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.

Google, Apple, & Amazon. The reason they're all American (with Brits helping to run them) is there is a culture of investing in new (and often poor) founders in the USA that has NEVER existed in the UK. John - What is labour going to do a seriously address a UK culture where real wealth hides under people's beds for generations instead of backing future ideas to drive industry, create jobs and wealth, AND yes, protect our National Security?

Good morning, John.

Do you think politicians should face penalties for lying in their campaigns and manifestos?

Hi John

Angry, 20 something, full time carer here.

What are Labour's plans to support carers, people with disabities and/or illness during this turbulent time of a failing NHS and the threat of brexit looming over like a death sentence?

My DP takes over 20 medications on a good day and many more on a bad. I highly doubt it is possible to keep everyone alive with the Conservative government's plans of asking private drug companies to stockpile 200 medications. I can think of 4 epilepsy medications off the top of my head, I'm sure there's many more than that and that's only one disorder. Forget preventive seizure treatment and give every epileptic diazapam in a&e? What if the patient is allergic to dizapam and requires something else? What if that something else has a short shelf life?

What about drugs for cancer treatment? Diabetes? Bipolar disorder? Psychosis? Infections? Allergies? Auto immune diseases? Dementia? Connective tissue disorders? ME? Did you know there are over 250 medications that can help ease the suffering of people living with ME?

Behind every single diagnosis there is a human being and each one of those people are worthy and important. Do you agree?

Do you think it is reasonable to find common ground between leavers and remainers by standing up for our NHS and every user of it?

pssst that means cancelling brexit

I hope you can find the time to answer, I'm sure us MNetters will keep you busy!

Hello John,

I've been on Mumsnet for very many years and have been following the debate amongst a lot of women about the creeping loss of sex-based women's rights.

I completely understand their concerns. They've become my own personal concerns.

Do you think that you genuinely, fully understand their concerns? Are you open to learning more?

Thanks.

In the past you said that no Tory MP should be able to go out without facing direct action.

Do you think it is acceptable for Tory MPs to have people shouting abuse at them outside their houses as recently happened to Jacob Rees-Mogg and his children?

The Code of Conduct for MPs says: Members have a general duty to act in the interests of the nation as a whole; and a special duty to their constituents. How are you acting 'in the interests of the nation' in terms of Brexit, given that the government's own impact assessment shows that the UK will be worse off in every scenario?

There's no doubt in my mind that your stance has cost you a lot of voters, and left many of us with no party to support.

With Brexit showing no signs whatsoever of being beneficial to any voters (even those that voted for it), why do you continue to support the implementation?

To be fair I've already asked a question above but a large proportion of Radio 4's PM show was all about the appalling treatment of sexual harassment claims within the Labour Party, with the independent report not yet being actioned.

Considering Labour's really shitty record with women (Not least never having a female Leader) what do you have to say to Bex Bailey?

Can you actually understand the great personal toll she's had to undergo to actually feel like she's being heard and that women are being protected? Can you reassure that real positive action will be taken, without the platitudes?

Hi John, thanks for agreeing to do this. I am one of the many who joined Labour when Corbyn became leader, as he offered people like me hope. But given the outright hostility of the media in this country towards him, (as we have seen throughout the summer with these manufactured claims of anti-semitism) is it possible for us to reach those people who we need to vote Labour in the next general election, especially now that Scotland has largely gone SNP?

Link to today's show with interview -

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bjzq6b

News article

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-party-rape-bex-bailey-jeremy-corbyn-sexual-harassment-nec-assault-conference-a8541831.html

Hi John. In my opinion the Blair years saw huge investment in schools the nhs and 500 new hospitals / healthcentres but seem to be denounced as part of the Iraq war dusagreements. I am a labour voter but i have concerns that a very left wing labour government could re-energise the unions allowing them to hold the country to ransom, not back entrepreneurs and allow our productivity to slip further. How can you keep swing labour voters like me from voting libdem when they have a clearer policy to defeat this current brexit shambles and a trade/tax/economic/social policies that were more atuned to those fantastic Blair years? Thank you

I would never vote labour currently due to its position on Syria, anti-semitism, and Brexit, but I'll just ask about the last one...

How can you justify voting against any agreement May might come up with on Brexit, plunging us into no deal catastrophe, when Labour's own position (wanting the benefits of the single market, without being in the single market) is barely distinguishable from the Tories?

Surely this position is only valid if you are calling for a clear alternative - EEA, or a second referendum?

I don't understand how leftists can support a process which will make Thatcherism look positively centrist.

Follow up question to DaddyBeGood's. What do you think the demographic of mumsnet is? Do you think we're all Daily Mail reading Tories from the shires, or do you understand that a lot of the people on this thread asking you questions are (or were in the very recent past) Labour members, maybe even party members (I was until recently; I have left over anti-semitism and the failure to take women's rights seriously).

Do you think "good riddance to Blairite rubbish"? Or do you think "These are the crucial swing voters we need to win back into the fold"?

Hi John

My question is this:
Does the Labour Party have any policy on the behaviour of it’s MP’s and other representatives on social media? I find the behaviour of several of them including MP’s to be abhorrently misogynistic, especially in regards to women raising concerns about self id. Special mention should also be made of several of the momentum twitter accounts which are one of the many reasons I will never vote Labour again.

My grandparents were lifelong socialists and labour voters and were members of the Labour Party and Fabian society for all of their adult lives. They would be turning in their graves if they could see what entryism has done to what used to be the Labour Party. In fact I even think they would support my decision to vote Tory.

And as a follow up question do you have any plan whatsoever of how you would regain the votes of female voters like me who you will need if you have any intention of winning a general election which I don’t think you do

Hi John, do you agree that Jacob Rees-Mogg’s children are fair game? You are reported to have said: ‘I want to be in a situation where no Tory MP, no Tory MP, no coalition minister, can travel anywhere in the country, or show their face anywhere in public, without being challenged, without direct action.’

Er, why did my question get deleted?

Mr McDonnell - I'm a Jewish woman who was a lifelong Labour voter and member until Corbyn and his acolytes took it over.

My question is, which country should I attempt to seek asylum in, with my children, if he ever becomes Prime Minister?

Gorgon. Sadly I predict a slew of deletions leaving the way open for a Trumpite "bad people on both sides" after-the-fact misrepresentation of what went on.

@FermatsTheorem I'm sure you are right, but I am genuinely extremely thankful for the virtual flowers and actual support.

Socialism with an iPad John

Just that