The winds of change are blowing across this country. For too long the
politics of greed and apathy and self have been dominant. With today's Labour Party
leadership election result this will change. It must change for the sakes of the country, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, for those who - for whatever reason - cannot work, for those who are disabled, sick, incapacitated in any way - physically or mentally, for the old and infirm, for the disadvantaged, for those in work struggling to cope on low wages, for our students faced with a lifetime of crippling fee debt, for refugees and asylum seekers who are fleeing from such devastating effects of war or terrorism, for sole traders and small bsuinesses struggling to stay afloat, for the sake of every single human in this country!
The Labour Party leadership had over recent years lost touch with its members, so much so that many - like me - had left, disillusioned by seeing changes to the party we had joined, in my case as a teenager. Despite all our hopes we saw the party's actions and our aspirations move further apart, and had begun to think the paths would never reconverge. The May 2015 General Election result confirmed our fears - all but one seat lost in Scotland whilst in England and Wales we suffered a net loss of 26 seats. The Labour vote was 9,347,304 out of a total electorate of 46,420,413, on a 66.1% turnout (30,683,892). Labour was clearly not seen as a credible alternative to the Tory govt!
Then a feint light glowed, a tiny flame of hope ignited when the Labour leadership candidates were announced. One stood apart from the rest - one man who had defied his party whip on issues that mattered to him and his constituents, one that had served on the back benches for more than 30 years but who had never held a ministerial post or a seat in the Cabinet, one that the media clearly regarded as the comic relief of the campaign. And how they mocked him. Personal slurs, half-truths and even downright lies were published in newspapers, even the BBC allowed the broadcast of what clearly appeared to be a biased anti-Corbyn Panorama programme just days before the end of voting. The personal attacks became more outrageous and more frenzied, even party grandees (who really should have known better) got in on the act, in what was perceived by many as a desperate attempt to derail the Corbyn campaign and maintain the status quo of New Labour. The more attacks there were the stronger his campaign became. In just 100 days he attended 99 events, and spoke to around 50,000 people about his vision for the future. About how as a party we can take back control of our destiny, that together we can fight austerity, that together we can have hope for a better life now and in the future. That tiny flame had became an inferno!
Through it all Jeremy Corbyn remained his calm, polite, unshakeable self. Quietly courteous to everyone, refusing to fall to the level of those who made such bitter attacks on him and his family. "We don't do personal, we do policies" was his mantra. Many of his supporters were reminded of the words of an earlier leader (Mahatma Ghandi) who said, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." That thought kept us going through the long weeks of the campaign. It kept us going in the face of the media onslaught. It kept us going during the attacks by party members too. And it was finally proved correct.
Today, the Labour Party has a new Leader and a new Deputy Leader. As Leader Jeremy Corbyn will no doubt seek more cohesion between members, more compassion in society, more accountability from politicians. Tom Watson, as his Deputy, is well-placed to offer support, build bridges, and bring the Party back together. Between them the future of the Labour Party can be one of progression and strength, of success in Opposition and in the 2020 General Election, but it needs all party members to put aside their differences and work together for the greater good of all people in the country. Jeremy Corbyn has the biggest political mandate for any political leader in UK political history and if that is not an indicator of the winds of change, I do not know what is!
I do know that together we are strong. Together we can put Jeremy Corbyn in No. 10 and the Labour Party into Government in 2020. A new era of politics, together!
Are you fed up of being told there is no alternative to austerity? Are you fed up of politicians behaving like overgrown schoolboys in debates? Are you fed up seeing the 1% grow richer whilst everyone else tightens their belts? Are you fed up of seeing cuts to public services, welfare benefits, the NHS and more? If so, why not join the Labour Party today and be a part of the new era? Together we can do it. https://join.labour.org.uk/
