“I am a member of the Labour party.”

By Niki Rosenbaum / @ladyloki

Well, this is all very exciting.

No, really. I am genuinely thrilled and excited by my new Labour party membership card, by the confirmation of the new direct debit, and by my ability to check the box on Membersnet that confirms ‘I am a member of the Labour party.’

I’ve always voted Labour; as someone who grew up under Thatcherism and all the merry hell that created, I was never really going to justify any other loyalty. I flirted with the Lib Dem manifesto back in the mid-noughties but the message didn’t really ring true with me (that’s when they could articulate one without going through Central Office.) I managed to make friends with a Lib Dem councillor who, while very good and decent, couldn’t really engage me with Lib Dem policies. It was clear: my heart belonged to Labour.

At the recent election, where I was vociferous in my support on every social network I could get my grubby paws on, I decided enough was enough. Putting the ‘X’ in the box one day every four to five years is all very well, but I appreciated the journey to polling day, and the work that sat behind the final push even more now. I decided to put my time, name, direct debit and voice to better use, and join the party. Now we are facing the undoing of much of the good that Labour did between 1997 and 2010, thanks to uneasy alliances and the Lib Dems’ hypocrisy.

So why do I continue to support Labour?

A lot of my friends and the people I respect back Labour. I like the kind of people that Labour attracts – people who see beyond their own interests and act for the good of the majority. I’m fortunate to know a lady who has been generous with her time, experience and knowledge of the internal workings of the party, and has answered my questions honestly, encouraged me to get involved, and who inspires me. (I believe she’s got the makings of a truly great MP.)

I am a single parent, although I am in a deliriously happy relationship (and have been for nearly two years) with a man who lives twenty five miles away. I co-own a small house with my parents, something I could never have managed on my own. So that was hard won, and comes with a mortgage that I just about afford. I have two children aged 16 and 11 in state school. I use and adore the NHS, and I see my niece and nephew toddling about who will need nursery places and eventually a good school. I see my parents on the cusp of retirement, with a fund stashed away over years for that and the remains of a mortgage they’ve whittled away at over their working lives. I see the business I work in, a small outfit with under 50 employees, but a hard working, ethically sound organisation that takes pride in its work, its people and itself, and has invested in training for all, including apprenticeships and retraining for staff who wanted a change or showed skills in areas they weren’t generally deployed in.

I have built my career from working in a call centre part time in 2003 to my present position at managerial level because Labour created Tax Credits – particularly helpful with childcare costs. They enabled me to get back to work full time, and give my kids a positive role model- a mum who worked hard to achieve for our family, and who took pride in getting up and going to work to provide for us. It gave me my confidence back, and restored my faith in the future. I will always be grateful to Labour for that.

Labour investment in schools and education means my kids don’t sit in classes in freezing conditions, or under a leaky roof, sharing books. It means they know clearly what is expected of them and what they can expect to achieve in return.

I thank Labour for reducing NHS waiting lists; instead of waiting four months to see a consultant and almost 2 years for an operation like my grandmother did in the early 1990s. My grandfather was seen, examined, assessed, referred, and in front of a specialist within a month.

My daughter was born into the fearful, self-obsessed Tory Britain, my son into the early days of New Labour government. So far, they’ve grown up knowing what responsible society is, what the rules are, and believing that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

When the confirmation of the ConDem coalition broke, my daughter’s reaction spoke volumes: ‘That’s me NOT going to University, then.’

Through April and into May, I railed against Tory policies and values to anyone who’d listen, and did so not just our of staunch belief that Labour were the only party to lead us through the current climate and into recovery. I also did it out of fear for the Britain my kids will inherit when they leave school and venture into the world.

In short, I’m a novice, but a passionate one who will use whatever skills she has at her disposal to support the fightback.

Niki also writes at Adventures aboard the TreacleTiger.