OMG, I am not that political but when I watched the social housing segment a couple of days ago on Channel Four News I literally could not believe what I was hearing.
I not being snobby I am a northerner a Yorkshire man through and through and I have daughters I want to see succeed so I have no issue where Ms Rayner is from or the fact she is a woman, on the contrary in many ways I think women are way more intuitive and sensible when it comes to making decisions that benefit the many not the few.
However when I see her being interviewed on Channel Four News 22nd Oct, by Paul McNamara making promises she cannot keep, stopping right to buy when she built her amassed nearly £5 million pound fortune as a salaried health care worker, union activist, and MP for which she gets paid about £159K I have to question how??
Estimates of UK politician Angela Rayners net worth vary widely, ranging between £500,000 and £4.7 million, depending on the source.
The £4.7 Million Estimate: A widely circulated figure across online platforms and media outlets suggests her net worth is around £4.7 million ($6 million). Critics often cite this number when discussing her transition from a care worker to a senior government official.
The Disputed Lower Estimate: Financial analysts and political commentators dispute the multi-million-pound figure, arguing her actual net worth is much lower, likely between £500,000 and £1 million, which is still a lot more than me making around the same per annum with three children like Rayner.
She has publicly dismissed the £4 million-plus rumors, clarifying that she has a standard mortgage and that her assets primarily consist of regular property growth and personal savings.
I just don’t understand how someone who is unable to get place names correct and use basic English grammar correctly can hold high political office. This isn’t about being northern, poor or working class, I am both. It is about being able to speak to the whole nation and be understood. It about being able to speak on a global stage and be understood.
When I listened to her recent interview I was more struck by the gluttony of cringe worthy mistakes than the message she was actually trying to convey, and for me that’s not being able to speak to the people as a whole.
Commentators, political opponents, and some language observers argue that her use of non-standard grammar (such as saying "broke" instead of "broken" “wasn’t instead of “weren’t) glottal stops, or colloquial phrases lowers the standard of public discourse and professional communication. Some critics also point to high-profile instances of mispronouncing place names during parliamentary sessions.
Ms Rayner has repeatedly defended her delivery. Stating that she was not educated at Eton (most people weren’t) She refuses to change her working-class Stockport accent, which I don’t think is the point, an accent is very different from grammar mistakes. She will not allow parliamentary archives (like Hansard) to "correct" her speech. She argues that the obsession with elite "politician speak" and grammar policing is a form of classism used to silence working-class voices and distract from substantive political accountability. I’d suggest it lends more towards lack of awareness and desire to communicate with everyone as an elected member of parliament which is an equally divisive position as classism.
I don’t want to be represented by a government that only speaks to a section of society. Brigette Phillipson, the equalities minister is a Geordy, she has a regional accent, and speaks with colloquial reference but without grammatical error. There is a distinct difference.
It seems to me Ms Rayner is the typical one rule for me and another for everyone else. The right to buy scheme she benefitted from she is now removing to improve her chances of not failing miserably on her governments manifesto promise to deliver 1.5 million social housing commitment this parliament. Something we all know isn’t going to happen.
And how she is even back in the spotlight under Andy Burnham I don’t know. Have we all forgotten she was sacked for fiddling her taxes on the sale of a fancy million pound second home at the seaside.
Regional accents and representation in government from all social backgrounds is a very good thing but personally if you cannot string a sentence together this is a learned skill that can and should be improved on if you want to communicate with everyone.