Proper Labour

Here's two examples of Proper Labour:

Islington:

"THERE were tears and angry scenes at the town hall last night as Labour wrested control of the budget from the ruling Lib Dems.
In an unprecedented night of drama, Labour forced through their motion for free school meals for primary school children and a £100 rebate for pensioners – as well as a 2.5 per cent rise in council tax."

Oxford:

"In April 2009, we will fulfill our promise to ensure that every staff member in the council is paid a Living Wage of at least £7 per hour, becoming, as far as I know, the first council to achieve Living Wage status. Oxford is an expensive city; the least we can do is make a start at guaranteeing a fair wage reflecting the cost of living here. We’ve done this through writing this into our leisure provider’s contract and making it part of our single status negotiations with the support of our staff trade unions."

Free school meals and a living wage are two great examples of real help in difficult times. These are the sort of common sense, fair and socially just policies that our government nationally should be putting forwards.