‘I’m Not A Centrist Dad’, Ed Miliband Tells HuffPostUK’s Commons People Podcast
Ed Miliband has declared he’s “not a Centrist Dad” and praised Jeremy Corbyn for mobilising young voters and proving his doubters wrong.

In an interview for HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast, the former Labour leader joked that the label – applied to middle-aged fathers who patronise Corbyn followers – could not be applied to himself.

Dad-of-two Miliband, who now hosts his own weekly ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ podcast, also revealed:

Miliband said that the dramatic upswing in young voters in the June general election had been sparked by their ‘shock’ at the Brexit referendum and by Corbyn’s fresh appeal.

“One of the reasons for that was the way Jeremy mobilised young people. I think that is a massive positive,” he said.

“I am not a ‘centrist Dad’. I think the sense of the desire for change among young people, the sense of ‘we want big things to be different’, whether it’s on tuition fees or climate change or inequality is incredibly positive.

“Jeremy’s galvanizing young people in politics is a remarkable success, it is a reason to be cheerful. There were people who were more or less sceptical about Jeremy, but I think he proved his doubters wrong in 2017 in the election.”

The former Labour leader, who has nearly three quarters of a million followers on Twitter, went viral again this week after he ridiculed the Tory government’s attempts to get a deal on Brexit.

What an absolutely ludicrous, incompetent, absurd, make it up as you go along, couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery bunch of jokers there are running the government at the most critical time in a generation for the country.

December 5, 2017
He explained that the tweet, which garnered 114,000 likes, was sent in exasperation after he listened to a minister try to defend the DUP.

“We voted late on Brexit on Monday night and I woke up the next morning listening to the radio and I was hearing some minister say something that made it sound like the DUP were running the country.

“And I just thought ‘oh for goodness sake’. The whole fiasco of ‘manic Monday’, really and truly!

“A member of the Cabinet just said to me, I won’t name him, ‘very restrained Tweet’.”

Miliband said he was enjoying the freedom of being a backbencher and the licence it gave him to use social media in a way no party leader could.

“It’s true I couldn’t have done that tweet [as Labour leader].

“I did a tweet the other week saying Donald Trump is an absolute moron. OK, lots of people liked the tweet. There was a context, it was because he was spreading false stuff about the crime figures in the context of radical Islamic terrorism.

“Jeremy Corbyn no doubt agreed with me, but even he can’t tweet that Trump is an absolute moron – and that’s Jeremy Corbyn, who no doubt feels less constrained than I felt.

“I don’t think tweets from me or Jeremy Corbyn or Donald Trump replace what journalism does, but it definitely gives you an audience.

But Miliband said that he didn’t want to use his online popularity to follow former colleague Ed Balls down the reality TV show route of either ‘Celebrity Great British Bake-Off’ or ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

“I confess I turned down Celebrity Bake Off… I’m just not very good,” he said.

“No to the [I’m a Celebrity] Jungle. I tend to lay off the celebrity doo-dah, sort of thingummies.

“I did get asked to do this crisp advert with Gary Lineker. Lynsey who works for me said no to that. I didn’t even get to find out what that would have involved me doing.

“Celebrity mastermind? No….I think it’s a direct route to humiliation actually.”

Miliband said his hugely successful ‘Reasons to Be Cheerful’ podcast, hosted with radio presenter Geoff Lloyd, was one way he was trying to help Labour.

 “What role can I play? I want to be person who helps provide the ideas that a Labour government can implement.

“That’s partly what the podcast is about. If a Tory government wants to implement that’s good as well. I’m quite struck in the listener feedback we get, it’s not just Labour people listening.”

From the Tory manifesto to the recent Budget, some of the former Labour leader’s ideas have proved more popular than when he lost the 2015 election to David Cameron.

Asked how he felt about ‘Milibandism’ being now in vogue, he said he was “more flattered than annoyed”.

