An intelligent comment on Comment is Free

Intelligent comments in response to articles on the Guardian website are few and far between, but the response to Polly Toynbee's article from 'companya' is a rare exception:

Unlike most of the ranters here I have actually being out on the stump in the mid nineties (for Labour). It was a strangely soul destroying way of spending time. Some of the stereotypes were there - one guy in a large house going red in the face telling us how Labour would let the unions run riot and wreck the economy. A nice surprise when a few people brought up the Scott Report and were waiting for its results. A lot of racist opinion on 'them' taking jobs and houses (our constituency has a very very low ethnic minority population). Lots of complaints that they never see anyone from the party and lots of complaints of being sick of being bothered by us.

Unlike the angry brigade on here I can see that Labour has spent on new schools, new hospitals and has brought more people in to work than ever before. These were the things that I wanted back then and they've happened. However, people don't generally vote out of gratitude for what you've done to them they vote in their grievances against you (however unreasonable they are). If it's the war - it doesn't matter that the Tories might have done the same - Labour will still suffer for making that choice. Crucially people vote on what they think you might do in the future and unfortunately as of today Labours cupboard of ideas appears bare.