Labour’s manifesto promises real change for unconscionable times

The Labour manifesto for the 2019 election has been announced and its call to overhaul the economy fit for purpose for the masses is cogent. Hugely radical policies are featured in the manifesto, signed off unanimously by the party on Saturday but announced this morning, to completely abolish an era of austerity. In particular, a vast housebuilding program alongside a green industrial revolution and billions of pounds in funding pumped into our public services is vital for a country desperate for change.

Since the election was called, it is clear that Jeremy Corbyn needs to cover ground as the polls show he’s trailing behind an incumbent Boris Johnson. With the Conservatives attempting to make this election solely about Brexit, Corbyn wrestles with his opponents by side-lining Brexit in campaign mode only by appeasing the frustrations of the electorate left behind. His Brexit stance, a second referendum within six months with a renegotiated Brexit deal and Remain on the ballot, is the only feasible remedy to overcome a three-year deadlock. What Corbyn’s position will be in a people’s vote is unimportant when the vast majority of the public make the final decision.

With Johnson tediously enforcing his Brexit deal onto voters, he is missing out on targeting undecided voters who are afraid of the corporatisation of the NHS and the sheer lack of growth in their local areas. The Labour party under Corbyn is the only way for the country to move forward after a decade of downward social mobility.

The issues at hand are hugely important in the long-term compared to the Brexit debacle that has usurped to the forefront of media coverage. Climate change is now at national emergency levels and Labour have stated a million new jobs in green energy will be created in deindustrialised areas to help with the crisis. Furthermore, a large-scale housebuilding scheme to bring 150,000 new social and affordable homes and end a worsening housing crisis will help millions in unstable situations. Also, somewhat significantly popular with the electorate and attuned with the unease surrounding the NHS, a 4.3% budget increase per year to save it. This is a target sum that think-tanks and healthcare professionals have said is needed to fight the struggles that our most beloved institution is facing.

With all this being said, a revitalised economy and a boost in our public services already taken for granted can be the catalyst for Corbyn to enter Downing Street next month. The Conservatives are yet to publish a full-length manifesto for the public to analyse, with some saying they may not do so at all but instead reveal policy pledges intermittently on the campaign trail. If they wish to be seen as the only party to heal divisions and bring the electorate together, there is a lot of pressure closing in from the opposing team.

With the first head-to-head between the two prospective prime ministers already complete, the polls show them to be neck and neck or with Corbyn expressing a stronger argument. There is three weeks to go before the country decides in this once-in-a-generation election. If voters want a government to work for everyone and not the 5%, then reading the manifesto and voting for a prosperous future for Britain under Corbyn is key.