Who will be the next Labour leader?

[brogdale]

Interesting li'l detail about this in a FT profile on starmer today.

View attachment 211362

Oh.

Yep...this is from the horse's mouth published in the Barn Theatre (Oxsted) news sheet (2014):



Also, anyone with local knowledge, would probably understand why my eye was caught by the sentence starting "Originally from Woldingham..."

Woldingham...not many manual workers live there, for sure.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Yep...this is from the horse's mouth published in the Barn Theatre (Oxsted) news sheet (2014):

View attachment 211363

Also, anyone with local knowledge, would probably understand why my eye was caught by the sentence starting "Originally from Woldingham..."

Woldingham...not many manual workers live there, for sure.

Hmmm...when I was a kid I used to visit my dad’s power station. I’m not sure he actually owned Ferrybridge.
maybe he was ex-working class
“the working class can kiss my arse, I’ve got the foreman’s job at last”

 

[brogdale]

Hmmm...when I was a kid I used to visit my dad’s power station. I’m not sure he actually owned Ferrybridge.
maybe he was ex-working class
“the working class can kiss my arse, I’ve got the foreman’s job at last”

Maybe.

 

[killer b]

It seems the only rag to make such a scurrilous allegation.

It's the FT - they love bosses there. They think it's good he's the son of a boss.

 

[brogdale]

Thinking about it, though, I suppose there'd be more of a digital (companies house type stuff) paper trail if Rod had owned his own factory?

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Nobody going to make the joke about Keir's father being good at producing tools then?

 

[pseudonarcissus]

I think it’s important we figure this out. We need to know if Kier is more or less Working Class than Jeremy. Currently Kier has the better credentials: father skilled trade (Jeremy’s a professional engineer), passed 11 plus and went to a grammar school (of course Jeremy went to a fee paying school). Kier first in family to university (Jeremy probably the fist in the family to drop out without a degree)...

 

[killer b]

I just thought it was an interesting detail, as his fans and surrogates spent the whole of the leadership election campaign bigging him up as a horny handed son of toil. Not really interested in following it up beyond that tbh. At least Corbyn never felt it necessary to stretch the truth about his upbringing though huh.

 

[Sue]

I just thought it was an interesting detail, as his fans and surrogates spent the whole of the leadership election campaign bigging him up as a horny handed son of toil. Not really interested in following it up beyond that tbh. At least Corbyn never felt it necessary to stretch the truth about his upbringing though huh.

There was a similar thing with Ruth Davidson. Presented continually in the press as being working class despite her father being the manager of a factory or some such. I think they were equating 'went to a comprehensive school' with being working class or something.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

I just thought it was an interesting detail, as his fans and surrogates spent the whole of the leadership election campaign bigging him up as a horny handed son of toil. Not really interested in following it up beyond that tbh. At least Corbyn never felt it necessary to stretch the truth about his upbringing though huh.

To be fair, it’s a single reference in the FT. I suspect if he had been the owner the Mail, Spectator, Torygraph etc would have been all over it.

Anyway, it’s ok, we’re all friends here, and we all self-identify as being culturally working class on Urban, even if others don’t see us in that light.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

There was a similar thing with Ruth Davidson. Presented continually in the press as being working class despite her father being the manager of a factory or some such. I think they were equating 'went to a comprehensive school' with being working class or something.

But this is the problem with worrying too much about class. At what point do you get “promoted” out of the working class? Foreman? Head foreman?

 

[Sue]

But this is the problem with worrying too much about class. At what point do you get “promoted” out of the working class? Foreman? Head foreman?

Not sure what your point is. That class isn't important? That being working class is something to be 'promoted' out of? That how the press presents this stuff isn't interesting?

 

[yield]

Anyway, it’s ok, we’re all friends here, and we all self-identify as being culturally working class on Urban, even if others don’t see us in that light.

