LETTER: I have passion for politics I grew up with

Bob Renshaw, (Chad Letters last week), while sympathising with my being ‘purged’ by the Labour Party as a supporter, is correct to question my dilemma over ever voting Labour again.
He asks “Who WILL he vote for?”, to which the curt doorstep answer is usually “that’s my business”.
Parking bays in South Shields.Parking bays in South Shields.
Parking bays in South Shields.

However, after voting Labour in every local and national election since 1964, to be told by some anonymous, metropolitan robotic Blairite, who probably wasn’t born before Thatcherism, that I “do not support the aims and values of the Labour Party”, a statement preceded by the sinister “We have reason to believe” was enough to stir anyone’s passions.

So as some kind of answer to Mr Renshaw’s valid question, all I can say is this: “I’m a cantankerous old voter with a passion for the politics I grew up with. Inevitably, this combination of passion, politics and emotion can often have a negative outcome, namely petulance. That’s where I’m at right now.”

Yet in the highly unlikely event of Jeremy Corbyn managing to see his agenda through to 2020, who knows - I might calm down a little.

At the moment, I’m persona non grata with Blair’s vision of Labour, and as such, I shall treat it as a badge of honour.

Roy Bainton

West Hill Avenue,
Mansfield