The - we don't have a Labour thread, thread

I think most of us saw that GGMk2
Bit of a poisoned chalice

Sensible choice as Smith was part of the NI team during the last labour government

Not so sure about an MP only elected last week being given a post

Sorry MawBroon I hadn't seen it on the forum and have found some of the threads have gone on to other subject - not a problem to anyone other than bears of very little brain like me

Annie I agree it's a sensible choice and, from what I have seen quite like Owen Smith's attitude to life.

What are people's thoughts on the others mentioned.

*Ian Lavery (Co-National Campaign Coordinator) to the additional role of Labour Party Chair.
*Lesley Laird - Shadow Scotland Secretary and
*Andrew Gwynne - communities and local government
*Dawn Butler - returned to her diverse communities brief after she resigned from the post earlier this year over Labour’s position on the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Not a strong shadow cabinet, most have little experience He is ignoring really good MP's and surrounded himself with yes men/women, placing securing his position before strengthen a shadow cabinet to take on the government . Seems it will be as usual, McDonald, Thornbury and Abbott as his spokespersons

I base my opinion of Ian Lavery on this
www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/36046675
Nice to see that Jeremy Corbyn has placed a decent, incorruptible man as Chair of the Labour Party.
His antics are well known locally and a source of interest.

The article you reference it is headlined Labour MP Ian Lavery denies wrongdoing over NUM mortgage. It appears he may indeed be a decent, incorruptible man - he has not been proved otherwise.

His antics are well known locally and a source of interest. That just says your are basing you opinion on gossip. I am sure if anything is proved against him steps will be taken but, as far as I can see, he is an innocent man with gossip and possible smears. We shall see but innocent until proved guilty is the normal way.

I know nothing about the man which is why I was asking and I'm afraid I feel no more enlightened by your post janeainsworth

gg I googled to try to find out what he had done, but after loads of reading etc. I drew a blank so assumed jeans comment was false news

Only know he is far left and was seen as a successor to Scargill

gg I said I was basing my opinion on the link I provided. Did you read my post?
ww I know the BBC and the Sunday Times are frequently accused of bias, but fake news?

Corbyns decent, incorruptible friend is very anti police when charged with football hooliganism he said it was al lies by the police and he has no respect for them , perhaps they did lie, perhaps he did

I did Jean but your link led to an article headed Labour MP Ian Lavery denies wrongdoing over NUM mortgage.. It was not saying that he had done something but that he was refuting accusations. We cannot know, from this, whether he did anything wrong - it appears not from the article - or whether it was just mischief making.

This was a BBC article Jean nor a Sunday Times one. It was also written in April to talk up a BBC programme and I cannot find anything more that has come up since.

I can only go on facts and I can't find anything more to support this currently but would be interested if anyone else can.

I don't think Newsnight would feature something that they considered mischief-making, gg.
Jane

You don't think the BBC is ever biased Jean?

My name is Jane, GracesGranMK2, if you don't mind.
I think the BBC occasionally presents things in what appears a biased way, but I don't think they invent fake news.
Can you give any examples of unfounded allegations the BBC have made?

I do apologise Jane I shall try harder in the future.

The BBC may have been right in their production but we, as yet, have no proof of illegality and neither, it appears, did they. So he is innocent until we know differently.

Apology accepted gg.
If course he is 'innocent until proved guilty'.
If though that is the case that he is innocent, it's a pity that there is reportedly widespread ill-feeling in the community about the allegations.

People love gossip Jane and love to have something to be annoyed about. I doubt that will change.

None of them exactly household names. Owen Smith is the only name I recognise, and recognising the name sums up my knowledge of him.

Corbyn has ignore the experienced MP's , he has filled the top jobs with cronies and the rest with newbies

"Mr Lavery stepped down as general secretary of the Northumberland Area in 2010, taking over from Denis Murphy as MP for Wansbeck. Mr Murphy took over the running of the union which now has just six members.
During Mr Lavery's tenure as general secretary, more than half of the union's £2.5m income came from sick former miners who the Union helped with compensation claims and who donated a portion of their payments to the union.
Mr Lavery has already faced questions from the Sunday Times about what appear to be more than £140,000 of redundancy payments to him, as well as about why he received a mortgage from union funds"

I'm not surprised that sick former miners are annoyed gg and I'm a bit surprised that you don't appear to have sympathy for them.
My understanding of employment law is that redundancy payments are only made when a job is no longer required.
Even if the role of general secretary was greatly reduced, to have accepted a redundancy payment, using funds contributed by sick miners, when he had assumed the role of MP for Wansbeck doesn't seem appropriate to me.

GG has obviously never seen a miner dying from lung disease, thousands have

I suppose Jeremy Corbyn has chosen MPs he feels he can trust. Those who have shown their loyalty to him. He obviously thinks Owen Smith deserves a second chance. Maybe he's not so sure of the others. Can't say I blame him.