New Labour LEADER

OK

David Lammy s. Justice
John Healy s. Defence
RLB s education
Ed Miliband s Brexit bod
Thornberry s international trade
Johnathan Reynolds s W&P

That's a pretty good Shadow Cabinet Keir Starmer has put together. One notable absence of course is Jeremy Corbyn who has now gone 37 years without being offered a cabinet post by any Labour leader!

‘Present but not involved’.

The full list?

· David Lammy, Shadow Justice
· John Healey, Shadow Defence
· Ed Miliband, Shadow BEIS
· Emily Thornberry, Shadow International Trade
· Jonathan Reynolds, Shadow Work and Pensions
· Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Education

· Jo Stevens, Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
· Bridget Philipson, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
· Luke Pollard, Shadow DEFRA
· Steve Reed, Shadow Communities and Local Government
· Thangam Debbonaire, Shadow Housing

Jim McMahon, Shadow Transport
· Preet Gill, Shadow International Development
· Louise Haigh, Shadow Northern Ireland (interim)
· Ian Murray, Shadow Scotland
· Nia Griffith, Shadow Wales
· Marsha de Cordova, Shadow Women and Equalities

Andy McDonald, Shadow Employment Rights and Protections
· Rosena Allin-Khan, Shadow Minister for Mental Health
· Cat Smith, Shadow Minister for Young People and Voter Engagement
· Lord Falconer, Shadow Attorney General

· Valerie Vaz, Shadow Leader of the House
· Nick Brown, Opposition Chief Whip
· Baroness Smith, Shadow Leader of the Lords
· Lord McAvoy, Lords’ Opposition Chief Whip

Thank you for the advice Iam64. Will do and I will try to keep the faith!

can I ask why you are afraid of unions? & Are you comfortable with the 'power and strength' of the big businesses and money laundering Russian oligarchs who fund the tory party?
The answer to you both is that they seem to be 2 sides of the same coin i.e. people or organisations who expect a 'bang for their buck' and wield too much influence. This was just one of the reasons I found I could not vote for either of the main parties at the last election.

Yes, I have been a member of a union, yes, my family too was a union family - my father represented his workplace at their annual union conference for many years. But personally, the only organisation that made any difference to my working conditions was the one over the water of which we must no longer speak!

So, Edd Miliband known to the media as Red Edd when he was the leader of the party is back on the front bench.

Well, doubtless he will now be greeted as a right-wing revisionist by that same media at this point in time, prior to that media doing a character assassination job on Kier Starmer as they have with all Labour Party leaders since Harold Wilson.

Within a few weeks, Starmer will be labelled as a communist, Stalinist, Maoist and much more as well, along with his compatriot Red Edd. ?

Red Edd started when the Unions supported him against David Milliband

Urm I don’t think JC is a ‘notable absence’ as would mean his absence is worthy of note. It isn’t - it’s his presence that would have been amazing. Like you though I think it’s a pretty good Shadow Cabinet with an interesting mix of the new, the known and some safe pairs of hands. Grandad is there any chance you could spell Ed and Keir’s name correctly? Thank you

There would be several in this thread who are declaring their experience of the trade unions, so can I also declare my own.

I left school in 1960 just about able to read but almost totally unable to write and my maths were not much better. In that, I was labelled as stupid by many of my teachers at that time and a failure.

I progressed to become an HGV Driver in the mid-sixties as no paperwork was required to obtain a truck licence during that period. However, I was called into the office of the company I worked for over the way I had filled out a vehicle defect report. The union shop steward called me to one side at the conclusion of the meeting and suggested I enrolled in one the Transport Unions basic education courses which I did

The experience could not have been more different from my school years by way of tutors who really did understand my problems and how to solve them. Within eighteen months I was writing as I am now and my maths improved immensely.

From that, I was able to put myself forward to become the elected employee's Safety representative for the depot which again took me into trade union education to obtain the qualifications required. That took me into management for the safety in eight other depots two years later and eventually into starting my own industrial safety business several years beyond that.

So, my experience of trades union would be that I owe to them everything that I have become and achieved throughout my adult life. Many others have experienced similar to myself following trade union education courses and have gone on into management often rising to senior positions.

The trade unions are not all about confrontation, but they are about achieving what is best for their members provided those members are prepared to engage and not expect all to be provided for them without any effort.

In general Starmer seems to have chosen on intellect and ability. It seems quite a good start.

Thangam Debbonaire, Shadow Housing
Good
Corbyn gave her a rotten time when she was ill.

