SOMEONE asked me on the doorstep what the last Labour Government had ever done. I replied rescued the Health Service, invested in our schools and created lots of jobs. But it set me thinking.
I could have added: peace to the north of Ireland, cut crime, banned fox hunting and built High Speed 1 to the Channel Tunnel. I might have continued with the minimum wage, gay partnerships, Sure Start for young families and of course, devolution. Then there is paternity leave, winter fuel payments, free bus passes, tax credits and so on.
The last Labour Government ended by saving the banking system from collapse. That’s what produced the debt. But the alternative of everyone losing their cash, savings and pensions would have been much worse.
I don’t think I could have satisfied my questioner. He would probably have settled for nothing less than heaven on earth. But it makes you think. Those Labour years are still making a big positive difference to our lives, despite the best efforts of Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg.
JOHN TANNER (Labour Cllr), City Councillor for Littlemore & County Councillor for Isis
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