“On May-ism, if it is an ‘ism’ and not a ‘wasm’, when I heard that speech she gave on the steps of Downing Street, I did sort of think ‘bugger me, that sounds like a little bit of Farage and a little bit of me’. That’s a slightly monstrous thought.

“But the problem for her is that with one or two isolated examples, the energy price cap and Zimbabwean style land seizures which they now think is a good idea, they haven’t really followed through on it.”

“One of the things that people are not seeing enough of is that Brexit wasn’t just a vote about immigration and Europe. The people who voted for Brexit – I see it in my constituency, one of the top-ranked constituencies in the country for Brexit by 70-something per cent – are like the woman who told me the day after the referendum: ‘I voted for a new beginning for my grandchildren’.

“I think that whatever happens in terms of the Brexit settlement we get, that mandate is the space in British politics, that’s what Jeremy’s trying to build. That’s what Theresa May to her credit was identifying on the steps of downing street. And that’s her big failure, her inability to follow that through.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ed-miliband-tells-huffpost-commons-people-podcast-im-not-a-centrist-dad_uk_5a297ba2e4b03ece0300e222

Why a Straight ‘Shameless’ Star Came Out as Gay on Twitter

Steve Howey, who playes Kev on Shameless, talks with The Advocate about sexuality, parenthood, and toxic masculinity.

www.advocate.com/people/2017/12/07/why-straight-shameless-star-came-out-gay-twitter

The winners of the 2017 Best of GayCities Awards are here, queer and fabulous
“I’m thrilled!”

www.queerty.com/winners-2017-best-gaycities-awards-queer-fabulous-20171207?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Why You Should Avoid Ridiculous London Hype And Go To The Pub Instead
I actually enjoy living in London. It’s one of the best cities in the world; let’s not forget this. It has incredible history, it has character, it has pockets of charm. Pollution is reducing at a lovely gentle rate, which means you can walk around London all day and your bogies won’t turn as black as they used to (apparently this happens, I mean I’ve never checked, it happened to a friend, why would you even ask me about that?). It’s a multi-cultural dream; hardly anyone is actually from London but we’ve all come here for a reason – the sheer volume of stuff to do. Palaces, markets, street food, river walks, and art galleries for when it’s pissing it down and it’s only 11am so it’s not quite legit to go to the pub yet. On top of that, the tube is absolutely bloody brilliant – cynical commuters may not think so, but go to New York and try and figure out the Subway; you’ll be back in no time, hugging the dodgy brown seats on the Bakerloo line and promising things will be different this time.

All in all, you don’t actually need much to entertain you in London. You, your mates, and a choice of nearly 4,000 pubs should suffice.

So why, then, is there an army of hipster wankers hidden in London’s bearded depths trying to stop us doing lovely normal London things such as lying in bed nursing colossal hangovers and hiding if anyone rings the doorbell? Not a day goes by at the moment without my inbox being bombarded with ludicrous social events that I know, like I really know, that I do not want to do – yet I still click, some part of me clearly wanting whatever it is to be the next really cool thing that I can try and impress my 54 Instagram followers with by being the first idiot to do it.

EVER WANTED TO FLOAT DOWN THE THAMES IN A HOT TUB WHILST DRINKING BOTTOMLESS CRAFT BEER?

Well, actually, no. For a start, the Thames is a floating cesspit of waste – if I get splashed with any of that rancid river water there’s a strong possibility I’ll start to dissolve. Secondly, the bottomless aspect of bottomless craft beer is probably asterisked to fuck meaning you’ll be lucky to get two mini cans of something probably called Rotting Zombie Wolf before you’re deposited on the shore in Wapping, shivering as you realise you don’t have a towel and your hair is inexplicable, wearing a look of determined joy on your sad little face. It’s at this point you admit you’re £40 down, miles from a tube station and your only option is an ill-advised Boris Bike back to civilisation.

DRINK HOT GIN ON A ROOFTOP IN AN AUTHENTIC NATIVE AMERICAN WIGWAM!

