Angela Rayner is a scrounger, grifter and shameless hypocrite.

Casdon

Galaxy

It is perfectly reasonable to discuss the severance pay.
I think AR did some impressive work in her previous role, i also think she should have returned the severance pay.

I don’t think anybody is suggesting that the severance pay shouldn’t be discussed though, just that there should be as much respect accorded to AR as to other politicians, instead of the constant demeaning of everything about her.

Do you really think that all other politicians are accorded respect?
I have no time for him but Nigel Farage has consistently been demeaned on this forum, and Boris as well.
Does it only matter if politicians you like are demeaned?
We all have the right to say what we think about politicians.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

DaisyAnneReturns

I never actually knew about what led to GSM's being banned Doodledog. Thank you for the explanation.

My phone doesn’t allow nested quotes, but I want to acknowledge MT’s point that mine is an opinion rather than a fact, although it is an opinion based on being on that awful thread. I’m not sure MT was around then (under that name, at any rate) which makes it difficult to know whether or not she contributed, or can possibly know about the atmosphere at the time of that thread.

My contributions are there for all to see, as are GSM’s, so people can judge (or try to understand, depending on personality) based on the evidence, and agree or disagree with my POV, either of which is fine by me.

There is a view that GSM’s ban was based on a thread about curling tongs and Downton Abbey, but there are so many deleted posts there that it’s impossible to know what happened unless you read it at the time. I didn’t, as I took a break after the trouser suit thread, so find it baffling.

Regardless - my view (which is all it is) is that people get banned for what can seem like arbitrary reasons. Sometimes the banned have a vociferous group of supporters, and sometimes they don’t. The reasons for the bannings don’t change depending on whether campaigns for reinstatement are set up or not, and it would be very wrong (IMO) if HQ acted on those campaigns.

People whose posts I liked have vanished without an outcry, and (to me) that’s worse, and presumably much more hurtful for them than having continued ‘we don’t understand’ posts, and in the case of GSM, ‘oh, but now I don’t have free legal advice’ ones.

I repeat- I don’t think GSM should have been banned, although I was shocked by her behaviour at the time of the GE. If there were a plebiscite I would vote for her reinstatement. I would do the same for most (all but one, really) of those I know to have been banned, because I am not a precious flower who can’t read opinions I don’t share.

But. My vote for any (except one 😀) to return would depend on the amnesty being extended to people such as Maddie, growstuff and others who I didn’t even know had been banned until I noticed they hadn’t posted for ages and asked.

'Scrounger, grifter, shameless hypocrite'
I'd love to read her judgement on Farage.

So uninterested I cant spell her name correctly

I had no idea nadine dorres had even commented until I opened this thread, I have been discussing the severance pay since it made the news.

But let's all listen to Nadine Dorries

The point remains,
she was within the LAW.

Many people would probably cheat on their taxes if they thought they could get away with it.

If you make cash in hand via a side hustle you know where its going when you spend it on household bills. Back into the community to support jobs for others.

We are all sucking off the tax man to pay for vanity projects, asylum seekers, MOD procurement fiddles and bl***y Ukraine.

Galaxy

It is perfectly reasonable to discuss the severance pay.
I think AR did some impressive work in her previous role, i also think she should have returned the severance pay.

I don’t think anybody is suggesting that the severance pay shouldn’t be discussed though, just that there should be as much respect accorded to AR as to other politicians, instead of the constant demeaning of everything about her.

This notion that Rayner is under-qualified.

I suspect there is a fundamental misunderstanding of how Government and Ministries function. Each department has a Cabinet Minister. Under them work other Ministers and Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State (PUSS). Working with them are civil servants.

The Institute of Government chart is obviously out of date but shows the organisation. Rayner’s predecessor, Steve Reed was then cabinet minister for the MHCLG but had two ministers and three PUSS working with him.

(Reed’s background worked in educational publishing before he became involved in politics.)

The cabinet minister decides on strategy. One doesn’t need academic qualifications to have a vision and a plan for what one wants to achieve. Because Rayner has been poor and knows what it’s like to struggle she will understand more than most how housing inequality is driving so much that is wrong in today’s society.

I agree that government isn’t a business but there is a similar hierarchy. Some of the most successful businesses were started by people with a vision but no academic background in the subject.

Alan Sugar left school at 16. At 21, he started selling radio aerials for cars and other electrical goods out of a van.

James Dyson started out studying furniture and interior design before switching to engineering. His first invention was a wheelbarrow with a ball instead of a wheel.

Richard Branson left school at 16 and is dyslexic. Age 20 he started a mail order record business that became Virgin record stores.

Many “top” CEOs have no direct experience of the business they join. As discussed on another thread (about CEO pay), Mark Thurston former head of HS2 is now CEO of Anglian Water. He is an electrical engineer who started out as an apprentice with London Transport.

