Why I’ve voted Labour

By Matt Bryant

Last week I cast my postal vote for John Adams, the Labour candidate for Dartford. That won’t come as a massive surprise to those who know me. I’m a Labour councillor, a party activist, and have grown up with the party. But whilst I spend a lot of time (particularly in the last few weeks) talking to other people on the doorstep and on the phone about why they should vote Labour, I thought I’d set out here my own personal reasons for voting the way I do.

First and foremost, I care deeply about my community. I was very lucky to be brought up in a good family, in a good area, and I attended a good school. All in Dartford. After leaving university I had a choice – join my peers in renting a flat in London to be close to work, or to try and get on the housing ladder. I chose to come back to Dartford and make my own way here, partly so I could own a property, but mainly because for all the criticism it gets, Dartford is a great place to live. Yes it’s got its fair share of problems, but people look out for each other, there’s a great community spirit, and it genuinely feels like home.

I vote Labour because these are the values the Labour government have put into practice over the last 13 years. Investment in public services isn’t about saying the state will do everything for you. It’s about saying to people who work hard, to people who want to play a role in their community, to people who want to make a contribution to society: we will help you make a difference. To those who are unable to make a contribution, we will not be left out in the cold. And to those who do not want to contribute, we will not tolerate it – but nor will we give you any excuse to exclude yourself.

It is my firm belief that everybody has a role to play in making Britain great. Whether it’s training as a nurse or a teacher; doing voluntary work; contributing to the Treasury because you earn a good salary; creating jobs; raising a family; or just looking out for your neighbours. The challenge for government is helping people find what that contribution could be and assisting them in realising their potential. It’s not the “nanny state” approach our opponents would have you believe we advocate, but instead recognising most people want to contribute, and making it just a bit easier for them to do so.

And you can see these values in what Labour is doing across the country. In Dartford alone, we have a new hospital; new school buildings; new housing; the Fastrack bus system; Sure Start – the list goes on. These things don’t happen by accident, they have happened because we believe it is the right thing to do.

On a personal level, I’ve had a few appointments recently at our local Darent Valley Hospital, built under a Labour government. It’s a fantastic new building, where everyone that I’ve encountered has been happy, friendly, and helpful. They’re proud of what they do, and rightly so. But contrast that to experiences before 1997, where hospitals were run down, staff were demotivated, and patients waited an inordinately long time to be treated.

I try not to tell people I’m in politics when I want them to make me better; but I got chatting to one of the consultants I saw and he told me what a massive difference the 18 week maximum waiting time has made to patients. We almost take it for granted now, but it wasn’t always this way.

Of course there’s more to do – there always will be. And I understand people saying they want a change. After 13 years that’s inevitable. But we shouldn’t think about change in terms of changing the government. Change is about constant renewal, continually rethinking the way we deliver services and improve people’s lives. Change should be about advancing the work we do, about stepping up a gear; not getting a different set of people in who will take this country backwards.

I really hope people won’t be fooled by the Conservative rhetoric around “The Big Society.” It’s just a return to the laissez-faire approach of the 1980s, where mass unemployment was seen as a price worth paying for an economic boom. Where public services were decimated, and where our most vulnerable members of society were left to fend for themselves.

In short, it is the politics of abandonment. And the politics Britain cannot afford. Your vote on Thursday isn’t just a vote for Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, or any other party. It is a vote for this country’s future.

That’s why I’ve voted Labour. And that’s why I’m working hard to persuade as many people as possible to do likewise tomorrow.