Webchat with John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor, Tuesday 18 September at 11am

[JustineMumsnet]

We’re very pleased to announce a webchat with the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, this Tuesday 18 September at 11am.

John has been Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington since 1997. Born in Liverpool, he studied at night school while working before going to university. He went on to work as a union official and in local government at the GLC and at Camden Council. He campaigned for Jeremy Corbyn to win the Labour leadership in 2015 and has been Shadow Chancellor since then.

He describes his vision for the UK economy as ‘socialism with an iPad’, centred around research, investment and ‘alternative forms of ownership and control’ such as nationalisation, co-operatives, and locally-owned enterprises. He has proved a controversial figure in some quarters, with particular attention paid to his 2003 remarks about the IRA, for which he apologised. He has described Labour’s anti-semitism row as a low point, and has been quoted as saying ‘we have got to sort this out’.

Please do join the chat on Tuesday at 11am, or if you can’t make it, leave a question here in advance.

We’re expecting this to be a busy webchat, so only existing Mumsnet users are able to post on this thread. Apologies to anyone new who can’t post - please stick around, we’ve got lots of other things coming up

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is overwhelmingly dominating a discussion with a guest, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks.

[GlassOfPort]

Hi John,
Thank you for coming on MN

I am another ex-Labour voter who is profoundly disappointed by the party's passive stance on Brexit. Here's my question:

Why is the Labour leadership not explicitly backing a referendum on the terms of the Brexit deal? (Saying that you are not ruling it out is not the same thing..that's sitting on the fence)

[MissusGeneHunt]

@JustineMumsnet - sorry, new to webchats on MN - will the transcript or recording be available after the event as I've realised I won't be able to see it 'live'?

Many thanks.

[jasjas1973]

Hello John
I cannot support Labour because of your policy toward Brexit, a minority of the voting public (17m out of 46m) voted for it, based on a pack of lies... yet it is being pursued with almost religious zeal, aided and abetted by Labour, any economic down turn always hits the poorest the hardest.

When the Tories take us out of the EU, how will you justify your pro brexit policy?

[RowanMumsnet]

[quote MissusGeneHunt]@JustineMumsnet - sorry, new to webchats on MN - will the transcript or recording be available after the event as I've realised I won't be able to see it 'live'?

Many thanks.[/quote]

Hi Missus. The webchat will take place on this discussion thread, so you'll be able to go back through and read it as-it-happened. Once the chat has started you'll also be able to see the 'At a Glance' feature at the side of the page (which shows only the guest's answers, alongside the question they were answering).

[araiwa]

With both Theresa May as pm, and the Conservatives as a goverment having low ratings, it's pretty poor that Labour are stomping all over them.

Why do you think you're struggling to take the lead and what do Labour need to do differently going forward?

[jaws5]

Hi John,
I am a EU citizen living in London, I came as a student and since graduating from a London university I have always paid tax. I have two children and my job, home and life are here. I cannot vote in the GE but I have always voted Labour in local elections. Now I find myself totally unrepresented and abandoned, Labour seems to be adopting a "British jobs for British people" discourse that I and many others like me find totally alienating. My British husband has always voted Labour but will vote LibDem in next election as the Labour party doesn't represent him anymore. The close relationship between EU and UK (the three freedoms) is the reason millions of us have built our lives here. We feel very let down, how do you intend to win us back?

[woman11017]

3 Questions.
Would a Labour goverment repeal the Repeal Act?
Would a Labour government repeal the 1992 Trades Union Act?
How does the current Labour party guard against entryism from extremist groups like the SWP?
Thank you.

[JustBecauseYouAreUniqueDoesNot]

John, I have seen that a few times you have flirted with the idea of scrapping rates / council tax and replace this with a land value tax.

Do you have an idea of how much this would increase revenue by?
What would the top rate be?
Do you intend to commit to this in the next manifesto?

[PiperPublickOccurrences]

What would you say to the floating voter like me who has voted Labour in the past but wouldn't dream of voting for the hard-left policies you're currently adopting? Or is it all about keeping the students happy?

[GloGirl]

I'd also like to know your view on mandatory reselection

[gendercritter]

Hi,

I'd really like to ask why Labour hasn't made much more of a fuss about how disabled people have been treated by the Conservative party. There have been so many unnecessary deaths and small cruelties - I can't understand why anyone in opposition hasn't taken the Tories to task over it all.

So you acknowledge how vulnerable many disabled people are financially in 2018?

[volica]

Hi John - When Corbyn was getting reelected as leader in 2016 you said that a vote for him would mean that your vision of an neurodiversity minister would become a thing... what happened to that? Is it going to come back or...?