Who the fuck wants hot gin? It’s served cold for a reason. And put the wigwam back where you found it, I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be recklessly flinging an apparently authentic wigwam around on the rooftop of a warehouse in East London – unless, of course, it’s not authentic at all… But you wouldn’t lie to us, would you? Why would you sell 250 tickets for an event with only one tiny wigwam? Why would you heat gin up? WHY WON’T YOU LEAVE US ALONE?

I recently fell foul of one of these very emails. This was why on the hottest day of the summer this year, a lovely shiny Saturday. I found myself traipsing across London to Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally if you’re one of those types) and throwing myself around what claimed to be Europe’s largest inflatable obstacle course. Imagine this: hundreds and hundreds of adult humans in underused gym kit queuing indoor on the hottest day of the year to fling themselves around a glorified bouncy castle. Barefoot. People were shepherded on to it in groups of six at two-minute intervals, meaning if you weren’t quick enough wrestling through the inflatable (obviously) palm trees then another herd of grunting joy-seekers came hurtling at you ready to stamp on your neck. It was hotter than the core of the Earth. When I finally rolled off the end of the course, face down on the gum-stamped floor of Alexandra Palace, the only thing I said was, “I’m not exaggerating but I think I might be dead.” It took me seven consecutive pints to get over that one.

Living in London subjects us all to the wistful sighs of our home friends, who stare dreamily in to the middle distance whilst saying, “But it’s all right there on your doorstep! You can go to Leicester Square whenever you want! Or to a show! Oh, go to a show, go tonight! Go and see STOMP!” To which we reply that Leicester Square is never OK, and that if you were to ever find yourself watching grown men bang dustbin lids around you’d realise that you’d finally hit rock bottom. Those of us who actually live in London spend our weekends joyfully parting with crisp tenners in exchange for flat pints, desperate to enjoy the city we pay extortionate, tear-inducing amounts to live in. And this is exactly where the hipster wankers come in – they are mercilessly preying on our need to make the most of London, to squeeze every last dubious experience out of it before we capitulate and move to Peterborough. They know that we want to be able to prove all the naysayers (no, I’m not 84, but it felt like a naysayers kind of moment) wrong, the ones who say we’re unstoppable morons for spending 88% of our money on rent and the other 12% on street food and beer.

There are more than enough things to do in London without resorting to events like this, but I imagine they’ll stick around and get even more ridiculous than they already are – because despite everything, some of them are actually good. In between the over-priced hype there are some gems, which does make it worthwhile trawling through the crap – it’s all a matter of knowing when to say no to the temporary plastic igloos on the Southbank being flogged at £600 a pop and when to say yes to the awesome new independent street food market that’s popped up right outside your favourite pub.

EAT FONDUE AND DRINK CHAMPAGNE WHILST ICE SKATING AT THE TOP OF THE SHARD AND WATCHING FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF!*

*There’s a chance I made the last one up.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/why-you-should-avoid-ridiculous-london-hype-and-go-to-the-pub-instead_uk_5a26c683e4b0f69ae8ce8031

Donald Jr. Invokes ‘Attorney-Client Privilege’ to Dodge Questions About Conversations with Trump: VIDEO

Donald Trump Jr. invoked “attorney-client” privilege during questioning by the House Intelligence Committee yesterday about conversations with his father regarding meetings with a Russian lawyer who had promised “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post reports:

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that Trump Jr. told the committee he did speak with his father about the Trump Tower meeting several days later, after emails showing he had accepted the meeting after being offered “dirt” on Clinton were made public. However, Trump Jr. declined to detail the conversation to the committee, indicating a lawyer had been present and he believed it was subject to attorney-client privilege.

“In my view there is no attorney-client privilege that protects a discussion between father and son,” Schiff said, adding he intended to follow up with Trump Jr.’s attorneys, who had “asked for more time to deliberate on the claim.”

“This particular discussion revolves around a pivotal meeting,” Schiff said, noting it was “a central issue that we need to fully investigate.”

