Webchat with Yvette Cooper, Labour shadow home secretary, WEDNESDAY 29 April, 11am

[RowanMumsnet]

We’re pleased to announce that our third and (probably) final politics webchat this (next) week will be with Yvette Cooper, Labour candidate for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, and Shadow Home Secretary, on Wednesday 29 April at 11am.

In the last Labour government she served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Housing Minister. Yvette recently launched Labour’s Women’s Manifesto with Harriet Harman and Gloria de Piero, featuring the infamous 'pink bus' (or 'magenta bus' if you’re that way inclined). She has been involved in policy debates on issues ranging from violence against women and compulsory sex ed, to immigration, policing and national security.

Yvette will be joining us for a live webchat at 11am on Wednesday 29 April. Do join in or leave a question on this thread if you can’t make it on the day. And do please remember our webchat guidelines.

Thanks
MNHQ

Thank you, Yvette.

Now that YC has gone - I do think her reply to Isthiscorrect was very fair. No office can take on everyone who applies for work experience, because there are just too many, and it's pretty unreasonable to try and claim that not offering a random university student a work experience place means that you somehow take young people for granted.

Isthiscorrect if you are still reading this thread, may I make a suggestion? I am on hiring panels from time to time, and any hint of the kind of attitude you displayed in your post above would not make me feel warmly towards your application. I am not saying this to tell you off - I am genuinely trying to help you, and think you need to drop the idea that you will just swan in to anything you apply for. You may have many talents, but so will many other young people. Taking on somebody for work experience costs the place of work in time and effort managing that person, and you have to approach it with the same spirit as you would a proper post.

Thanks for answering my question. It's a subject close to my heart as I used to work for the Forensic Science Service until it was closed down. I still think that a state funded forensic research institute would be in our national interest, but appreciate it would be a difficult thing to set up now.

I was sorry not to see an answer to zen1's excellent question about how Labour - and Tories too - are banging on excessively about "working families" - where's the compassion for those who don't fit this box? - for a variety of very good reasons including disability (as in Zen's case) or illness, or caring for young children or other caring responsibilities. My DH works but I don't ATM as have just lost my job. Do we count as a "working family" - I don't even know but it feels like we should be!

It reflects very badly on Labour I feel if they can't be more inclusive and compassionate - this should be one of their strengths We expect the Tories to be bastards

Sorry that I missed this. I think Yvette is very impressive and would love to see her as leader of the Labour Party even though I probably still wouldn't vote for them

Slight collateral damage to the pink bus as it left MNHQ...

Didn't spot a reply to the question on MP's pensions. Why am I not surprised?

On that note, do the politicians get to choose the questions or does a member of staff choose them?

Thank You Yvette. Really pleased to hear that labour too want to do more about mental health as well as physical.

@DrDre

On that note, do the politicians get to choose the questions or does a member of staff choose them?

The webchat guest can choose which questions they answer but we try to point out questions that haven't been answered particularly if a few different people are wanting an answer.