[Kizzy]

Been invited for a coffee morning with the Labour MP for Leeds West Rachel Reeves.
As she has just been announced the shadow minister for work and pensions what questions shall I ask her?

[Benjamin]

Can you have a biscuit with your coffee?

[Kate!]

Who is the Mole?

[arista]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Been invited for a coffee morning with the Labour MP for Leeds West Rachel Reeves.
As she has just been announced the shadow minister for work and pensions what questions shall I ask her?

Ask her to stay off Question Time
and only go on Radio4

[Tom4784]

Ask her who her favourite Sugababe was and slap her if her answer is 'Amelle'.

[Me. I Am Salman]

Am i the only one who read that as Rachel Stevens

[Kizzy]

Joey? Vicky? anyone serious...

[Benjamin]

-just realised this is in serious debates-

Sorry.

[Kate!]

Sorry Kizzy.

[Tom4784]

Knowing a person's stance on the Sugababes is serious business Kizzy. You don't want to vote for someone who's favourite single was 'Wear My Kiss' do you?

[Kate!]

I'd definitely base a question on the bedroom tax as that's my major concern ATM.

And universal credit.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Ask her who her favourite Sugababe was and slap her if her answer is 'Amelle'.

Dezzy you can only slap UKIP

[Kizzy]

No probs ben, will do kate they have said it will go but the worry for many I guess is arrears accrued already.
wonder if they will be wiped?

[Kate!]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

No probs ben, will do kate they have said it will go but the worry for many I guess is arrears accrued already.
wonder if they will be wiped?

Yes they should be. The whole thing has been the biggest farce.

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Joey? Vicky? anyone serious...

Are you excited Kizzy? how did that come about?

[Kizzy]

It's not just me haha, it's all on my estate but usually only 3 or 4 people turn up to these things. Great opportunity to pick her brain

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

It's not just me haha, it's all on my estate but usually only 3 or 4 people turn up to these things. Great opportunity to pick her brain

It'll still be interesting Kizzy,i get the impression you're pretty clued up on politics,I hope you enjoy it,let us know how it goes.

[Kizzy]

I'm very interested and it's an excellent chance to ask a senior politician important questions.
When Labour get in power,and they will we may get a heads up on what's in store.

[DanaC]

Hmmm: where does she stand on the campaign for a living wage; rent caps for the private sector; and the tying of new funding/building subsidies to the setting of social house rents at 70/80% of the market rate (so called 'affordable rent' which in fact prices most people out of social housing, particularly in London).

[Kizzy]

Ooh yeah dana, some food for thought there will dig up some stats and facts.... give us a hand

[DanaC]

Here's a piece about social housing and market rent:

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2...=ILCNETTXT3487

could be forgiven, amid the headline housing pledges announced during party conference season, from Miliband's 200,000 new properties a year to Pickle's 1m new homes over the course of a parliament, for missing Prisk's latest policy announcement. He said last month the payment of future social housing government grants to housing associations will be attached to the conversion of social tenancies to "affordable rent", which allows social landlords to charge rents of up to 80% of market rates. The money made from the rentals will fund the building of social housing that charges lower rents.

Affordable rent, however, is a misnomer. For example, to qualify for a government-funded "affordable" three-bedroom property within Westminster, in central London, applicants may need a joint household income of between £90,000 and £103,000 a year. So under this model, which was introduced at a time of economic crisis, government subsidy could be used to build homes for high-income households. The affordable rent model was extended for three years in the recent spending review, much to the chagrin of housing leaders who only ever sought solace in the scheme for the short term. As one senior housing figure told me last week: "The government must remember it was an emergency measure. It was a policy of its time."

If future social housing grants are denied to those associations that refuse to convert to affordable rent, the result will be a split in the social housing sector. The big beasts are already operating incredibly commercial businesses, subsidising one arm of their property portfolios with another. Others may not choose to play the government's game

Possibly less relevant for her as an MP because London will bear the brunt of that one, but could well set a dangerous precedent.

On the Living Wage:

http://www.livingwage.org.uk/calculation

Has cross party support but only as a voluntary measure. There is no compulsion for employers to pay, they only have to pay the minimum wage (though that seems pretty easy to get around if the current job market is anything to go by!).

The minimum wage should be the living wage imo.


Actually, thinking about it the housing stuff wouldn't be her bag. Worth getting her opinion on the bedroom tax though.

Along with the minimum wage/living wage, also worth asking about the problem of underemployment: zero hour contracts, the proliferation of part time and temporary jobs and the dearth of stable full time employment.

I'd also be interested in what Labour will do about the ATOS travesty and whether a Millband government will stop treating unemployment as the moral failure of the unemployed.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Joey? Vicky? anyone serious...

Hi Kizzy, I haven't been on as much as I've been shooting off all over the place at the minute going to concerts of my fave female artiste.

Rachel is a really good MP and intelligent too, I am really glad she has been made shadow works and pensions minister.

I think one question I would ask her is what are Labour's plans as to ATOS re-assessing benefit claimants in the future.
Labour has used them continuously but the guidelines they clearly are following now are near ridiculous and unfair.
I know of a good number of people who are having their benefits changed or cut without even being seen.

That is infair that paper decisions are becomiong more regular. I would like to knwo what she would wnat Labour to be doing as to that element of the re-assessing process.

Sorry Kizzy, you were asking such a serious query as to what to ask her, I hope you enjoy it and have an interesting evening..
Sorry I was so long in getting back to you.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

Hi Kizzy, I haven't been on as much as I've been shooting off all over the place at the minute going to concerts of my fave female artiste.

.

*bites tongue*

[Kizzy]

Excellent thankyou Dana and Joey
Some excellent ideas here, I'm really looking forward to it yes thanks

[Kizzy]

Just got back, it was great she was really lovely!
There were people there badly affected by the bedroom tax, one widow on £90pw was having £24pw taken for bedroom tax, she had £5pw left for food after bills.
Other issues raised was the portrayal of benefit claimants in the media. Polly Tollynbee was great in her explanation of attitudinal shifts since the 80's in the media.
Rachel should make an excellent minister as she has a good grasp of what a society should be.
Very impressed