Traingate

My thoughts too, niggly. Which is why, on balance, I think his "team" probably had a stunt up their sleeves all along, even if he didn't.

And he's a twit for giving in to it.

Well, he's a twit anyway, politically.

Yes, darlings, I probably would be too as a politician, but I'm not setting up as leader of the Labour Party. Important difference, donchaknow.

FGS, why on earth didn't JC do what most sensible people do when planning a long train journey and book the required seats in advance?! You can then take advantage of cheaper tickets and be assured of a seat!! I did this frequently when travelling from Cornwall to Oxford to visit DD. Standing or sitting on the floor wasn't an attractive alternative particularly when getting older!! It's no trouble and costs nothing! Why make an idiot of yourself when it's quite unnecessary?!!

One can sit in reserved seats while nobody is in them, such as if they're not reserved for the whole journey. Just saying. #stunt

For the gigglers and chucklers, here's Daniel Finkelstein talking about previous prime ministers. Yes, I know Corbyn wasn't, isn't, and is never likely to be PM, but he's a politician and that'll do.

The title is "Our sepia-tinted PMs were arrogant and remote".

Fink asks "Was Gladstone a pompous, windy, self-absorbed nutter or a titan of reform and conscience? Both. Was Disraeli a conman, incompetent and a snob or a creative genius and political miracle worker? Both."

So, yeah, Corbyn's human too. And I still don't care whether his sitting on the floor stunt about there being no seats was true or not. What's important to me is that it created a good deal of fun. I could almost warm to the man and his incompetent travel team

Eloethan, thanks for a well balanced post. His expenses have never met the cost of career politicians.

I respect him, and the new grassroots are far from idiots. I say this without giggling.

A number of people have come forward to support the fact that the train was very busy and it was difficult to find a seat, and there are several photos of people standing - sometimes with young children - or sitting on the floor.

Was the photo of Corbyn standing on a night bus (hardly flattering as he looked a bit fed up and pretty tired), taken in August last year, also a put up job? Or is it just possible that this man actually does use public transport on a regular basis which is often subject, as other people have confirmed in this particular case, to overcrowding. I don't think anyone would dispute that the fares are very high and the fare structure is so ridiculously complex that even the staff issuing the tickets get confused.

Of course, the right wing newspapers and those opposed to Corbyn are more than willing to champion Richard Branson's version of events (and he is hardly a disinterested party). For those that call Corbyn a hypocrite and lacking integrity, I would say that his behaviour as a backbencher - when he had no need to court public favour - demonstrates otherwise. Unlike many other MPs - of all parties - who used every opportunity to put in claims for all sorts of questionable expenses, his expense claims were reported to be the lowest.

But do we need to renationalise the trains? I think we do. That is his point. Watch out for the NHS destroyed by previous Labourites. We will save it.

People like me who object get "how dare you" from the so called Labour supporters who think they have this forum to themselves.

They don't!

Are you breaking the law there, Jalima, putting CCTV footage on gransnet?

Jalima, can you imagine what the press would have made of Corbyn finding someone in his seat and getting the guard to ask him/her to move?

The difference is £150 for a single journey, £300 for return.
MPs are not supposed to travel first class any more since Osborne bought a standard ticket, then went into first class without paying the difference.

What he did want to do was sit next to his wife, quite a normal thing to do, I would have thought.
Just in case you say she wasn't sitting on the floor next to him, she wasn't filmed next to him. It would have been wrong to do that, just as wrong as for Virgin to put CCTV on the internet and the BBC.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37167700

Is it reasonable to assume that anyone with a modicum of common sense travelling with others and wanting to work on the train would book seats in advance, seats with a table?
I used to do it for myself and others; only once did I find someone sitting in my reserved seat, he refused to move until the guard/conductor made him.

JC could have moved to 1st and they could have worked in peace there, but against his principles I presume, even though he could have been working on sensitive material.
Heaven forbid that anyone would film him in first clas

Pollengram

I admire your loyalty but do not put your trust in this man - he will ultimately fall.

We are playing politcal chess. Xx

Should Corbyn take Branson to court for releasing CCTV coverage? It's illegal.

i2.wp.com/voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/160823-CCTV-law.jpg

Like to see the continuation of this.

Corbyn, although he might be Corny.

Owen Smith tells audience: "with me, you won't have some lunatic in charge

Correction: "with me you will have some lunatic in charge of the labour party", like you Owen Smith, fully paid up member of the Taffia from Morecambe ?

He has no chance. What a joke when a failed Blairite calls an honest man like Jeremy Corny a " lunatic".

So it's okay for Owen Smith to call people lunatics, is it?
Best to put your trust in someone who says that?

Pollengram

I admire your loyalty but do not put your trust in this man - he will ultimately fall.

twitter.com/tompeck/status/768165811022213124

Which is more important, Corbyn on a train, or Owen Smith saying this?

He will win this election. There is no doubt about it. He will gain the votes of the working (or in many cases, the unemployed) and this will kick out the Tories. We have had Tory lite for too long since the Kinnock days, and Corbyn is the only decent parliamentarian to work for us in many years.

Stop making out that he is a fool. He is far from it, and neither are his supporters.

Beam, you are on a roll,

It was a PR stunt and it went wrong, that's it. It will not affect the outcome of his leadership campaign, best he shrugged it off now or apologise if he really is into honest politics.

How the feck do you know I'm not Theresa May?

Theresa May will be having a laugh. Perhaps they will put a little "Reserved" ticket on his place in Parliament! We wouldn't want him sitting on Dennis Skinner's lap.

VIPs may be catered for, but so many joe publics reserve a seat that is nowhere to be found. Jeremy Corbyn is highlighting that. All he is saying is that we need more trains
This Joe Public always reserves a seat on Virgin trains, (and mobility assistance at Euston) in fact when you book online you automatically get a seat reservation.
Hardly a big deal. And as somebody said, JC's PA needs talking to if he/she failed to do this.
I find it hard to believe the CCTV footage was faked, the "excuses" are lame, it was an inspired PR stunt, BUT alas, the public are not always that gullible.
With all due respect pollengran, lighten up, you're not Theresa May are you?