Labour leadership hustings - Webchat with Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall, Tuesday 28 July 2015 at 12pm

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

Following on from Friday's webchat with Yvette Cooper, we’re pleased to announced the second of our Labour leadership hustings webchats with Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall, tomorrow at 12 noon.

Jeremy Corbyn has been an MP for North Islington since 1983. In addition to his involvement with local organisations and community groups, he has a keen interest in international affairs and is the chair of the Stop the War coalition, which he helped establish in 2001. Jeremy’s candidacy for the Labour leadership has triggered a flurry of headlines and soundbites.

Liz Kendall was elected as Labour MP for Leicester West in 2010. She is the Shadow Minister for Care and Older People. Her focuses include improving public services and making society fairer, and she has previously been the Director of the Ambulance Service Network and of the Maternity Alliance charity. Liz has recently spoken out against sexism in politics, following a row about remarks made by a supporter of Andy Burnham’s candidacy.

Please join us for the webchat at 12pm tomorrow if you can, or post a question for Jeremy and Liz here in advance if you can’t.

Labour leadership voting is open until Thursday 10 September and the ballot results will be released on Saturday 12 September.

Thanks

MNHQ

[Sronm1979]

Hi Jeremy & Liz,

In regards to the recent Welfar Bill, please explain the situation for reconstituted families ie where a couple remarry & both have 2 children?
A further question for Liz, do you consider yourself a socialist? According to the Labour website it categorises itself as a "democratic Socialist Party" if your answer to the first question is No, then why choose a party that identifies itself as one?
Many thanks

[Eleleleo]

Jeremy - how are you going to challenge the current orthodoxy that says left wing economics are irresponsible and would wreck business and the economic recovery? How will you do this in a way that can be persuasive to those who have fallen for this kind of Tory propaganda? Do you think you can shift the debate leftwards?

Liz - how are you going to appeal to those of us who feel despairing at career politicians gradually moving more and more to the right and no real choice or hope that politics will get anything done for anyone other than the very richest?

Obviously another Jeremy supporter here.

[DoesItReallyMatter]

I'll ask the same question that I asked Yvette.


Can you please tell us what is your favourite biscuit.

Thank you.


I know it doesn't really matter

[pastaofplenty]

Hello both
Why is this important to YOU - not the country, the electorate or the Labour Party - YOU as an individual?
Thank you

[Micksy]

To both of you: what are your views on privacy of personal data and the snooper's charter?

[Fantasyland]

This is for both- As a single parent there are so many things wrong with the system

Would you reform the ridiculous CSA/CMS where single parents have to pay to track down the other parent who is refusing to pay for their child?

Currently non resident parents who are self employed are able to fiddle their accounts to pay nothing despite resident parents having to turn detective to provide proof. This is despite having to pay the CSA to try and track them down but are then told to get proof of assets!!
What will be done about this problem?

[Lovecat]

I too paid full whack just after the election in order to have a say in the direction of the party I've consistently voted for since 1987 but have been having serious doubts about since 2010. At the moment I have to say I'm veering towards Corbyn/Eagle. I haven't heard a lot from any of the other candidates to convince me they want anything beyond 'getting elected'.

Same question for both Liz and Jeremy - where do you stand on the decriminalisation of prostitution - do you agree with the Nordic model, are you in favour of it being legal for men to control/buy access to women's bodies (and what that itself says about what you think of women in general), or do you think it should all remain illegal? (Personally I'm in favour of the Nordic model.)

Thanks :)

[Giotto1066]

Hi Mr Corbyn

I feel, listening to you, that I have found my voice to speak up about the things that matter to me and ordinary people like myself. I hope that you continue to bring hope to us all and become Labour Leader.

Now my question is a simple one and I hope you will be able to answer it. What is your favourite book and/or author and your favourite 'listening music'.

Good luck in that den of iniquity that we call Party Politics.

[Giotto1066]

Hello Liz

Why is it when politicians are talking to the public they always seem to be talking in a language that only they can understand?

Are you trying to baffle us, the public, and instead try and score house points within your department. It has become boring and we just switch off.

Can you hold my attention next time you're on the television. Jeremy has!

[Orphadeus]

To Jeremy:

Did the Social Workers who first attempted to draw your attention to the Islington Care Scandal mention medical evidence?
Did you attempt to get the police to investigate about the missing Social Worker?
Has anyone involved with the Islington Care Scandal been recently adopting children?