Rayner is hardly a greenhorn. She’s been an MP for eleven years and has served as shadow minister in various roles. Read her resignation letter to see what she achieved before she was forced to resign. It makes sense to reinstate her to a role she feels passionate about.

Galaxy

Nope I wouldn't have done that. It is the right thing to do.

I wouldn't have done that either. See my earlier post 07.18.

You know AR is treated with much less respect than any of those you mention Primrose. My post above explains why.

Nope I wouldn't have done that. It is the right thing to do.

Oreo

Plevey08

I'm looking forward to the much needed social/affordable housing across the country.
Feeling humble is not the same as being humiliated or debased.

You’re right, it isn’t and AR missed a chance to appeal to the public, she was entitled to the severance pay but a golden opportunity to show that she gave it back ( taxpayers money after all) and understood what many people are going through,
Belt tightening and all that.The kudos would have been worth it to any politician.

If she’d given it back, certain posters would have accused her of political opportunism, a gimmick, currying favour, so well off she didn’t need it etc etc . AR can’t win with some posters can she?

AGAA4

I agree with others that this could find its way into the Daily Mail as the other notorious green trousers thread did.
Not great for Gransnet.

Nonsense. All the papers covered the green trouser suit story BEFORE it appeared on GN. It was a couple of sentences that made the DM afterwards alongside lengthy reviews of said trouser suit by columnists and fashion editors. It was no biggie.

Most politicians are scrutinised for their appearance so why should AR be any different? Look at poor old Boris (generally scruffy in his old swim shorts out jogging) Theresa May (huge necklaces and kitten heel shoes) , Rishi Sunak (tiny expensive clothes), Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Tracey Brabin etc etc.

If Angela Rayner had been from a middle class family, spoke with received pronunciation and wore well cut trouser suits this issue about her severance pay would not have been mentioned.

It is perfectly reasonable to discuss the severance pay.
I think AR did some impressive work in her previous role, i also think she should have returned the severance pay.

Sunshinegirls

08:47Whitewavemark2

I don't think it's nonsense in the real world (private sector) would you get a top job if you didn't have any experience, I don't think so.

No wonder the country is in such a state of decline.

You obviously have never worked in the same real world as me.
I’ve worked under quite a few who weren’t fit for the job.
I’m not talking about senior managers, I’m talking about people who were in a position where they had a chauffeur driven car at their disposal 24hrs a day.

Casdon

DaisyAnneReturns summed up what the issue is perfectly, at 7.45 this morning. That is exactly what this, and the green trouser suit thread, are about, although not everybody chooses to see it.

Two completely different things
One was a fashion thread, even if political disgruntlement appeared in it or personality angles ( threads do wander) and this one is political disgruntlement only.
Posters cannot and shouldn’t control threads.

Plevey08

I'm looking forward to the much needed social/affordable housing across the country.
Feeling humble is not the same as being humiliated or debased.

You’re right, it isn’t and AR missed a chance to appeal to the public, she was entitled to the severance pay but a golden opportunity to show that she gave it back ( taxpayers money after all) and understood what many people are going through,
Belt tightening and all that.The kudos would have been worth it to any politician.

DaisyAnneReturns summed up what the issue is perfectly, at 7.45 this morning. That is exactly what this, and the green trouser suit thread, are about, although not everybody chooses to see it.

Whitewavemark2

GrannyGravy13

GSM was banned on the thread about electric hair tongs appearing in Downton Abbey.

😄😄

Why the laughing emojis? Other posters know that this was the thread where GSM was banned and not any other thread.

Cressy

Wyllow3

I f you want to view the trouser suit thread just enter

Angela Raynor Trouser Suit

into the gransnet search engine.

Or not, as it was a disgraceful thread on the part of some posters

Oh, the celebrated ‘some posters’ eh? The thread was there to comment on the trouser suit only, which many of us did, can’t remember if anyone actually liked it, lots of us didn’t like it.
A couple of posters only…said a few derogatory things about AR personally which were deleted. A huge wooden spoon was then brought into action by a few who decided that comments about what she was wearing weren’t going to be allowed ( by them).
It was a ridiculous suit, the colour was fine, the suit just wasn’t.
Posters are allowed to comment on sartorial choices worn by Ministers or anyone else for that matter, no matter what the wannabe thread police decide.
Comments on their character aren’t very pleasant but I have read attacks on politicians’ character loads of times on here.
If this particular thread makes the newspapers then it’s a bit of PR for the forum which doesn’t appear to have all that many members.

M0nica

The last Coservative Defence minister (cannot remember his name and too lazy to look it up) was ex army.

Dan Jarvis was the last ex army Labour Minister for Defence after Healey resigned. It is a shame he didn't have longer.