Labour Party members across the country will have from this morning started to receive their ballot papers for the leadership and other party elections taking place at the moment.
From early on in the leadership elections I have being minded to support Andy Burnham, originally as a token gesture as the only candidate standing and working from outside of London by basing his campaign in Manchester, but as the campaign has gone on Andy’s experience and knowledge, along with a range of policy ideas have convinced me he is the right person for the job.
I say experience and knowledge because with 25 years service at various levels within the party including time as a minister and secretary of state in various government departments including health, treasury and the home office, but you might say that this is the same as the majority of the other candidates all of whom have experience in government, but the difference has become clear over the last few weeks with Andy not relying on the London establishment but instead getting out across the country and building his case with normal members rather than Union or media barons.
Instead of the many glossy leaflet’s used by some, Andy put together his own manifesto “Aspirational Socialism”. A document that containing many policies to take the party forward into the future, with those policies not just coming from the numerous think tanks and focus groups, but from his own life experiences, from the national care service shaped by the experience of his gran, to advertising intern opportunities for all rather than just the well connected as was the case in his youth.
Like many within the party Andy is proud of what was achieved under the new labour banner, but now is the time to move on from the old battles of new labour verses old labour, and we should with Andy as our leader rebuild the party as the people’s party, not old Labour, not new Labour but true Labour.
Please vote Andy Burnham 1 for leader of the Labour Party.
You can read more on Andy's campaign including the manifesto at his website : www.andy4leader.com
As for who gets number 2, 3 and so on I’m still pondering on that at the moment.
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