"I've never seen anything like it!"

Well, White van Dan is an interesting person. He's a cage fighter, can't remember when he last voted, would send the immigrants back and thinks children should be caned.

Possibly those who objected to E T also recognised the semiotics of that picture and either shared her purported view, or 'respected' Dan with his white van.

Either way, the whose episode is profoundly depressing and those who were 'outraged' clearly recognised the subtext and those who declared that voters should be 'respected' didn't bother to engage their brains before speaking.

And it's interesting to note that 80% of the Rochester and Strood electorate didn't vote for the former Tory now Kipper, Mr Reckless.

Hazel Blears was very good on Today this morning. She said what a lot of Gransnetters have said, that too many MPs have come into Parliament through being special advisers and really are out of touch with the majority of us. And we know they are.

Good link Durhamjen.

A mansion tax really isn't workable is it. Wasn't it mooted before the last couple of elections? It seems to be something floated before an election which gets quietly dropped by the winning party.

I suspect Mylene was really thinking of commuter belt as being London. Living within easy reach of a main London line station wallops up a house value.

https://fullfact.org/article/economy/mansion_tax_london-36595

Anyone want a one-bedroomed flat?

Eeloethan

Think what you will.

I was/am amazed people don't know that there are many people who fly the flag of St George other than on football occasions. I am even more amused the perceived 'snobbish' tone of a picture of a house that is flying the flag and has a white van outside is lost on them.

Can't say much more really. To me you are twisting my post, to you it is a valid point to raise. No point in arguing.

soontobe Jeremy Clarkson is a friend of David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks.

POGS You say that Emily Thornberry's behaviour demonstrates a "socialist elite attitude of snobbery". The first two sentences, second paragraph, of your post 21.28 sound distinctly snobbish to me. You seem to be carefully distancing yourself from "how some people live" in "some places".

I hate all that U and non-U stuff - etiquette as opposed to good manners - judging people who say toilet and not lavatory, pardon and not what.

I think snobbishness means judging someone by their background, rather than on their personal qualities.

If I were leader of a political,party, I would want to ban all my MPs and candidates from being on Twitter at all. I agree janea about the sin being that of stupidity. Im not sure that I really understand what people are meaning when they talk about snobbishness - I don't mean just in this context but in general. Perhaps we need a thread on this?

It just seems to be taking an awfully long time for some people who should know better, to realise that anything they put on Twitter is going to be seen by the world and his wife, and you might live by the Tweet but you die by the Tweet too.

Emily Thornberry's sin wasn't snobbishness, so much as gross stupidity.
And from the Shadow Attorney General too.

I fully expect amongst MPs, as amongst the general population, for there to be some who are very snobbish ( and racist/homophobic/ misogynist etc etc). However, what I do expect from MPs and others in public life, is for them to be astute enough to realise how they should behave. ET's behaviour was unacceptable and she's paid the price. But I think some of the comments on the issue are getting somewhat hysterical in tone. It's absolutely ridiculous to conclude that she is somehow typical of the ' left wing socialist elite' whatever that is who have no understanding of how thousands of people live.

Well interposed, grannytwice.

Good job we've got the likes of George and Dave and Nick who have a total understanding of how thousands of their fellow citizens live isn't it?

Actually, scrub my last post. That is going to be a step too far for most people, maybe even myself.

On another forum, it is being suggested that the london elite have infiltrated labour. That the labour party is far from what it used to be.
I dont know what to make of that.

Does anyone think that the london elite protect Jeremy Clarkson?

I used to think he was an ok bloke[yeah I know]. I didnt realise until recently that he actually meant a lot of what he said.

I'm throwing myself onto the fire here but I have to say that the Emily Thornberry 'gaff' 'has caused such a stir because it shows a left wing, socialist elite attitude of snobbery and total lack of understanding how thousands of people live.

Have some of you never observed how some people live? Homes and estates where St George Flags, satellite dishes abound. In some places a flag is more normal than washing on a line. They are all eligeable to vote and Thornberry in her crass fashion has took the p--s out of working class people. Labour MP's like Thornberry are so out of touch with their supposed core voter it's untrue.

I'm utterly amazed how some people are so shielded from reality but when a supposed Labour MP has no idea, well words fail me.

Then again I think Thornberry was just trying to be a smart ass and it's backfired big time.

Classically trained pianist who joined a pop group and now has ranges of baby clothes in Mothercare. Astute businesswoman!

No - who is she?

Am I the only person who has no idea who Marlene Klass is?

I agree it's ridiculous that there should be a petition for Myleene Klass to lose her work on the Littlewoods advert.

Of course MK is entitled to her opinion but anyone who wants to give her stick for it is equally entitled to so do. She has no special protected status and in fact exploited her celeb status to be able to air her political views so deserves any criticisms anyone wants to make of those views. As for ET, words fail me as to how she has been so stupid. My guess is that she won't stand in the next election. And fwiw I would be appalled to have a neighbour who leaves flags up months after the World Cup has finished - ( during is quite different) and says he intends to leave them up until they fall down and will then replace them.

My thoughts exactly, soontobe!

She may have integrity, but she appears to lack a number of other important qualities for her job.