Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Our manifesto is left – but it’s right
On May 16, 2001, Labour had just unveiled its manifesto. Our top team were then dispensed to all corners of the country to promote it.
I was sent on my battle bus to Rhyl. When Tony returned to Labour HQ he discovered I’d punched a member of the public. I’d been egged but thought the liquid going down my face was blood. So I hit out. I then got a call from a very nervous Tony asking why I lashed out.
I replied: “I was only following your orders. You told us to connect with the electorate so I did!”
Now, 20 years on from our famous 1997 victory, I’ll be back on Labour’s battle bus when it comes to Hull tomorrow.
If you’d have told me that two decades later Jeremy Corbyn would be our leader and we’d be talking about taking the railways back into public ownership, I’d have laughed.
But this is really happening. And I’ll be proud to support him across the North in the last three weeks of this election campaign.
In the past week, Jeremy has started to transform into a Prime Minister in waiting. Admittedly he’s not a Blair or Cameron smoothie. But after years of soundbites, people are crying out for sound policies.
What I thought was brilliant about Labour’s manifesto launch was that they also issued a document listing point by point how we would pay for everything.
For me, it’s the best manifesto Labour has published since 1997. Protecting pensioners, scrapping tuition fees, taking water and energy into public ownership.
Yes, it’s left. But it’s also right! Polls have shown that the policies are popular.
Historically, there has been a public problem with Corbyn. Firstly, he’s faced biased attacks from the media, who fear he will take on the establishment. And secondly, it’s hard to ask people to trust Jeremy as Prime Minister when 173 of his own MPs declared they had no confidence after the EU Referendum – even though the party members overwhelmingly backed him.
Ironically, that coup could harm them and their chances of keeping their seats more than Jeremy.
But the polls are changing. The more people see him on TV, speaking to huge crowds and on the doorstep, the more they’re seeing the real Corbyn. Since the launch, Labour shot up in one poll by 8 per cent to 34 per cent. That’s the highest share of the vote we’ve had since the 2005 General Election. Yes, it’s still a mountain to climb. But the choice people face is between a Labour Party with a full costed plan to deliver for the many, not the few, or a Tory party who have broken every promise they’ve made. They promised to cut the deficit by 2015 – and have had to delay it for a fourth time to 2025.
They promised to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands – it’s currently over 270,000.
They promised to protect pensioners, but now they’re abolishing the triple lock on pensions.
Thatcher was the milk snatcher. Now May wants to take your kids’ free school dinner away.
The idea of paying for social care by taking your assets over £100,000 means May will take your house too when you die. You will have a very clear choice this election:
A Poundland Thatcher peddling the same old Tory lies and broken promises. Or a Labour campaigner who finally looks like a leader.
Things did get better under Labour. They can get better again if we make June the end of May.
Jean Bishop is a bit of legend in Hull. She’s known as the Bee Lady. She’s raised £100,000 for Age UK in her home town dressed as a bee! At the ripe of old age of 94, Jean puts us all to shame with her energy and love for life. And she now wants to raise £200,000. So I was honoured that the one person she wanted to attend her birthday party was me. As far as I’m concerned, Jean really is the bee’s knees.