I've been a lifelong supporter of Labour and a lifetime trade unionist. I was a trade union activist in my 20s and early 30s and have always supported the principles of socialism, feminism and racial justice.
When Jeremy Corbyn became Labour Party leader, I was aware of a vast amount of energy among young people for the very clear socialist arguments he put forward. I felt optimistic Labour had a chance to re-ignite a debate about a toxic and corrupt political class only interested in profit and privatisation and to educate a disillusioned generation. I lived through Thatcher's rule and we are all still suffering the consequences of that regime, decades on, but what's worse is the almost total absence of political education now because she destroyed all the places political education happened - the trade unions and further education in particular.
So when arguments in favour of socialism were again being made in public I felt we were at last looking at why the Tories had dismantled all we'd achieved in public housing, health, local government etc. It was an opportunity to expose the self-interest in Tory policies, the misinformation about 'growth' and low taxation. That attention could be pointed towards the benefits of free or low cost public transport, good housing, compassionate policies that would make our lives better.
Only to be utterly dismayed by the internal rifts that opened up in Labour. Instead of concentrating on the economic and moral arguments that should have been made, Labour's infighting was, I believe, manipulated to ensure the party never functioned properly again, and it extended even further to the broader left.
And bingo! Labour's ahead now because really, we're on our knees out here and there is no other opposition. So I urge you to squash what's happening in Islington right now. Resisting Jeremy Corbyn will allow the Conservatives back into power and we just cannot survive another five years of Tory pocket filling, more hedge funds and consultancies, more damage to the NHS. We certainly can't risk the return of the far right.
I am 68, live in Brighton (Caroline Lucas' constituency) and am unable to see a GP. I have been forced to go private for the most basic dental care (my dentist pulled out of the NHS and there's not one within 40 miles of the city). I live on the state pension with an extra private pension which brings my income up to £12,000 a year, so I'm not rich. My son and his partner live with me because they can't afford Brighton rents. I dread getting ill. The last time I had to ring 111, my call was returned 16 hours later at 6am.
You have a serious responsibility now to focus on what is most important to all of us rather than being drawn into another divisive fight.
I don't agree with Jeremy Corbyn about leaving Europe. I mourn my place in Europe, but the Labour Party has always incorporated a range of views, left to right. Be a different party - allow dissent, encourage dissent, show that the way forward is to be truly inclusive in order to focus on what really matters. Be creative and set the agenda straight. Shutting people up and excluding them never works.
Labour can turn the argument around - don't let the agenda be set by those who want Labour infighting. Go for corruption: the hedge funds who own everything (including the cemetery behind my house), the consultancies hoovering up public money, Tory MPs making more on the side than many of us live on for a year.
While I still don't understand how the UK's political class has allowed such dumbing down, it's clearer than ever we're in crisis and that crisis needs to be met head on with real world solutions, not a personality contest.
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