curriculum that Labour initiated (although I will admit that the way the introduction has been handled and communicated has been dire, and the exam changes look like a whole other can of worms).

salkying there will have been an advisor on hand to help craft these anyway and (if they were doing their job properly) will have pulled out the questions and had bullet points / keywords to be included. They don't do spontaneous in politics now.

Blimey.

Where's Gok when you need him.

I'm afraid she lost me with the first words of her response to Tiggy's question. Children need two parents? Was that Nigel Farage or some other reactionary old goat being channelled?

I am a bit disappointed.

(But I agree with slug 100%, that's how I feel too, I'll continue to vote Labour till I shuffle off, but I no longer recognise the Labour I hold dear in any of these people. Dennis Skinner and every so slightly Gordon Brown excepted.)

OOAOML ….. I am glad that you have had a good experience of a Labour education, but it should have been better, according to Labour’s Shadow Education person Tristram Hunt
www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/labour-admits-great-crime-on-education-tristram-hunt-says-his-party-encouraged-schools-to-aim-too-low--and-pupils-paid-the-price-9053693.html

As international comparisons showed.

“England’s young adults trail the world in literacy and maths”.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24433320

”Young adults in England have scored among the lowest results in the industrialised world in international literacy and numeracy tests.”

”A major study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows how England's 16 to 24-year-olds are falling behind their Asian and European counterparts.”

”England is 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy out of 24 countries.”

And this may explain why in times of (then) record employment, the 16-24 year old unemployment rate went up from over 500,000 in 2004, to over 700,000 before the financial crash.
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10631728/Pupils-cannot-count-out-change-due-to-poor-maths-skills.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9322525/School-leavers-unable-to-function-in-the-workplace.html

But there are signs things are looking up.

*“Poor pupils narrow achievement gap, league tables show”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30413263

“More disadvantaged pupils in England's primary schools are moving on to secondary school able to read, write and add up, official data shows.”

“Two-thirds of pupils (67%) on free school meals gained a Level 4 in reading, writing and maths this year - up four percentage points on 2013.”

“This compares with 83% for non-disadvantaged pupils, reducing the attainment gap to 16 percentage points.”

“The data is based on tests taken by 11-year-olds in 16,000 schools.”

Hmm, she's certainly missed a trick here. Very disappointed but not at all surprised to see the lack of substance in the few questions answered. One of the many reasons I won't be voting labour

I wasn't impressed either.

So MNHQ are you going to get the other Party leaders for us to rip to pieces question about their policies?

Yeah, let's get Gideon on here!

So, this has been reported on the i100 site.

TheHoneyBadger gets specific mention.

Apparently one of the commentators isn't keen on the mummy mafia. We're all going to cry ourselves to sleep about that, I'm sure.

This has to have been one of the most ridiculous webchats ever though. I feel slightly sorry for HH, and for MNHQ. However, if her people, who must have known she would only have an hour, and should have been along to look at the questions, and maybe prepare some answers beforehand, had done their bloody jobs, then it wouldn't have been so incredibly rubbish.

She's really missed a trick here.

I would imagine Harriet has encouraged a grand total of zero people to vote labour today and probably put a fair few thousand off voting for them as well.

That was embarrassing to read. Declining a typist so you could answer less questions was pitiful as well.

Mumsnet-I think the questions in future should be done on a 'voted for' system-so we have the top 10 questions and they answer those. 5 yes/no ones and 5 more lengthy ones.

If you can't tell us the honest truth when you're TRYING to get voted in and need people's votes-why on earth should we believe a word you say if you do get voted in?!

I despair-I really do.

Rollon, I agree - some kind of selection, voting or by MNHQ or whatever - makes sense now webchats are popular.

Mansion Tax Questions

There is very little information on the Mansion Tax! People need answers!

How will people's houses be valued?
When will they be valued?
What if you disagree with the house valuation?
Is the £42,000 threshold per person or per family?
Do you think a salary of £42,000 makes a person rich?
Shouldn't the valuation be done on the last sale price rather then current value? Much fairer as people that could afford a ridiculous priced house now can afford to pay the tax, those that bought 10 years ago when their house cost only 10% if today's value are being unfairly taxed!!!
What if you rent and your rental property is included, who pays the landlord or the tenant? If it is the landlord what is going to stop them adding that to the rent?
How is it fair to include a flat or terraced house in the mansion tax when up North the same amount of money buys a huge estate with an actual mansion? Shouldn't there be a different threshold for the South East?
Do you think the mansion tax is fair when Labour is just cashing in on the property boom? People have already paid income tax, stamp duty and council tax on their properties!
Why do people pay different council tax across the Country? Why isn't there a standard set of rates and all the excess money goes back to central Government? I pay a lot more in Hertfordshire for a G rated house then people in London pay for H, how is that fair? Why not make I and K brackets for £10mill and £20mill+ houses?

Well this certainly hasn't swayed my voting intentions.

Still gonna vote Green. (Speaking of which would you consider a webchat with Caroline Lucas or Natalie Bennet? That might be interesting)

SHE DIDNT ANSWER MINE and that was one where she was RIGHT!! it was something she could have been pretty proud of - that she thought what they did about gambling was right!

LADY - you need a PR advisor

imo even Sheherezade Goldsmith was better than this

note to newbies

Goldsmith didnt even turn up

Didn't they do a vote for the Hillary Clinton one?

Thank you Hazzer for answering my question of how to solve the early years sector staff imbalance of the sexes by saying that you really care about the subject and value early years staff. I'm sure there will now be long queues of men trying to get jobs in nurseries, or getting childcare qualifications now.

it's hard to believe that was really HH.

the times i've defended her and she can't even state whether she thinks women and children in poverty should have to pay every month for the privilege of getting maintenance out of absent fathers.

what do you call a 'feminist; who becomes an MP? (i haven't decided a punch line btw - am open to suggestions)

tiggyd do you like the way she managed to insult single parent families randomly too at that point? not sure where the whole children need two parents bit came into recruiting men into childcare.

ihategeorgeosborne, no issue with you hating George Osborne, but please don't use the name Gideon as a slur, it's anti-semitic.

i actually can't get my head around the silence on the csa farce in conjunction with the out of nowhere 'children are entitled to two parents' comment!

maybe i have totally misunderstood who HH is and what she stands for all of these years.

or is this some episode of doctor who or something where the aliens take over the bodies of the politicians and.....????