Webchat with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, Tuesday 30 May at midday

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello,

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday 30 May at midday.

Jeremy has been MP for Islington North since 1983, and has been Labour leader since 2015, having been re-elected when Owen Smith stood against him in 2016. Labour’s manifesto for the election on June 8 proposes ‘a Brexit deal that puts our economy and living standards first’, tax rises for the top 5% of earners, the renationalisation of the railways, free school meals for all primary pupils, the abolition of university tuition fees, and a £250 billion investment fund for infrastructure and the economy.

Please do join the chat on Tuesday at midday, or if you can’t make it, leave a question here in advance. Please do share the webchat on social - the more, the merrier!

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question each, follow-ups if there’s time and please keep it civil .

(As we approach the General Election we will endeavour to offer you a balanced diet of webchats with politicians from different parties. More announcements coming soon.)

Thanks
MNHQ

Dear Jeremy,
Education is a priority for our family with two young daughter, one of which is on the SEN register. How are you going to support the TA's and schools that are dealing with an influx of SEN children. We have lost TA's and experienced teachers with families are slowly being pushed out of a profession that the love because they are too expensive? What will the Labour Party do to help solve these issues?

Life long Socialist here who has been cheered and heartened by the progress made this election, even if you don't win(I remember Kinnock all too well 😐To be overly optimistic) I hope it's taught the Tories a lesson about being overly arrogant.
My questions, and I apologise if it's been covered already, regard education again. What will be done to combat the damage caused by the Education and Adoption Bill, which effectively handed many "coasting schools" over to MATS run by businesses, quite a few of which are controlled by companies who have nothing to do with education? My school is one, and the local needs are being subsumed by the ethos of the Trust, governing board disbanded and slt autonomy removed, all at the expense of students.
My second is about PIP and DLA. Many people have lost essential assistance because of the changes. How will Labour reverse these privations?
Sorry to ramble (you can't shut up an old Trot. 😏)
All the very best. ✊🏼

Hello JC,
Schools are facing the worst funding crisis for decades. What will Labour do to ensure all schools have enough money?

Jeremy,

Momentum really bother me, and your link with them does you more harm than good I think.

What exactly is your "relationship" with them?

Lots of good questions, will be watching with interest.

I looked up academies in your manifesto as that's very pertinent to our local area right now and all I found was "We will also oppose any attempt to force schools to become academies", which I found vague and unhelpful.

My question: How can you convince me that Labour would be an effective government, and how do I know you'll go beyond being just an opposition party with good principles?

I have my postal vote waiting on the windowsill but haven't can't bring myself to tick the box yet.

Hi Jeremy

As a disabled parent of three disabled children I have a lot of experience wrt cuts to services for disabled people, cuts to NHS services and a rather humiliating, painful encounter with ATOS.

I have also witnessed an increase in hate incidents - towards myself and my family and amongst friends who are also disabled.

Recently when I needed emergency surgery I spent three days of my six day hospital stay in areas which aren't appropriate- a&e and theatre recovery - and even in emergency mode you can see the NHS is in complete crisis.

For all the things I've mentioned it's going to take a lot more than increased funding to get services for disabled people to where they were pre 2010 so what will be implemented alongside the funding to do this?

Good luck in the election JC.
If you win, will you please return women status to a protected class under the Equality Act. Our protection has been quietly removed. Our rights are being erased.
Maria Miller does not believe we need the right to single sex spaces in any context. Not in a Rape Crisis Centre, a DV shelter or in a hospital.

Any man with a penis can declare himself a woman or gender fluid, and we have to accept that. If Gender Self ID is introduced, all men will have the legal right to access any female space, even registered sex offenders. That will include the womens spaces in mosques and synagogues.
One day a women in a DV shelter or Rape Crisis counselling will come face to face with her abuser - and he will have the legal right to stay.

Please just make male spaces more inclusive, or make a third gender neutral space. We are not bigots. We can just see the end result of well meaning but ill thought out legislation.

Can I have your opinion on Labour councillors teaming up with Tories in North Lanarkshire where SNP got majority? They are now depriving schools of classroom assistants and breakfast club please. Labour are not speaking for the many here.

Hello Mr Corbyn. One thing that has really been a pet peeve for me is seeing that people of Scotland are being treated more Humane than those of us in England. The conservatives are treating people who are only the 1% like animals with all of the disgusting cuts to PIP for people who suffer with debilitating mental health and also the tax credits for families. What would you do about these issues? The conservatives are making children go further into poverty. I don't believe we should be treated any different to those in Scotland and that instead of a different rule for them our government should listen to Scotland and take on their advice and use it for us ALL!. We are definitely divided by doing this, and actually those who have worked all their lives and get sadly made redundant in England will be treated like a dog under conservative but yet someone in Scotland would be just fine it's not fair at all. So my question again is what will you do about this?

Hi Jeremy,

I voted Green in the last election, but am leaning more toward Labour this time. I'd like to ask you what you feel the biggest threat to the environment is right now, and what you will do to protect our climate?

Thank you and good luck.

Hi Jeremy

Thank you for being a breath of fresh air in the world of politics.

My question is, what originally made you interested I politics? Did you become inspired by someone or felt a difference needed to be made?

Good luck with the election.