Not only for their members, they kept Lord Robens in his job

That's interesting Grandad1943 and trades unions often offered a a way for people who were not unintelligent, but hadn't done well, for a variety of reasons, in the school system, a second chance at education. Remember Ruskin college? Many Labour MPs came via that route, and Workers Educational Courses were also brilliant. I think many of these opportunities have sadly gone now, and a good number of MPs from all parties have been privately educated.
What a waste of working class talent.

Although some of the educational establishments have gone there are still processes in the trade union movement which support and educate people. A friend with a very basic education and no qualifications has progressed and become a union leader. She has had help with things like public speaking and is now so confident, it is great to see.

It is interesting to see the new Shadow Cabinet, just as it has been interesting to see who was sakced or resigned such as -

Barry Gardiner
Ian Lavery
Jon Trickett
Richard Burgon
Andrew Gwynn
Dianne Abbot
Dawn Butler
Tracy Brabin
Andy McDonald

Hope for Labour now, unless it is tempted into a coalition with the Lib Dems to stop Brexit and the game will start all over again.

All Corbynites

Interesting that when Corbyn became leader he was urged to include people in the Shadow cabinet on the right of the party, but no one seems bothered or interested in Starmer building bridges with the left. Most people are now watching and waiting to see if he keeps his promises.

I owe an apology.

Andy McDonald was not sacked nor resigned he has changed role in the Shadow Cabinet. If I have made a mistake on any of the others I apologise now.

Grandad’s personal history of decent advice, support and education via support of an older workmate is such a positive one. I accept workplaces are often less stable than when many of us were mid teens and starting work. The easy and cheap availability of education at night schools or FE colleges is badly missed.
I did A levels at night school. My in to the
Poly for a good vocational qualification. I was paid a small salary by the Home Office over the two year course, my future employer, these days, I’d qualify with about £60,000 debt. Well. I wouldn’t qualify. I couldn’t have done the course.

Greeneyedgirl Ruskin College is still going strong as far as I know, but closed for the time being of course.

I believe that Jeremy Corbyn did state that he would accept a place in Kier Starmer's shadow cabinet prior to the leadership election result being declared.

If the above is correct, It would seem that place has not been offered to him which may prove to be a substantial mistake, for In that, he has also stated that he intends to remain as an MP for the foreseeable future

Corbyn I feel will now become a rallying figure for the left-wing of the movement who will now be looking for an anchor point. It should also be remembered that Corbyn along with Jon Lansman were instrumental in organising Momentum so as to become prominent in the Constituency Labour Parties from which position it now draws its strength.

In recent months Momentum has been recognised as an independent affiliation organisation to the Labour movement in its own right.

The above, I believe, may possibly prove to be the background for many in the wider Labour movement to call for a complete break with the present fragmented Parliamentary Labour Party in the future.

It may well be that there is at this point much goodwill towards Kier Starmer in his new role as leader. However, should there be any suspicion that this leadership does not intend to carry out the promises made to the trade unions and other affiliate organisations during Starmer's election campaign due to pressure from the right of the party, then above would surely be the scenario that swings into effect.

And if Starmers policies absolutely chime with the voting public, whilst not entirely in line with the unions, what then.

Iam64, in regard to your post @22:29 yesterday, I one hundred percent agree with you in the need for lifelong learning. That availability by way of trade union education was very much a turning point in my life and the lives of many others in past decades.

Sadly as you point out that free learning is now no longer available to very many in these times, but the need for such learning is required as much as ever at present as it was in the past.

I regard to the Shop Steward who pointed me in the direction of trade union education all those years ago, he went on to become the Operations Manager for one of the largest food distribution centres in the country.

Sadly that promotion from shop floor employment to senior management is another feature that has been largely lost in British industry. However, that I feel could well be a discussion held in a separate thread, for I for one have some very strong opinions in that subject.

Grandad - I'd be interested if you start a thread on shop floor to senior management. Also on life long learning though, that could be another thread. Our local Enjoy Learning group is closed for the duration of the pandemic. I'm still sewing and trying to learn to draw, inspired by the courses I chose. Others continue to 'meet' online, working on all kinds of new learning

It's good to agree on somethings but no surprise to hear I don't share your enthusiasm for either Momentum or Jon Lansman. Having said that it will take everyone in the Labour movement to compromise and work together if its to be an effective opposition and government in waiting. I despair that some still claim to have won the argument, in the face of devastating defeat. Especially at a time when this country needed a Labour government.

Corbyn plotted against the elected party leader Kinnock from the back benches, he will do the same to Stammer.

Iam64, I would very much like to begin a thread on lifelong learning and shop floor promotion (or lack of it) in these times.

However, we are now once again operating the company at almost full output again, but I will most definitely engage in that as soon as feel that my time will allow.

By the way, I am most definitely not a fan of Jon Lansman, in fact I had better not state my views on him in this post or it will possibly be deleted before you see it. ?