Why Labour? By Daniel Holligan.
I was five years old when I first became aware of politics. My mum put a ‘Vote Labour’ sign on the window in the run up to the 2001 election. I suppose this is how I give full disclosure that I come from a Labour supporting background and have supported them throughout my life (despite a brief flirt with the SNP after watching ‘Braveheart’ aged ten). Although I didn’t understand it at the time, my parents' lives and the lives of millions of others across the country improved immensely under a Labour government. It was the most recent Labour government that introduced the minimum wage, civil partnerships and brought about the “Good Friday Agreement” helping bring peace to Northern Ireland. Devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was promised and delivered. Socially, crime, youth unemployment and child poverty were halved and over a million pensioners were brought out of poverty through schemes like the Winter Fuel Allowance. Extended maternity pay, statutory holiday pay and paternity leave were also introduced to improve the lives of working families. The list of the last Labour governments achievements quite literally goes on and on from those 13 years - can we say the same about the last 14 years of Tory rule?
We have had 14 years of division and regression in this country. In the nine years that I have been able to vote we have had five Prime Ministers, four First Ministers, three general elections, two incredibly divisive referendums and one pandemic full of corruption and scandal. It is time for stability and serious politicians and thankfully there is hope and the opportunity for change with Labour.
The media would have us believe that the only thing that matters in this country is immigration. But if you asked the majority of people, they would want a good education for their children, a working NHS for when they are sick and a house to call a home. Labour has a strong track record and a plan to deliver on that. The NHS is not broken, it needs investment and reform for the future. When Labour last left government they had the shortest waiting times and the highest satisfaction rates in NHS history and now we have the longest waiting lists on record - don't tell me that all political parties are the same.
In Scotland, we could continue to vote for the SNP so clickbait speeches can be made in Westminster while fake plans for referendums are announced to keep a ‘base’ loyal. Alternatively, we could actually vote in MPs who can represent Scotland at the heart of a UK government. I understand the strong feeling a lot of people have towards the constitutional question but only one party can oust the Tories at this election and every single vote towards this end matters. Moreover, Labour has Scotland at the heart of one of their key policies, the setting up of GB Energy. By establishing GB Energy in Scotland we will see a reduction in our energy bills and create clean energy jobs in Scotland which I welcome as a positive step towards a greener future for Scotland and the UK.
No government is perfect and I don’t expect a Labour one to be, but as the late former leader of the party, John Smith famously said “The opportunity to serve - that is all we ask”. That’s what politicians should be, public servants. Keir Starmer offers his service. A working class background but with the aspiration and drive to go on and fight for the most vulnerable as a human rights lawyer (like the dashing Mark Darcey in Bridget Jones’ Diary) and eventually lead the Crown Prosecution Service. He might not have the charisma of Blair back in 97’, but right now we need serious politicians who are devoted not to themselves but to serving working people with integrity and humility. Ordinary people deserve security, opportunity and respect, I believe Labour can and will deliver this. I will vote on the 4th of July for a party that is looking to the future whilst holding on to traditional Labour values of community, compassion and fairness. ‘Vote Labour’.
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