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‘Now we have a real voice’
With less than a week left to go for the deadline to sign up to vote in the Labour leadership election on August 12, Labour supporters up and down the country are preparing for what’s set to be a decisive contest that will shape the future of the party.
Rhea Wolfson, 25, who is both a Labour Party and Unite member, feels that taking part in this contest is more important now than ever before.
“I know people say this at every leadership election — that it’s this one that will truly decide the direction the party is going in. But I really do get this sense that this contest is referendum on what the party will be about in the future.”
Wolfson notes that the new voting system being introduced at this election, in which each member’s vote counts equally, means that for the first time, the leadership contest is a truly democratic one.
“Now we have a real voice and vehicle for change within the party,” she said.
Wolfson believes that the upcoming Labour leadership election is an especially important one for union members.
Bubbles
“During the last election, there were little bubbles of hope, but I still felt at the time that we, as union members with Labour values, had to continually be making compromises. But now, I can truly see a future within the party in which we don’t have to compromise on our values.”
Wolfson, who left her job working for a charity in London to move to Glasgow to care for her father full-time, encourages young people especially to take part in this election.
“Young people typically don’t vote. But being from Scotland, I’ve seen that young people do vote when they’re offered a true alternative and a different narrative, and in this election, that’s exactly what’s on offer.”
Wolfson argued that young people who might feel disillusioned with the Labour party should put aside previous disappointments.
“I’d say to young people that you have to forget the things that you think about party politics and you have to try to change the party from within. This election is an opportunity to do just that.”
Interested in signing up to vote in the Labour leadership election as a union member? Find out more here, and don’t forget the last day to sign up is August 12.