Hello
Will you reverse the academy policy and put schools back under local education authorities? As a teacher for over 20 years I am disheartened by the lack of transparency and corporate / business language and management style at the heart of many academy trusts. The primary curriculum is overloaded and poorly designed, especially for the less able who are set up to fail in my opinion. I love teaching but I feel so sad and angry about all the recent changes.

Hi Jeremy,

I want to congratulate you on the manifesto pledges with regards to violence against women and refuges, however I want to implore you, if you win, to go a step further.

I am a survivor of prostitution with mental health problems as a result. When I escaped I had no steady place to go to and no support. When I rang refuge lines I was more or less told that I was not a priority. There are almost no real support services for women in my position.

I now run a Facebook group for both current and exited women from prostitution and many of these women have a need for counselling and support services that they just cannot access or are just not there. Many stay or go back into prostitution and are forced to submit to dozens of unwanted sexual 'encounters' per week because they have no other choice. It breaks my heart and we are being ignored.

In 2016 Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire highlighted the need for support services for women who wish to escape prostitution. As you may know, France recently ring-fenced funds for these actions.

I know this won't be an important issue for many, but this is our lives, our realities and we feel expendable.

I hope you read and consider, I know you have a lot to do,

kind regards

Rae Story

Mr.Corbyn, given that 'the will of the people' seems to have been so influenced by lies and misinformation and new revelations about the disastrous consequences of leaving the EU emerge daily, why are you so reluctant to allow another, better informed referendum to take place?

Hi Jeremy, you've pledged 30 hours free child care for 2-4 year olds, stating: "the Labour party believes every child, no matter what their background, deserves a good start in life, and that childcare costs shouldn't be a barrier for parents who want to go back to work."

This is certainly an admirable policy, however reading Mumsnet it is clear that many parents would like to be able to afford to have one parent at home during these early years, or have chosen to do so, but with that comes a loss of earnings and often difficulties re-entering the workplace. Do the labour party value parents who take time out of paid employment to provide full-time care for their own children? If so, are there plans for any policies to reflect this belief such as a carers wage or assistance finding paid employment after time out raising children?

Hi Jeremy,

I'm British, and my wife is Brazilian. Most people are shocked and appalled to discover that the Tory immigration rules deny us the right to live together in the UK, because through means testing they have dictated we are not wealthy enough to deserve the apparent privilege of a family life.

What is your opinion of the rules for non-EU spouses; when, and in what way will you change these rules if elected?

Why are you dividing UK into poor and rich???ive been attacked and called idiot on Facebook by one of your fan's only bec im better than him (work hard pay taxes and don't take benefits)and Why being better off is bad?why is it ok for you to bully us??why do you promise all those benefits that you cant deliver?How can you punish someone who works hard went to university (30-100.000 £)to get MBA by putting their taxes up??most money from taxes come from City they pay already crazy taxes (60% 101000-125000£) if you add 5% it won't be worth for them to work you will damage the economy while we are dealing with brexit we need city we need strong market but you will just make a weak!!!!if you put taxes up for apple google etc.the big companies they will leave UK or put prices up they will make people redundant.You will tax earners over 80000 a year it means doctors,lawyers accountants bankers etc.doing that you will make services more expensive and again not affordable for most people.You want to save NHS by making doctors pay more tax????doesnt make a sense!there is nothing for free you pay for what you get that's why NHS is bad.you can't deliver brexit,investors don't trust you that's why the pound is falling down recently,you divide UK,you will make Britain bankrupt and will sink soon.Oh!hungry kids???!!!kids have parents which is only their responsibility to look after them and feed them not tax payers!!!School meals shouldn't be for free!!!!

ON BEHALF OF MY CHILDREN HERE IN BELFAST

As someone who grew up during the conflict in Northern Ireland, I want to thank you for your support for inclusive negotiations based on a just peace.

There is no peace without justice and respect.

You are a man of peace and integrity.

Thank you on behalf of my children who will grow up in peace, with equal opportunity, in a society working hard to move on.

Dr Peter Doran
Belfast

Hi Jeremy
I wanted to highlight the Adoption Support Fund and the level of support adopted children have been receiving from Edward Timpson and the DfE. This has been a game changer in getting badly needed therapeutic support in place for children suffering early trauma, neglect and abuse.

I would like to know if you are aware of this area of need and if so what your plans are to support the needs of Adopted Children going forward?

Many thanks and all the best
Q

What would you say to my 3yr old son, who wants to be "Jellyfish Crumble" (as he calls you) when he grows up?

Question from my 18 year old ds1

Sorry if this has already been asked but its a big thread and i have only skimmed it...the following is from ds1

Mr Corbyn...while i agree with the plans to nationalise the railways because of over expensive and inefficient private franchises, do you feel it would be cost effective or even affordable to renationalise all areas such as the national grid and water companies

I feel that especially in terms of the water companies that there are no major issues arising from them and no overwhelming call/need to have them nationalised

Jeremy:

Will you ringfence foreign aid spending, and how much?

Good luck.

Do you believe that you would still have won the party leadership contest had people better understood your anti-EU position?

Is anything going to be done about the benefit cap which is making families homesless and costing the government more than before it was introduced?

Hey,
Labour member here. I'd just like to ask the simple question -
Do you consider yourself a feminist?

Thanks,
Jade