Heads up - webchat with Jeremy Corbyn Monday 19th Sept @ 2pm.

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello,

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with the leader of the Labour Party (and candidate in the current leadership election) Jeremy Corbyn MP on Monday 19 September at 2pm.

Jeremy has been MP for Islington North since 1983, and before 2015 was best known as a rebellious backbencher and chair of the Stop the War coalition. His leadership of Labour over the past year has inspired enthusiastic support as well as attracting sustained criticism. Among other things, he’s taken a new crowd-sourced approach to Prime Minister’s Questions, opposed military intervention in Syria and proposed the renationalisation of the railways.

His last webchat on Mumsnet (alongside fellow leadership candidate in 2015, Liz Kendall) featured lively discussions about socialism, electability and the provenance of Jeremy’s vests (Holloway Road market, since you ask).

Please do join the chat on Monday at 2, or if you can’t make it, leave a question here in advance. If you know people who you think would like to ask Jeremy a question, do please share the link around on social media too.

(If you’re interested in our webchat with the other Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith, take a look here .)

As always, please do keep in mind our webchat guidelines - one question each, follow-ups if there’s time and above all, keep it civil [taps nose like that geezer Shaw Taylor in Police 5] (Horribly showing my age there).

APlace
I think that's more to do with the frustration that many are feeling with Corbyn, than any infiltration by mischief-makers. I've seen a similar shift from my Facebook friends, with many initially supporting JC and then changing their minds.

I don't think JC supporters realise how many frustrated left-leaning people there are in UK at the moment, who just can't get behind Corbyn, but don't have a viable alternative.

I have voted Labour a lot in the past btw, along with Lib Dem and Green. I'm pretty much done with all of them now over their refusal to eschew the fucking lunacy that is decriminalising pimps and traffickers, and allowing penises into women's spaces.

I think politicians have come on here in the past and properly engaged. I think one even came back after the hour to post answers and had the sense to say, 'I don't know about that' but I will find out/figure out what I believe and come back.

brasty why on earth would you think women weren't politically aware? The problem with this webchat is questions about books, biscuits and bloody George Michael. Have a read at some of the other political webchats. This one is disaster.

Very disappointed in this showing Jeremy.

I only recently joined LP, and even paid £25 to buy my right to vote for you, but we didn't get any answers with any meat to them today.

Do please come back tonight with something more substantial, or I can't even commit to voting for you.

Hi Jeremy rooting for you my main man. I got a vote and expect you to win hands down. But hope you will do the right thing and select who YOU want to serve in your cabinet, and not allow the #CHICKENCOUPERS, TO DO IT FOR YOU.

I don't think you understand my comment. I am replying to someone who is saying that the comments are largely by infiltrators. Mums net is full of intelligent and politically aware women.

"I have voted Labour a lot in the past btw, along with Lib Dem and Green. I'm pretty much done with all of them now over their refusal to eschew the fucking lunacy that is decriminalising pimps and traffickers, and allowing penises into women's spaces"

Yy Liney, this.

This ffs. It is so bloody frustrating!

Beatrix I share the frustration with Corbyn. As I am frustrated with the WEP being unable to define a woman and Owen Smith unthinkingly using imagery of domestic abuse.
But partly this was a disaster because of the slow and limited replies and partly because of the nonsense of posters not knowing how webchats work and then doing the equivalent of the 'webchat pick me! dance'.
I learnt nothing new about Corbyn and tbh if I want to know what MNers think about him, I can read it on umpteen threads on here.
Perhaps I'm just disillusioned with the entire webchat process.

I have voted Labour for over 30 years. The only time I felt so ambivalent about voting Labour before now, was after the Iraq war.

I put my real name as the survey said lurkers.

Mumsnet.....not your fault but that was a shambles of shite.

In fact of it wasn't for the Mnetters posting actual stuff worth reading you should've given Jeremy a brew and sent him packing.

Very pleased to see so many women trying to correct Jeremy's views on prostitution ..... not sure how much he is listening tho :-(

oh dear - I knew this would be a car crash of a webchat...this is even worse than expected.

