I was asked to write a blog for the Next Generation Labour website urging members to rally behind Ken Livingstone.
Next Gen is a new youth group within Labour Party, founded by the former Exec members of Compass Youth who quit after a policy change opened the organisation to other political parties. I think they've got some really interesting things to say and could potentially be a big campaigning force within Young Labour.
There are now just 295 days left until Ken Livingstone’s re-election. That’s just 7,000 hours left to defeat a Tory Mayor, and the clock is ticking. There is much to be done, but there are plenty of us to do it.
Labour teams all over London are already doing a remarkable job in getting out the vote for Labour, and hundreds are turning up each week for Ken Livingstone’s phone bank. We’re seeing a huge range of members – from Eltham to Streatham, school goers to the retired – turning out to support our Mayoral candidate on the doorstep and on the phones. Polls are still showing the election will be a close call, so now more than ever Labour members need to unite behind our team if we are to take back City Hall.
To understand how Ken Livingstone and a Labour Assembly team can deliver a fairer agenda in London, we only need to look to local government. Whilst Conservatives in Wandsworth are proposing to charge children £2.50 to play in their local park (a measure which Ken has campaigned fervently against), Southwark Council’s Labour team are providing the entirety of the borough’s youngsters with free school meals. And while the Tories in Westminster are maliciously planning to ban feeding the homeless, the Labour Council in Camden has approved plans to build social housing in the borough for the first time in twenty years. There is a clear choice to be made in May next
year: a Labour Mayor delivering policies in the interests of Londoners in every corner of the city, or a continuation of a Tory agenda putting profit before people.
year: a Labour Mayor delivering policies in the interests of Londoners in every corner of the city, or a continuation of a Tory agenda putting profit before people.
Boris Johnson is taking London in the wrong direction: towards streets with no police or affordable housing, neighbourhoods lacking libraries, and parks that charge children a fare to play in them. I want a Mayor who will fight for my right to education, not stay quiet while the Government cuts subsidies for poorer students; a Mayor who fights for a low emissions zone, not one who dismisses air quality laws. I want a Mayor who will commit to a reduced transport fare for school children, not raise the price by 50% in a year; a Mayor who favours investment in jobs over investment bankers. I want a Mayor who proudly marches at London Pride, who calls for full gay marriage, and who doesn’t stay quiet on LGBT issues in worry of offending half of his Party. Boris Johnson has failed to stand up for London’s most vulnerable, by raising transport fares far above inflation rates, he has ignored the wishes of London students to tackle the government on tuition fees, and he continues to meet with millionaires more often than the Met.
It is crucial we get Ken elected, but it can’t be done without your help. Events are held weekly, from pub quizzes and picnics to phone banks and ‘Tell Ken’ policy discussions. If you want to help win London for Labour next year, then I urge you to get in touch, get involved and most importantly: get out the vote.
