Shadow cabinet:

[Redkite2015]

JC should never have put friendship before performance. Shadow Chancellor JM would be a terrible vote loser for Labour. AE would have been great.

Andy Burnham was a suprise. Perhaps he hopes to succeed if it goes wrong for jeremy

"Keep your political friends close but your enemies closer"

Corbyn needed to appear inclusive, the Labour centre right needs to keep its foot/spies within the parliamentary party door - its a thankless job but several people had to do it. IMO.

More anti-Corbyn media spin re the 'lack of women' in the shadow cabinet. 50% females appointed, and Defence, Education, Business Health; all gone to women. Who in the right mind would argue that these portfolios are either unimportant or stereotypically female?

The desperate slurs continue. Grasping. At. Straws.

There are more women attending cabinet than men - but fewer of them can vote ie influence cabinet's decisions. Corbyn's 'majority' of women has been achieved by billing a clutch of shadow ministers and others as full ranking members. But they won't have the same influence.

Smacks of a women should be 'seen but not heard' mentality (which is very 1980s Labour, as it happens).

Did anyone hear the interview yesterday with Corbyn in which he was asked about whether he would kneel to the Queen when he takes his oath as a member of the Privy Council? He actually said he would need to find out what was involved and seemed surprised when informed that this is what is involved. He also said he hadn't received an invitation to join the Privy Council when it is standard that the leader of the opposition is a member and the appointment was announced as approved on Monday.

The man has been an MP for 32 years, how can he not know this stuff? It's one thing for your average person in the street to not know the ins and outs of Privy Council membership, but for a man who has been in the Commons for more than three decades and who ran for and won the election to be Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition not to have the faintest idea is actually quite incredible.

@strangechild: Women Shadow Secretaries of State hold Business, Education and Health portfolios. Which one is not important?

@ChillieJeanie: He may also not know about the top brand of cars. If he didn't know about kneeling & kissing the monarch, why is it so unusual to you. It just show how ordinary life Corbyn has lived. He has not aspired to live a high society life, where all they discuss is how to 'donate' and become Lord or PC. A Privy Councillor is supposed to give advise to Queen or King, not just kneel and kiss. There are plenty who would do much more.

Why should he know? Up until about two months ago, Corbyn had as much chance of being on the Privy Council as a small guinea pig.

I suspect that as Labour Leader when various issues arise that Mr Corbyn has had strong opinions against that the Parliamentary Labour Party has been FOR (or at least comfortable with), he pleads ignorance to play for time while gathering his thoughts/new policies i.e. on being in Nato, the EU and a monarchy.

I'd prefer that than he having worked in Westminster for three decades, he probablyhas a better idea how the Kremlin functions.

So 'Shagger' 'Jezzer' Corbyn and Diane Abbott in the 1970's were 'friends with benefits' when he was in between wives, it is now alleged.

That's the problem with the new leader spotlights, its not just your policies that get washed out in public, its your dirty laundry as well.

Still it'll make cabinet meetings more interesting as the others watch for signs that poopsie woopsie still luvs teddy bear.

What a disgusting post, Isit. Two consenting adults who met at work may have had sex 40 odd years ago. Don't be ridiculous.

Disgusting, its public interest based on her unswerving loyalty to the numpty, and who says they had sex, the 'benefits' might have been theatre buddies, not bed buddies.

Don't be disingenuous. FWB has a specific meaning.

"poopsie woopsie still luvs teddy bear"

This is the disgusting part, although fatuous is probably a better word. I don't have time to waste on your ludicrousness, so TTFN.

"poopsie woopsie still luvs teddy bear"

This is the disgusting part,

Silly Terms of Endearment dear, I could have been FAR more personal e.g. hairy Teddy Bear.

Redkite my post was directed at Babycham who stated, incorrectly, that everything was fine and dandy because 50% of JC's cabinet were women. Is it so hard to understand the difference between attending cabinet and actually having a say in what's decided there?

Health and Education are important briefs. So's Business. But no, they're not as important as the Chancellorship, or the Home and Foreign Secretary briefs. They may be highly politicised areas of policy, but they're not as important.

Redkite and YonicScrewdriver the reason I'm staggered by him not knowing is because he is not an ordinary man in the street. The Privy Council is not about 'high society life', it is a part of the system of government of this country, a system in which Corbyn has been a Member of Parliament for 32 years. The Privy Council gives Royal Assent to Measures of the Welsh Assembly, it produces government regulations and makes government appointments, it regulates public institutions, it governs the Civil Service, it sets up independent committees, including the Chilcot committee.

And Jeremy Corbyn, MP and Leader of the Opposition, says of it that he is "looking forward to finding out what's involved" and "of course I'll end up being a member of the Privy Council if that's what the requirement of the job is". Seriously, how could he not have known?

Whatever, Chillie.
David Cameron does not know the price of a loaf of bread.

I know who I'd rather ran the country.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/oct/01/david-cameron-price-of-bread

How could he not have known