[DoctorTwo]

Labour's policies of 'Tory lite' were not popular with the electorate yet only 24% of registered voters went full Tory. As can be seen from Greece austerity shrinks the economy, just as predicted by Stiglitz, Krugman, Varoufakis, Keen and others. With this in mind, are either of you planning to roll back austerity and invest in people instead of bailing out banks?

The SNP is at the moment the only effective opposition to this terrible government. Amongst my friends, I can tell you that if they existed in England you'd have lost many seats here too.

[Chipstick10]

Maybe some of the mumsnetters will know how ukip voters felt now with the name calling by other parties and media outlets , not to mention how Tory voters felt and feel at the name calling. I'm sure these voters are not morons or need heart transplants

[MomentOfWonder]

I was hugely disappointed by Labour's failure to respond more positively to UKIP etc on immigration during the election. The only senior Labour person I recall challenging their narrative in any convincing way was Chuka Umunna. How would this change if you were leader?

As a Labour supporter (and one of those who recently rejoined) I am saddened by the gulf between the declaration on my membership card and the stale, sound-bite-rich debates in which we seem to be trapped. For me, the immigration issue was one example of this. I'm no fan of Nicola Sturgeon, but at least she was seen to call out Nigel Farage (agh, my phone keeps wanting to call him Garage!) on this. I'm also concerned that because of the immediate focus on the individual who will lead the party we're being asked to vote without rally having understood why we lost.

On a more narrow issue, my understanding is that Council Tax valuations are extremely out of date and reform of these is badly needed. Are either of you keen to progress this policy and why/why not?

[MomentOfWonder]

*really

[Bubblesinthesummer]

To Jeremy:

Did the Social Workers who first attempted to draw your attention to the Islington Care Scandal mention medical evidence?
Did you attempt to get the police to investigate about the missing Social Worker?
Has anyone involved with the Islington Care Scandal been recently adopting children?

^ this question please.

[Quirkybird36]

As a primary school teacher, I see a major crisis looming due to the appallingly poor provision of child mental health services. What are the views of each of you on this subject?

[JenParnham]

Given the levels of suffering, ill health and devastation it causes what do you both think government can do to halt and reverse the epidemic of violence against women and children?

[LumpySpacedPrincess]

Labour's policies of 'Tory lite' were not popular with the electorate yet only 24% of registered voters went full Tory So many people I know voted Tory out of fear for the alternative. They had swallowed the narrative that Labour caused the financial crash.

[JenParnham]

Would also like an answer to the islington care question. We are discovering so much at the moment about the levels of abuse through institutions (though the children always knew). Clear and direct answers are needed from almost everyone over 18.

[didyouwritethe]

There are quite a few questions here about the sexual abuse of children. To ignore the questions will speak volumes in itself. Labour MPs must say what they know, and what they intend to do about it.

[badooby]

Hi Liz

On reflection, do you think you've gone in a bit 'hard' in the leadership battle, where ordinary Labour supporters are concerned? You've taken a 'tough love' approach that perhaps works better for the country at large than for the Labour electorate. Do you think you could have made your points in a less combative way and perhaps had more success? It's a criticism I've seen of your campaign a few times over the past week or so, mostly from people who would like you to win.

[MajorClanger63]

It seems very clear to me that what we really need to be doing is embarking on a massive social housing programme as we did after the war. It's a disgrace that we are lining the pockets of private landlords via the Housing Benefit system who are in turn feeding off the demand for rental properties. Get the needy into these new homes and landlords will not be so able to keep increasing their rents to maximise their 'yield'. What do both of you think of the idea of introducing a modern day equivalent of pre-fab homes?

[omnom]

Liz, there have been a few moments in this campaign where it all seems to have gone a bit... 1970s in terms of attitudes to women; thinking specifically about the nonsense about mothers being better leaders and the row over Charlie Falconer's comments.

Do you think sexism has played a part in the campaign?

And do you want to give us a list of five leadership qualities that are more important than being a parent?

Jeremy, do you think Liz and Yvette have been on the receiving end of damaging sexist attitudes during the campaign?

[kaftanlady]

What will you say to voters who have swallowed the myth that Labour caused the financial crisis?

[3packtissues]

I was interested to see you'd been involved with the Maternity Alliance Liz. Have you had a chance to look at the EHRC's recent report about maternity and pregnancy discrimination, and how it's much worse than anyone thought?

How would you tackle this issue, given the importance for Labour of keeping business on side? What's your response to the widespread attitude that pregnant women and women on mat leave are unacceptably expensive for small business owners?