I saw this on Facebook today and I thought it summed Corbyn up perfectly
I am not a huge fan of Jeremy Corbyn, I don't think he has been the opposition leader needed regarding Brexit, the fact that he is a Eurosceptic and goes against the many remain MP's that make up the Labour Party, has often had me decide against his position, but I don't want a Tory government for another 5 years of austerity, so I have looked into him more closely in readiness for the December GE. Especially as to vote tactically I will need to vote for Labour.
I have always had a lot of respect for him. He is a man that has always stood by what he believes is right, seems to be honest, in comparison to other MP's. When compared to Boris Johnson, who has only looked out for what is best for his career, having written an article both supporting remaining in the EU and Leaving, Jeremy Corbyn is the better option. But what else makes me respect him?
In the 1980's, Jeremy, was seen as wrong for standing up for those wrongfully accused of the IRA bombings, the Guildford 4 and the Birmingham 6, yet he was right and they were later found to be innocent of these crimes. Many still hold this against him, but they were innocent of the crimes.
He was criticised for wanting dialogue over the Northern Ireland border, but again his campaigning for removing the hard border and bringing about peace was also correct. Leading to the Good Friday Agreement. Again, this is still held against him because he wanted peace. He had over and over again said he condemns the bombings, but because he also states he condemns the violent actions on both side he is criticised. When I see a man that sticks to his principles when it comes to conflict.
He is a man that stands by his ideals of peace over war, over and over again, even when it has been held against him and prevented his career moving forward. He entered politics to make a positive change to the UK and not to have power, demonstrated by his track record of not bending to what he believes is wrong. He has won 2 prestigious awards for his consistent efforts over 30 years to bring about peace. The Sean McBride Peace Prize and the Gandhi International Peace Award.
He has always been active in campaigns that oppose nuclear weapons, was a member of the STOP the War Coalition and is in opposition of spending £100 billion on the renewal of Britains Trident Nuclear Missile System, something 64% of the general public agree with him on.
He has been the elected MP in his constituency since 1983, 36 years. This in itself is an outstanding achievement and means that those he represents continue to trust him to do what is right for their area.
He has the backing of Trade Unions, specifically the two largest in Britain, Unite the Union and Unison, representing 2.5 million people in this country, due to his stance on protecting the rights of workers. Something that the Tory party is not interested in.
Rather than wanting to support further decades of tax cuts for the super rich, as the Tories do, he wants to ensure that tax evasion is stopped, worth £34 billion to the UK economy, increasing tax to those that earn over £150,000 per year and higher still for those earning over £1 million a year. Something that is supported by 75% of the public, and means the poorest won't be hit the most, as the austerity measures of the Tories has done.
He is against using personal attacks to get his point of view across, which is something I really do admire when you see the antics of many of the political party leaders.
35 of the countries best economists have backed his sensible policies that will help the economy to grow. In fact recent study, by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, have shown that the country under a Jeremy Corbyn government would bring about a stronger economy, whereas the Tories austerity measures have been proven to have stopped growth, helped further by brexit uncertainty.
He has the lowest expenses of ALL the MP's, stating " I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff, but be careful because it's obviously public money".
His policy on tuition fees is to reduce them, if not abolish if possible through a sensible plan to cover the cost. I benefitted from free university education and believe that this is a right all students in the UK should have.
So, he is probably not the Prime Minister I would ideally want, but from the options we have he is probably the best option. In this, the most important GE Britain will have, we need a party that is truly for the people. My preferred Party doesn't have a chance, but Labour are the next big thing.
Plus, if you want it to be about Brexit:
Jeremy Corbyn is a Eurosceptic and wants out of the EU, but not without a deal which will kill our country. He is the only party offering the chance to get a EU deal and offer the Public the chance to vote on what it offers. Using democracy to make the final decision. I obviously hope that this will lead to remaining, but that is not guaranteed if Labour get in, but at least the country will have the chance to make a decision based on real, true facts and not just based on the lies of the Leave Campaign.
The Tories keep failing to get anywhere on Brexit because what they want is not in line with the countries needs. A new deal negotiated by labour may give supporters of Brexit the best option. If not, at least the chance for the country to vote on the facts.
That said, a GE shouldn't be about the one issue of Brexit, it should be about the effect the chosen government will have on our lives for the next 5 years, and what will make your life better, after 9 years of Tory austerity measures we know first hand they are not the ones that will do this, unless you are super rich.
VOTE wisely. It does count.