Trump Jr. also told the committee he had been unaware that national security adviser-designate Michael Flynn had discussed sanctions during phone calls with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016. At the time, Trump Jr. served on the transition team’s executive committee.

Schiff spoke with CNN New Day‘s Chris Cuomo about the 7-hour hearing this morning. Watch the video up top.

The post Donald Jr. Invokes ‘Attorney-Client Privilege’ to Dodge Questions About Conversations with Trump: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Donald Jr. Invokes ‘Attorney-Client Privilege’ to Dodge Questions About Conversations with Trump: VIDEO

17 From ’17: Layla Moran On Her ‘Anarchism’ And The Demise Of British Politics
The 2017 General Election saw 92 MPs elected to the Commons for the very first time. In a series of exclusive interviews, HuffPost UK is speaking to new MPs from the Conservatives, Labour, SNP and Lib Dems. This week, it’s Oxford West and Abingdon’s Layla Moran.

Layla Moran, a teacher by trade, is on a mission to try and change education policy in the country. The Lib Dem, who recaptured the seat from the Conservatives at the snap election, speaks about inequality, Brexit and the “anarchism” of Radiohead that sticks with her.

Where were you born and raised?

This is one of my least favourite questions because it’s such a complicated answer.

My mum is Palestinian and my dad is British but worked all his life from the European Union for their Foreign Action Service. So I was born in Hammersmith but moved away when I was one. That’s when dad joined the European Commission. Then when I was five we went to Ethiopia. This is the late 1980s during the famine. Then we went to Greece. My mum’s parents, they were from Jerusalem, a diaspora family, and ended up going via Jorden to Athens. We went to Athens because my mum was pregnant with twins. We were there for a year. Then back to Brussels. Then to Jamaica. Then to Jorden.

Meanwhile I went to boarding school in Britain because in Jamaica the school was so awful. I was bulled because I was white. I was the only one in the family who ended up going to boarding school because we had no other option at that point.

What did you want to be when you were 16?

I was really super into science an not at all in to politics. I think it was a reaction against the fact my dad was a diplomat. I wanted to do something that was totally different. I fell in love with science.

When did you first become interested in politics?

I did a Masters degree in comparative education in 2007. That’s what really politicised me. I got very angry about the fact that having a had a background in countries that are genuinely poor, why in this country do we still have this level of educational inequality? It is still not acceptable that anyone in this country is ever left behind, educationally speaking. I got genuinely angry about hat. There are well meaning politicians in countries that have nothing that frankly have a better track record of dealing with this than our country, a G7 country.

I could see how evidence was being twisted by the government to deliver ideological aims. At the time the big thing was free schools and academies. I was studying how academies had been rolled out in Sweden and the negative impact at that moment in time on their education system. The government was still rolling it out.

Who is your political hero?

I know it sounds trite to say it, but it’s probably why partly I’m a Lib Dem, Shirley Williams. I respect her intellect. As a young female politician you look around and you think who am I going to look to. And Shirley is someone who somehow marries two really tough things for politicians. She has a steely intellect and determination to get things done, but also is very warm and very human.

You could say the first point about Thatcher. But Shirley has an ability to show her humanity. I wear my heart on my sleeve quite often. I don’t know if this is my Arabness or not, but I bring emotion to the table. I was looking for politicians who did that, who were female, and who really shook the world. I think Shirley Williams is one of them.

Something I have now appreciated is how un-tribal she was. She had the strength of character to do what she did with the SDP and lead the Liberals and lead us to where my party is now I think she will be remembered, and already is, as one of the great politicians of the last generation. I look to her. She is my benchmark. So I’ve got to make at least education secretary.

Who is your favourite politician from another party?

I have been inspired by the way that Ken Clarke has navigated parliament. I am actively looking across the House for people I really respect and warm to and can learn things from. I think it’s not just because he is the father of the House. It’s also the way he is speaking up for, in my view, the national interest over Brexit – despite coming under massive fire from not just his party but also the media.

