The view from Stevenage: 'Even the union rep says he isn't voting Labour'

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My hometown has never completely abandoned Labour, but the ties have frayed

David (not his real name) is a diehard socialist who finds himself increasingly exasperated with the working class. A manual labourer in Stevenage, he has argued himself hoarse trying to persuade his workmates that Labour in general, and Jeremy Corbyn in particular, can make their lives better.

“I talk about things that are directly relevant, like council housing or privatisation,” says David, who is in his 30s and works in the public sector. “I tell them if the Tories win we could be privatised. We’ll be working longer hours for less money. But they don’t care. They just talk about immigrants bringing down wages and how Boris will get rid of them after he’s got Brexit done. I’ve stopped bothering,” he says. “Even the union rep says he’s not voting Labour this time. I just put in my earphones and get on with it.”

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2rEwxTM

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