“The political class in Westminster have failed us. They inoculate themselves against the pain that we suffer.”
Laura Pidcock
What an 18 months!
We have endured so much in that time.
The political class in Westminster have failed us. They inoculate themselves against the pain that we suffer. We will not forgive them, and no, we will not be patient with their political ideology – a belief system which sees exploitation, grotesque levels of inequality, the constant threat of war and destitution as a fair price for the protection of a system which serves them & the richest so well. We have run out of patience with their destruction.
They wilfully look away at the crisis in housing, at poverty pay, they have encouraged a system of privatisation and fragmentation of our NHS, taking away more and more of our services, they stoke a despicable nationalistic racism and cultivate culture wars to distract us, to divert our attention and to obscure the truth. The truth is they refuse to serve our interests and they have disdain for our lives. This government are shameful, Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock, Priti Patel, the lot of them!
And I have a message for the leader of the opposition – start opposing! Take our pain and our grief, take the last decade of austerity and all the destruction that has caused. Take the injustice done to the Windrush Generation and the people of Grenfell Tower, and all of those people sanctioned. Take the dedication and service of an intensive care nurse and tell us why not 15%, explain why, when we know it is possible, why care cannot be free, tell us why there cannot be an end to the marketisation of education. Because we know it is all possible.
What we are doing today is opposition. You are the opposition.
At the root our communities is a deep, deep love for one another. We are not each other’s enemies and we will not treat each other as such. We are all on a journey of collective discovery, trying to make sense of living in a scary world. Be gentle with each other.
And to those people at home who feel anguish who feel scared and that you have no political home, come and join us. You are welcome in our movement, a diverse and beautiful working-class movement which knows:
There can be a world without war.
There can be a world without exploitation.
There can be a world where we live full and healthy lives.
There can be a world where our seas, our forests and the air that we breathe are cleansed of the destruction caused by the unfettered greed of a few.
And who will deliver that?
We will deliver that.
Never give up.
- This is the text of Laura Pidcock’s speech to the People’s Assembly recent Demand A New Normal national demonstration.
