Jermy Corbyn elected

Unbelievable amount on the news. It hasn't stopped all day.

Someone's just said he has the biggest mandate for any party leader in history.

kittylester I meant to come back on your post ages ago but got distracted - sorry. Personally, I don't think there will be an SDP like split as I don't think you have the big personalities (and brains) we had when that happened. Perhaps some will drift to the Lib Dems but that may be no bad thing. It may help to clarify where each of the parties stands.

When Murphy was interviewed, he said that people said Corbynomics was going back to the 80s. But in the 80s nobody had heard of quantitative easing.

Agree with you, rowantree.
I saw the speech, gracesgran. Brilliant. He might be leader of the Labour Party, but he is sticking to his principles.
Rowantree, he has Tom Watson to help him with the media.
I just read a list of tweets against him on a newspaper; cannot remember which one. The worst this person could find to say about him was that he was socialist, so that's okay, then.

I think you are right that JC is in for a rough ride with the press Rowantree although I was watching a panel on one of the news programmes where a lady from the Telegraph was trying to present that Tory picture of a Corbyn leadership and she already sounded very out of date - really quite old fashioned in the way she was talking about it.

I know I am a political person but eventually, if they keep up the momentum it will start to sound odd to others too. There will always be some who agree with Tory policies and some who are too frightened to change but there is time to work on this.

I agree Annie. I like the idea that someone who is fronting that particular area is going to ask the questions so we can really interrogate what the government is intending to do. That is far more important to me than a "mine is bigger than yours" competition. It is probably not such good theatre but who wants a pantomime company running the country.

I am not really a fan of PMQs and would be happy if various people from the government answered. It is ridiculous, in my view, to think that one person can know the different areas in depth. The PM could sum up perhaps but, of course, this would not please those who like the antagonistic atmosphere of overgrown school boys and girls making out of date noises at one another and not allowed to clap. It is weirdly unreal and anything that made government a bit more relevant seems to make sense to me.

Blair changed from 2 PMQs a week to one. Perhaps Cameron could have a good idea too.

Can't wait for the first PMQ.
He was good last week asking Cameron about refugees.

Agree it is a farce with DC in charge and it annoys me that he always avoids the question but that won't change because there are more participants involved. Indeed, it lets him off the hook to accept the question and say he will get back to them unless of course you have already supplied the questions in advance. But then forewarned is forearmed. With one on one you get the constant battering and it is then blatantly obvious DC is not prepared to answer for his actions. I want to see how the new leader shapes up at least for the first year to the PM.

Well, I am delighted. Finally, someone with integrity and principles who is prepared to home in on what the Labour party stands for instead of toadying to the Tories and the bankers.
I left the Labour party in disgust some years back, disillusioned and angry. I joined the Green party which was the only party whose values I share. Now I can re-join the Labour party again and I'm very happy to do so.

I have no doubt that JC is in for a very rough ride. The media and the Tories will give him hell. He will have to try and unite his party - no mean task with many of them ToryLites. But he HAS opened up debate, re-thinking values and policies, and where Labour's loyalties should like. About bloody time!

Well, if he doesn't answer them what's the point?

PMQ is a farce, the PM dodges giving answers and replies to a question with questions , appalling jokes and waffles untill the opposition leaders questions have ended . Why should the PM not face questions from other ministers?

Another good speech Gracesgran, to hear a politician who is comfortable with expressing his true emotions is rare these days

I watch PMQs because I like to see how the two main leaders approach questions. I would not be happy to see it relegated in part to other Shadow Cabinet Ministers to question the PM. This is the Prime Minister-in-waiting's time to show they have what it takes. I want to see how Jeremy Corbyn stands up to the cut and thrust of being on the spot. To me this proposal smacks of 'opting out' of the main event. He is Leader of the Labour Party now and needs to show he can hack it. He now needs to show he can deliver, as well as make a good rally speech.

Did you see his speech at the rally?

Apparently 90% of twitter output is positive about Corbyn. That's good.
Syritza like it too, but they would. I would be surprised if they were not the first to congratulate him, particularly as they have an election coming up.

Public sector workers are?

They would be a lower percentage soon, they are the highest on the unemployed percentages

I cant find how many white collar workers there are in the uk.

Public workers are only 19%. Wow.

Interesting that the definition of the working man still puts emphasis on non white collar workers.
Not sure that that definition still holds sway in the year 2015.

Not sure how many work for public rather than private companies. I need to google.

Now for the welfare bill. The front bench has been let off the leash. We'll see how it changes in committee.

Gracesgran I think you are absolutely right and people are sick of politicians who only do 'political' speak approved by spin doctors. Even the most anti-Corbyners have to admit he speaks from the heart. Good luck to your youngsters. A hard time to be young, I think. Let's hope the future is now brighter for them.

Quite Jen, the Tories are for the working man, except for taking away their rights as employees , not increasing their wages until 2020, which is what the annual rise in the minimum wage - brought in by labour - would have done anyway , and putting more on benefits

How many more working families?
I am wary of everything being increased, since if the population goes up, so will the figures for most things.