Not all of us have the "cultural" capital to relocate to Brazil because we don't like something either

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Not all of us have the "cultural" capital to relocate to Brazil because we don't like something either

Fair point

 

[killer b]

To be fair, it’s a single reference in the FT. I suspect if he had been the owner the Mail, Spectator, Torygraph etc would have been all over it.

why would they have done that? their main interest in the Labour leadership was making sure RLB didn't get it, they were scarcely going to go in against the front runner in those circumstances

Anyway, it’s ok, we’re all friends here, and we all self-identify as being culturally working class on Urban, even if others don’t see us in that light.

nah - I mean, I could pretend to be working class by claiming to be the son of a sewage treatment worker 'cause my dad briefly did that job when he was younger. But he spent most of his career as a teacher, so I don't.

 

[Proper Tidy]

Thinking about it, though, I suppose there'd be more of a digital (companies house type stuff) paper trail if Rod had owned his own factory?

I found him but errrr

Rodney STARMER personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

beta.companieshouse.gov.uk

 

[Proper Tidy]

Posh chins also a bit weird, what's he planning

 

[Proper Tidy]

(but not necessarily weird no directorship of the dad's tool factory - won't necessarily have been incorporated as a business, might have been sole trader/partnership owned, particularly if it was a small enterprise)

 

[Proper Tidy]

Interests: donkey shagging and capital punishment

 

[brogdale]

Turning out to be a top thread

 

[butchersapron]

To be fair, it’s a single reference in the FT. I suspect if he had been the owner the Mail, Spectator, Torygraph etc would have been all over it.

The Mail already had an effort, finding the FT thing a fair while back. Presumably they left it there as they couldn't find anything to suggest more than a boastful foreman.

Interests: donkey shagging and capital punishment

Spymaster?

 

[butchersapron]

If you streetview the address listed above it's a bog standard thing.

 

[Proper Tidy]

It's a worthy lawyer thing supporting people facing the death penalty tbf, obviously. Not 100% sure on the donkey thing though, could be sinister

 

[Serge Forward]

why would they have done that? their main interest in the Labour leadership was making sure RLB didn't get it, they were scarcely going to go in against the front runner in those circumstances


nah - I mean, I could pretend to be working class by claiming to be the son of a sewage treatment worker 'cause my dad briefly did that job when he was younger. But he spent most of his career as a teacher, so I don't.

Since when did teachers become ruling class? All those on part time hourly paid and zero hours contracts will surely beg to differ.

 

[killer b]

Since when did teachers become ruling class? All those on part time hourly paid and zero hours contracts will surely beg to differ.

Fairly sure there's more classes than horny handed sons of toil and the ruling class tbf.

 

[brogdale]

The Mail already had an effort, finding the FT thing a fair while back. Presumably they left it there as they couldn't find anything to suggest more than a boastful foreman.

Spymaster?

On (sober) reflection, I think that's the top and bottom of the 'story'...looks like Rodney was just a bit casual with his phrasing in a light piece for his local theatre's newsletter. The Mail would certainly have gone further if there was anything to the idea that he actually owned the business.

 

[brogdale]

If you streetview the address listed above it's a bog standard thing.

Especially so by Oxted standards.

 

[Sprocket.]

The trade of Toolmaker was regarded as the highest level of mechanical craftsmanship when I started as an apprentice millwright in 1974.
All the toolmakers where I worked wore collars and ties, despite the obvious health and safety aspect. The older ones expected you to call them Mister whatever there surnames were.
All of them looked down their noses at the rest of the workforce. Until they needed union backing of course. Obviously charge hands and supervisors in that department thought they were god’s gift.
ETA: I just remembered my old work colleague who was an apprentice at BAC at Weybridge telling me all the toolmakers there, besides wearing collars and ties at work, used to commute wearing bowler hats.

 

[brogdale]

The trade of Toolmaker was regarded as the highest level of mechanical craftsmanship when I started as an apprentice millwright in 1974.
All the toolmakers where I worked wore collars and ties, despite the obvious health and safety aspect. The older ones expected you to call them Mister whatever there surnames were.
All of them looked down their noses at the rest of the workforce. Until they needed union backing of course.
ETA: I just remembered my old work colleague who was an apprentice at BAC at Weybridge telling me all the toolmakers there, besides wearing collars and ties at work, used to commute wearing bowler hats.

Labour aristocracy, eh?

 

[Sprocket.]

Labour aristocracy, eh?

Exactly, I will never forget me and another couple of apprentices being a bit loud. One of the tool room chargehands shouted at us to stop acting like council tenants.