[indistinct]

A few questions:
Why was it Labour policy to support the triggering of Article 50 given that:

• there were no achievable negotiating aims published by the government at the time
• it would put numerous rights of individuals (e.g. FoM) at risk
• it would initiate massive uncertainty for all manufacturers and service operators dependent on imports from or exports to the EU
• it put the UK in a v. weak negotiating position with respect to the EU
• numerous senior civil servants strongly advised against it to the point that at least 1 resigned (i.e. Ivan Rogers) ?

In retrospect do Labour regret the decision to support triggering A50 or are you and the organisation pleased with the progress of Brexit?

What is Labour's current position with respect to Brexit and in particular:

• the Government's Chequers proposal
• No deal
• EEA and/or EFTA?

[JustineMumsnet]

[quote MissusGeneHunt]@JustineMumsnet - sorry, new to webchats on MN - will the transcript or recording be available after the event as I've realised I won't be able to see it 'live'?

Many thanks.[/quote]

Hi there, the webchat will all take place on this thread (it's written, not recorded) and they'll be a Webchat at a glance box link which will allow you just to see John McDonnell's answers (without all the Mnetter comments).

[Bombardier25966]

@gendercritter The Labour Party has repeatedly tried to address the treatment of disabled people, through campaigns against the PIP assessment process, Universal Credit and all the hardship it causes, and through campaigns against the removal of the Severe Disability Premium and the imposition of the bedroom tax. They also continue to highlight how cuts to the NHS impact on those with long term conditions, in particular those with mental health difficulties.

The problem is that, whilst they are in opposition, it's near impossible to make change happen. When they have had votes on the issues they have been on opposition days, and the Tories have refused to vote. They have tried to tackle the DWP and Esther McVey through select committee hearings, but McVile feeds them a load of bull and then plays dumb when picked up on her misunderstandings (lies). It is a no win situation.

The UN have previously called out the current government on their gross failings towards disabled people, and there is another UN investigation under way now. The government choose to ignore them too.

(Apologies for going off topic, but I hope the above is helpful.)

[Havanananana]

If polls showed that Labour's policies were generally approved by the population, but that a General Election could not be won by a Labour Party that has Corbyn as it's leader, would he support a change in leadership in order to win the election and who would he identify as the Labour politician that could win an election?

[MissusGeneHunt]

Thank you @RowanMumsnet and @JustineMumsnet

[HelenaDove]

What would your party do about housing associations and their lack of accountability. (housing ombudsman is toothless) Housing associations do not currently come under the FOI Act. And they should.

www.cfoi.org.uk/2017/07/bring-housing-associations-and-public-service-contractors-under-foi/


When Labour had a petition/campaign on behalf of tenants during one of the recent elections it only included those who rent from private landlords. Labours refusal to see that some housing associations can be just as bad has meant a lot of HA tenants have lost faith in the party.

However a good thing to come out of it is that HA tenants have started mobilizing more amongst ourselves. But it is still shocking to me that public bodies like HAs do not come under the FOI and consequently can refuse to supply crucial information.


A thread i started on here just before Grenfell


www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2901354-Housing-associations-Are-you-having-problems?pg=1

[Motheroffourdragons]

Hi John, thank you for coming on here.

I am another lifelong labour party supporter who feels incredibly disenfranchised with the party over its stance on Brexit.

Will the labour party vote down any deal that the PM brings before parliament and if so, how can this mean anything other than we leave the EU with no deal?

Thank you.

[placemats]

Hi John,

So pleased you have come on here to answer questions. Mine is.

Is Brexit good for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

Can you answer in a binary manner. Yes or No.

[DamsonGin]

I have left the Labour Party in the last six months and have many questions but today's will be this...

How will you ensure that Northern Ireland will not return to bloody conflict, particularly through Brexit negotiations but please throw in any other thoughts you have on that too.

[placemats]

One other question, if that's allowed.

John, do you believe women when they say they have been raped?

[placemats]

If the public voted in a binary manner to leave the EU then the response from those elected to the HOC, to questions regarding Brexit must be binary as well.

No thoughts on the matter.

[placemats]

Plus the votes in the HOCs regarding Brexit is also binary.

Yea or Nay.

Abstain or not vote is also an option. Or cheat.

[prettybird]

Why should anyone in Scotland vote Labour when it is continuing to pursue a Brexit policy that is a) not in the best interests of Scotland and b) not what it voted for and also when the Labour Party doesn't appear to have basic knowledge of Scotland (like calling for the nationalisation of Scotland, when it is still publicly owned )?
It would appear to demonstrate a basic lack of interest in or understanding of a constituent country within the UK for now