He does it such a way that is so logical and with such oratory. I feel so privileged to be here at a time to see someone like that in action. I have huge admiration for the work he is doing now.

What did you do before becoming an MP?

When I finished my degree I became a physics and maths teacher. And worked in the international school in Brussels, because like many kids, after University I went home going ‘ahhh I don’t know what to do’. I happened to fall upon a job there because they were desperate for a physics teacher which is a common theme among many schools. That’s when I fell in love with the teaching profession.

I did that for three or four years. Then I came back to England and worked in state schools in West London for a while. I got my PGCE, which is the wrong way round of doing it, but it worked in the context of a very good school in Brussels they were very much able to support me.

If you could run any government department, which would it be?

Education, education, education. I would have so much to get on with. I think is going to be a life’s work.

As far as I am concerned I have two jobs here. One is to be the best possible constituency MP I can possibly be, because I believe in democracy and what it stands for. I love local politics and I love pot holes, the stuff that people get really irate about. It matters to people. It is a good thing for democracy to have local representatives who care about stuff like that.

But then on the other hand, my other aim is I think education and the importance of education and education that is genuinely focused on the child, not the voter who are the parents, not the teachers who are also voters, but actually the child. A lot of people pay lip service to that, but don’t enact it in policy.

What is the one thing you would change about UK politics if you could?

I think we need to take the services that really matter, like education and the NHS, we need long term cross-party agreement about the direction of travel. And to have arms-length bodies informed by people on the ground about what is happening with evidence based approaches that doesn’t discount evidence that doesn’t fit ideological aims.

It’s a bit like climate change really, you will always find one or two bits of evidence that support the other side, the vast majority of evidence in education points to the fact that if you focus on parental choice, if you do things like league tables, then it’s much easier for middle class and upper middle class parents to play. All you are doing is creating a system that is rife for parents to do what they do naturally, which is do the best thing by their kids, but it increases education inequality.

Ten years down the line from when I started this rant it’s only got worse. I am delighted to be here has education spokesperson. I feel a bit like a I’m a lone voice sometimes, but that’s fine.

What was the last book you read?

I can tell you I book I recently started but haven’t quite finished reading, which is Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. Which is really about the trade routes that opened up in all parts of the world, particularly Asia and how it swept through the Middle East.

It gives you a really interesting perspective on the world. We spend a lot of our time in Westminster feeling like Britain is the centre of the world. And I have really appreciated how that book sings a different tune to the one we are often sold in this place. At the time Western Europe was not even on the map and these other great powers were at play. And from history you can learn. Every civilization has its day. And every civilization will eventually come to its end. You need to be very mindful of that at this moment, when you are in the middle what looks to me the demise of current British politics. Sorry that’s not very light is it.

Who is your favourite band/artist?

I have several. I am a big fan of swing bands and Ella Fitzgerald. I fee it speaks to me. I love her so much. I took up swing dancing off the back of that.

But the band that maybe formed me as a teenager is Radiohead. Radiohead are just the most amazing band in the world for me. Now Thom York is one of my constituents but I have yet to meet him. I have to say I have yet to meet him. He is probably quite rightly wary of politicians. I would probably just gush and embarrass myself.

Radiohead was a huge influence on me when I was growing up. I wonder sometimes how much influence the politics in their music has had on me now. I know I don’t look very anarchic – but there is a small part of me that still carries that anarchism from Radiohead songs in me.

What’s your favourite film?

I’ve got a confession. I’m a big Disney freak. I love Disney movies. If I had to pick a favourite film it would probably Sleeping Beauty, but the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. Is that going in print? Oh dear God.

Which three words would your best friend use to describe you?

 That’s pretty tricky. I think my best friend would call me, ‘loyal’, ‘extrovert’ and ‘fun’. I’d hope. Are ‘extrovert’ and ‘fun’ the same thing? Can I have that?

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/17-from-17-layla-moran-on-her-anarchism-and-the-demise-of-british-politics_uk_5a142720e4b0c335e99742ac