Labour leadership hustings - Webchat with Andy Burnham, Thursday 30 July, 2pm

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce the final webchat in our Labour leadership hustings series. Andy Burnham will be joining us for a webchat on Thursday 30 July at 2pm.

Andy was elected MP for Leigh in 2001. In Government, he was Secretary of State for Health, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He was also Shadow Health Secretary under Ed Miliband’s leadership (and in that role ).

During the heated leadership campaign, Andy has warned that Labour is becoming 'frightened by its own shadow' and has had to fight back against allegations of sexism, due to a row about remarks made by one of his supporters.

Please do join us on Thursday at 2pm if you can, or post a question for Andy 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

[AndyBurnhamMP]

@badooby

Hello Andy

What's your personal take on how the leadership election has gone so weirdly haywire? I don't think anyone would have predicted we'd be in this position a few weeks ago, even given the shock of losing the election.

I'm guessing you have a fairly good handle on what Labour activists aHnd members are like; do you think this reaction against the mainstream was predictable - did you see it coming?

Hi Badooby, Harriet here. I thought you might be interested in Andy's recent speech on this: medium.com/@Andy4Leader/recapturing-the-ebd0d43f4ee2 (you can also watch it here: www.facebook.com/andy4leader/videos/856427291118985/?permPage=1)

[AndyBurnhamMP]

@jelliemint

Don't feel I'm learning much to be honest. Would like to know what you are proposing to do Andy, not just what you believe in.

Hi, Harriet here. If you want to learn more about Andy's plans, please take a look at the video or transcript of Tuesday's speech: www.facebook.com/andy4leader/videos/856427291118985/?permPage=1 and medium.com/@Andy4Leader/recapturing-the-ebd0d43f4ee2 Hope that helps!

[derxa]

Harriet, I don't think you're doing Andy's campaign much good tbh.

[ilovesooty]

Harriet didn't see fit to elaborate on any of the stuff the other candidates didn't answer.

Isn't she supposed to be impartial?

[RowanMumsnet]

@ilovesooty

Harriet didn't see fit to elaborate on any of the stuff the other candidates didn't answer.

Isn't she supposed to be impartial?

Eek - not that Harriet! This is a member of staff on Andy Burnham's campaign

[ImperialBlether]

[AskBasil]

Oh Lordy. Does this mean he knows he didn't impress us very much and he wants a second bite of the cherry?

I guess there's no reason why people shouldn't stay longer than their allotted hour or whatever it is. I'm not sure what the etiquette is with webchats. If they were enjoying it and wanted it to go on all night, I guess there's no rules about it?

But really to send a campaign worker to try and answer questions he didn't cover, will only irritate the people who don't feel he answered their question properly.

Can we get Nigel Farage next? He's running for the UKIP leadership campaign, isn't he?

[ImperialBlether]

Jesus, he can't win, can he? He didn't have time to answer every question so people were complaining and now you're complaining that he sent someone else to refer us to other speeches he's made where he's covered unanswered questions.

What else could he have done?

[BeckerLleytonnever]

Thank you Harriet .

[APlaceOnTheCouch]

I must be easily impressed. I quite like that one of his team took the time to try to provide answers to questions that he missed where he has stated a strong opinion in the past. I can't remember anyone else doing that after a web-chat.

[AskBasil]

No, tbh I don't think he can, unless Harriet answers every question.

That's the thing, I agree it's quite good that someone comes back to cover the gaps. But if you miss some of the gaps, people feel even more irritated than they did the first time round, because they accept that with only an hour, there will be gaps. They only get annoyed if multiple posters asked the same thing and it still wasn't answered in favour of the biscuit question.

Maybe the answer is to keep them prisoner until the thread reaches 1,000 posts?

[LuluJakey1]

Yet he found the time to answer questions without answering them. Should have used his time properly. He filled it with non-answers- typical glib politician of the kind I no longer want. Speaks a lot but says nowt!

[didyouwritethe]

Harriet, what kind of biscuits do you like?

What about the rest of the team? How many packets can you get through when the campaign is going well/badly?

[BeyondTheWall]

I'd like to know if Harriet is also in the media blackout zone that has not heard anything of a coup

[didyouwritethe]

I think we should skip having the politicians on, and just have their nice, female gatekeepers on instead. Bet they're all MNers anyway, BFing away and stuffing themselves with biscuits.

[pastaofplenty]

Harriet - please will you answer my question then I can get 5/4 in questions answered (and my JC vest - hint, hint MNHQ) ... is Andy a good boss? Thank you

[AskBasil]

Harriet, does Andy pitch in and do his round when it's time for a cup of tea?

[howtorebuild]

[grin]@Harriet Harman.

Thank you Harriet. It's good to know during busy times things are tidied as you go along.

[howtorebuild]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2422950-To-ask-how-much-are-Mumsnetters-owed-in-maintenence-arrears?msgid=55862862#55862862