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Corbyn did win, what's next?

Front Bench refers to where Cabinet Ministers sit in the House of Commons.
Non Cabinet Ministers are Back Benchers.
The word "Cabinet" goes back to meaning a room next door to The Monarch where Ministers could meet in private and advise The Monarch. Of course that's purely historical now.

ETA: The Bench thing applies to both The Government and the Shadow Government/Shadow Cabinet sides of The House.
 
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ComfySlippers said:
Front Bench refers to where Cabinet Ministers sit in the House of Commons.
Non Cabinet Ministers are Back Benchers.
The word "Cabinet" goes back to meaning a room next door to The Monarch where Ministers could meet in private and advise The Monarch. Of course that's purely historical now.

ETA: The Bench thing applies to both The Government and the Shadow Government/Shadow Cabinet sides of The House.
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Thanks. I read that Chuka Umunna had quit "the front bench", but he was never formally part of Corbyn's "shadow cabinet" in the first place, so I was wondering if one could be on the "front bench" without being a member of the shadow cabinet (or actual cabinet for the majority).
 
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Puppycow said:
Thanks. I read that Chuka Umunna had quit "the front bench", but he was never formally part of Corbyn's "shadow cabinet" in the first place, so I was wondering if one could be on the "front bench" without being a member of the shadow cabinet (or actual cabinet for the majority).
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He was a Front Bencher under the previous temporary leader. He doesn't want to be one under its new leader.
He was Shadow Business Secretary which is a cabinet position.
So, he's still an MP but now without a cabinet position therefore he's a BackBencher.
 
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angrysoba said:
The next meme out of the box is that Corbyn is terribly sexist in his appointments, but actually he has several shadow cabinet posts ready for women in cooking, cleaning and needlework.
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Whatever he did would be criticised.

If the media decides that there weren't enough women in prominent shadow cabinet positions (despite some of the most prominent ruling themselves out) then he'll be branded a hypocrite. If the media decides that there are too many women in prominent shadow cabinet positions then he'll be portrayed as risking the country's welfare to make some kind of PC point.

Or possibly both at the same time.

Most of the press has decided that whatever he does or whatever he has done deserves both criticism and ridicule.



edited to add..........

I'm VERY interested in this BBC story about the shadow cabinet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34241395

I'm sure that there are tens or hundreds of stock photos of Dianne Abbott but they chose one that makes it quite clear that she's a gobby black ***** :rolleyes:
 
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The Don said:
Whatever he did would be criticised.

If the media decides that there weren't enough women in prominent shadow cabinet positions (despite some of the most prominent ruling themselves out) then he'll be branded a hypocrite. If the media decides that there are too many women in prominent shadow cabinet positions then he'll be portrayed as risking the country's welfare to make some kind of PC point.

Or possibly both at the same time.

Most of the press has decided that whatever he does or whatever he has done deserves both criticism and ridicule.



edited to add..........

I'm VERY interested in this BBC story about the shadow cabinet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34241395

I'm sure that there are tens or hundreds of stock photos of Dianne Abbott but they chose one that makes it quite clear that she's a gobby black ***** :rolleyes:
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Well, you know what the BBC is like; run by Establishment New Labour champagne socialist types who have scoured the archives for nostril shots and sallow cheeks and come up with a gallery of gargoyles.

Either that, or it's how they usually look but surely they can't all be that ugly.

Is it a deliberate decision to go warts-and-all as a rebuke to the PR-obsessed Blairites?
 
angrysoba said:
Well, you know what the BBC is like; run by Establishment New Labour champagne socialist types who have scoured the archives for nostril shots and sallow cheeks and come up with a gallery of gargoyles.

Either that, or it's how they usually look but surely they can't all be that ugly.

Is it a deliberate decision to go warts-and-all as a rebuke to the PR-obsessed Blairites?
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IMO all of the other pictures were fine, some were even flattering but the one of Diane Abbott to me seemed deliberately unflattering.
 
uk_dave said:
I feel inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.....

...no sorry i tried, honestly I did...who the **** thought it was a good idea to elect him?

Should be *********** ashamed of themselves.
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Socialists & 50-60% of the Labour party.
 
Captain_Swoop said:
15000 new applications for party membership since the result.
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If it's any help I am one who paid £3 to be a supporter, voted for Corbyn and joined fully once he won. I don't propose to speak for all, or even most, such, but I'm happy to defend/explain my own motives/actions if anyone is interested at all.
 
Comrade Quixote said:
If it's any help I am one who paid £3 to be a supporter, voted for Corbyn and joined fully once he won. I don't propose to speak for all, or even most, such, but I'm happy to defend/explain my own motives/actions if anyone is interested at all.
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What made you want to vote for an anti-semitic, misogynistic, paedophile-enabling dinosaur? Are you not ashamed?
 
Lothian said:
First thing is to try to find 23 MPs who are willing to serve with him in the shadow cabinet. He may have to go to the Lords, to get a full complement.
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:rolleyes:

Skeptic Ginger said:
Why do they call it a shadow cabinet?
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The members have the same roles as, and 'shadow' their opposites numbers in the cabinet.

Puppycow said:
Question: what exactly is the "front bench"? Articles I read said Corbyn had always been a "back-bencher" until now.
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The 'Front Bench' is literally that in the House of Commons; members of the cabinet sit there with the other members behind them (on the 'back benches').
Within the cabinet there are multiple levels; Secretaries of State run government departments, there are other officers (e.g. Lord Chancellor, Lord Privy Seal, Lord President of the Council who are not necessarily members of the House of Lords) and cabinet attendees such as the Paymaster General and Attorney General, plus a few of the junior (i.e. non SoS) ministers.
 
angrysoba said:
What made you want to vote for an anti-semitic, misogynistic, paedophile-enabling dinosaur? Are you not ashamed?
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Assuming sarcasm, but I'll answer straight . :) Apart from having no belief that he's any of those things, although an actual dinosaur would be bloody cool as PM, I voted for him because I am a socialist and agree with the majority of his views that I know of. Even aside from this he seems a decent and honest man which is a great rarity in politics these days.

Even if he doesn't win the next election (or gets assassinated before then by his own party) I think he will move political discourse in this country to the left and make some valid points that no one in my voting life time has felt like making.
 
Alternatively the tories will stay in power and move further to the right safe in the knowledge that there is no electable opposition.

Last week's BBC R4 'More or Less' programme had some interesting statistics about targeting non voters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qshd

If I recall correctly, the conclusion was that (at least for the UK) someone like Corbyn can galvanise non voters, but the problem is the majority of them are already within Labour constituencies, so he's unlikely to pick up any marginal constituencies, the labour candidates will just do better in the constituencies they already hold.

He has nothing for the aspirational and those who don't want left wing politics anymore than they want right wing politics.
 
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