Emily Thornberry’s performance opposite David Lidington at PMQs, a look at the past, present and future of Preston and some of the worst teenagers in fiction provoked conversations we’re highlighting today.
To join in you can click on the links in the comments below to expand and add your thoughts. We’ll continue to highlight more comments worth reading as the day goes on.
Stand-ins David Lidington and Emily Thornberry face off at PMQs
We begin with some reaction from readers following PMQs via our politics live blog.
‘So we’re leaving the EU and Thornberry leads on reducing the voting age?’
So we re leaving the EU and Thornberry leads on reducing the voting age to 16.
Labour get more desperate by the day to garner support, God only knows what promises Corbyn would make to 16-year-olds to get them to vote Labour.
Smugglersrun
‘This is a subject whose time has come’
I hope that all those people complaining about Thornberry asking about lowering the voting age have noticed that there was a very sensible discussion about it on Daily Politics between Mark Field and Jenny Chapman, with no one being told to grow up. This is a subject whose time has come, and David Lidington would have been more sensible to take it seriously instead of going for ‘smart’ answers and telling Thornberry to “grow up” when she was unable to ask any more questions.
milinovak
‘The braying males opposite really really hate her’
Emily Thornberry doesn’t suffer a fool gladly. That’s why the braying males opposite really really hate her.
citizenp
In 2011 Preston hit rock bottom. Then it took back control
Aditya Chakrabortty reports on how the Lancashire city is fighting back against multinationals.
‘The issues with Carillion and Capita are but the tip of the iceberg’
A timely article bearing in mind the recent collapse of Carillion and the news today about Capita.
The multinationals clearly cannot be relied upon for outsourcing purposes. As well as siphoning money out of the local economies into tax havens, it also goes to fill the pockets of directors and shareholders who have no commitment to the public services that they are meant to be delivering. Many local authorities continue to use them because it represents the easy option, rather than breaking down the contracts so that small local businesses and social enterprises can bid as Preston has done.
However, the multinationals have overreached themselves by diversifying too far and too fast in their empire-building. I’m sure that the issues with Carillion and Capita are but the tip of the iceberg. It’s what I think of as the Icarus syndrome.
fairshares
Top 10 errant teenagers in fiction
Novelist Danny Denton picks the best bad girls and boys in books – you had plenty to add.
‘The most under rated book about UK teenage life in decades’
Adam/Eve in Apples by Richard Milward came to my mind as soon as I saw the article and I was delighted and more than a little surprised to see it mentioned.
Incredible, brutally honest, moving and most importantly, totally devoid of middle class aspirations and the lie of “anyone can succeed and triumph over any adversity if you try hard enough”. The most under rated book about UK teenage life in decades.
leeabroad
Comments have been edited for length. This article will be updated throughout the day with some of the most interesting ways readers have been participating across the site.
