In the past, the fires of passion within me were never really ignited by the institution of politics – the government. And truthfully, they still aren’t. It’s the devastating inequalities, and the need to defend the basic rights of humankind that get my blood really pumping. I have always been more of a socialist than any other political leaning, but I had never used my voice outside of my limited circle of friends.
That was until the 2019 General Election.
Until the great leadership race of 2019, when the Tories
played dirty and Labour didn’t seem to know how to defend itself, I supported
the smaller parties… Why, well now I couldn’t tell you. But I have a feeling it was probably down to
the fact that I lived in a very safe Labour seat and my vote mattered not a
jot. Not very strong political reasoning
there but reasoning nonetheless. The 2019
General Election will be one that is etched in my mind forever. It was an election in which many millions of former
Labour voters were seduced by BJ’s half-baked message of “Get Brexit Done”.
My Facebook feed (which consists of just under 150 people,
most of whom are related) was full of a deep seated hatred for Labour, and gushing
over BoJo. The days leading up to polling
day bared witness to the gradual decline in Facebook friends... Actually, it wasn’t really all that gradual, yet
sure enough they disappeared one by one.
I did end up calling my uncle a racist bigot, by which he was most
offended. However, he failed to defend
himself adequately, nor did he give a reasoned argument for his beliefs. I will hear anyone out, but racist bigotry
and vitriolic hatred is not something I will tolerate.
The irony (is irony even the right word here?) is that I
come from a very working-class background.
Not just any working class background but I grew up in the mining
communities of South Wales. My family’s
livelihoods were destroyed by the privatisation and closure of the mines in the
1980s. They are the ones who ask “What
good did the Tories do for us?”
The hypocrisy, perhaps that’s a better word, is that the
racist bullshit they spouted about ‘immigrants stealing our jobs’ was in the
first breath, while the next one denounced Corbyn for anti-Semitism. It actually made my brain hurt…
I realised during that period, that I would need to pick a
side a stick with it. So, I picked
Labour. I didn’t pick Labour because I
wholeheartedly believed everything Corbyn offered. I didn’t pick them because I was convinced
about how great they were. I picked them
because they were our best chance. “Our”
being people like me, the working class.
There was actually much I didn’t appreciate inside the
Labour party (I don’t think it’s exclusive to the Labour Party either), but I
also knew I wouldn’t be able to change the things I didn’t like, unless I found
my way into the inside.
As my passion grew, I proudly stomped down to the polling
station to cast my vote, I knew the seat was a safe Labour, but I needed to
make sure of it. As the results flooded
in overnight, my heart sank. I woke up
on that Friday morning with the fear of the unknown. The fear of getting Brexit done and what it
would mean for me, and my children.
The outcome of the 2019 General Election convinced me that I
had to get into politics, I had to make the effort to understand it. I realised it is people like me who need to
start using their voices. Looking at the
great revolutions of the past, they were always inspired by the underdogs. As I signed up to become a member of the
Labour Party, I wondered if I had embarked on the journey to my calling.
Everyone has a voice, everyone can use their voice. No-one should live in poverty, no-one should
have to make the agonising decision over whether they keep warm and go hungry
or eat and freeze. As I sat in my
privileged position where I don’t need to make that decision, I realised that
those who do haven’t the energy to use their voices. That’s when people like me become their
advocate.
So, why do I support the Labour Party?
Because I am for the many.
I am willing to use my voice to make sure no-one goes hungry. It may not happen soon, but it will happen
and my voice will be heard.
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