Sense of hope

Unite member Samantha Ritchie has been actively involved in the Labour party as a youth officer in her Constituency Labour Party, and signing up to vote in this year’s leadership election, is, for her, an opportunity to affect real change within the party.

 
She argues that despite many people being disaffected by a party that has, over the years, distanced itself from the working class it was created to represent, this year’s election puts power back into the people’s hands.

 
“It’s important as the Labour Party needs to change and the only way to change it is by getting involved,” she said. “If we all get together we’ll be able to change it.”

 
Ritchie believes that this contest is different from previous ones because true anti-austerity policies are finally on offer.

 
“The popularity of anti-austerity policies came through in the last general election in May, especially in Scotland, where the SNP gave an actual alternative to austerity,” she said. “I don’t agree with the SNP or nationalism but they did offer an anti-austerity manifesto and people voted for it.

 
“Now is the time that we have to offer something different and be an opposition party rather than just going along with Tory policy,” Ritchie added.

 
Age discrimination

 
Ritchie believes that the Tory government’s attacks on young people’s benefits and other state support, including scrapping university maintenance grants and cutting housing benefit for those under 25, is a direct function of young people not turning up at the ballot box.

 
“It’s basic age discrimination,” she said. “The Tories are very anti-young and are attacking young people because they don’t vote, so they don’t care about what we have to say or can give to society.

 
“But many young people who don’t vote might not realise that politics changes everything – rates of pay, security in the workplace, where you’re going to live and more.

 
“If you don’t vote and don’t get involved in politics you can’t really complain about anything as politics is everything.”

 
But Ritchie believes that the groundswell of involvement coming from young people who’ve signed up to take part in this Labour leadership election shows that young people do care about politics if they’re inspired by what’s on offer.

 
“This time, there’s this sense that the election is really about hope,” she said.

 
“Now, more than ever, we need to get involved in this election,” Ritchie added. “For young people, it will determine our future.”

 
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 on Wednesday, August 12.