Of course JC doesn't HAVE to answer any of the many important heavy weight questions...but choosing not to also sends it's own message.

I think (I may be wrong!) it is sometimes difficult to draw a line between "engaging" and doing the "webchat-pick-me-dance"?

And it becomes very obvious when people (very, very often politicians) are avoiding questions...

MNHQ - Can I ask a question? Do you tell guests that questions will be up in advance?

The best webchats have been where guests have pre-prepared answers to a few of the early questions and copy and pasted them when they first come on, meaning they get through quite a bit and have time to answer the stuff that comes in during the chat or just before.

I am wondered whether that is their own initiative or something they are directed towards as an idea.

TBH, I think it speaks volumes that he came on 2-3pm. So half of MN is at work, and the other half are about to leave for the school run (ok, that's hyperbole, but you get my point).

Just finished reading all that and whilst I am not a Labour supporter I expected a lot more something/anything from this so called 'messiah' of the hard left.

Where was the breath of fresh air, where was the intelligence, where was the personality? He was boring, refused to answer the most common questions, gave politician non answers (and even failed at them). It was just slow cut and paste nonsense. Apart from nationalize something what would he do, how would he do it and how is he going to pay for it. Nothing but empty platitudes.

"I'm totally anti-sugar on health grounds," But he drinks Irn Bru!

The only question now is: Will Labour voters go to Tim Farron, UKIP or not bother to vote?

I did a little wordcloud of this webchat to see which issues had the highest frequency. Thought it would be fun to compare against the answers JC chose to give.

(I excluded certain words that didn't elucidate particularly, such as Jeremy, poster, labour, chat, party, please etc)

mathsmum314

The only question now is: Will Labour voters go to Tim Farron, UKIP or not bother to vote?

I'm hoping for an independent candidate in my constituency. Or a miracle and we have someone - anyone - else leading Labour.

MNHQ you really need to give people a chance by warning them that if they don't answer at least 30 odd questions they are going to look like uncommunicative idiots.....

Hi Jeremy rooting for you my main man. I got a vote and expect you to win hands down. But hope you will do the right thing and select who YOU want to serve in your cabinet, and not allow the #CHICKENCOUPERS, TO DO IT FOR YOU.

The Web chat is over so he won't respond.

Welcome to mumsnet......

I'm really disappointed. My DH is a staunch Jeremy supporter and has attended rallies etc. I was initially excited and energised at the idea of him as Labour leader and keen to give his "new breed of politics" time to establish iteself, but in conversation just last night I said I was disappointed that Jeremy seemed to exude a lofty, detached air (as a p.p. said - sociology professor) and was patronising. That is exactly how he's behaved today. Such a shame - I want so much to want to vote for him but he seems just like the others full of guff and hot air - albeit intellectual hot air.

Well I'm no infiltrator, I've been on MN for years and I'm extremely frustrated with Corbyn's performance. I wanted him to answer my question re: pursuing the Norwegian model post brexit and why does he think the voters would want that given that it mean unlimited freedom of movement - the very issue brexiters voted leave on. Of course he couldn't answer every question but he ignored COMMON REPEATED ISSUE QUESTIONS throughout the chat.

My problem with Corbyn has always been that he only gives short overarching statements on his policy vision and doesn't dive into any detail on the whys and hows... I was hoping today he would remedy this but I can't vote for a man who refuses to explain what he thinks or wants or how he will achieve it. This just reinforced the issues of competence that some female MPs have highlighted through trying to work with him. I like most of policy ideas but I simply don't trust him to oversee their implementation.

IceBeing - That is kind of what my question was aimed at too. Are people warned that they do need to expect to devote more than one single hour of their time for this?

I am very concerned that children who may prefer toys and interests stereotypically associated with the opposite sex are being encouraged to think that this is somehow the indicative of being transgender. My mother bought me up to reject this thinking as very old fashioned. Boys can like dolls, girls construction toys - what's the issue. And I am very grateful for the freedom this gave me. I follow this principal with my own children. Is the Labour Party going to go along ng with this regressive and conservative thinking or stand for the values I grew up with - not pigeonholing people based on their anatomy.