Julian Vaughan is standing to be selected as the Labour candidate for Welwyn Hatfield, having previously stood as the Labour candidate for NE Bedfordshire in the 2017 and 2019 General Elections. Julian was raised in the North East of England and was first politicised when a teenager by the 1984/5 Miners’ strike. Julian has been a train driver for 20 years and a union representative for the last 15 years. He blogs regularly at julianvaughan.blog from where this article is an edited extract.

As a train driver and proud trade unionist, I understand the benefits of working collectively for the well-being of everyone. I am a union representative, with fifteen years of experience in standing up for members, day in and day out. The qualities required to be a successful representative in the workplace; the ability to listen, be an effective communicator, to be pragmatic, will also make me a highly effective representative for the constituents of Welwyn Hatfield.

The current political system is rigged in favour of corporations and the wealthy. The price of this government’s drive towards a more unequal society is felt in all of our communities, eroding public faith in the very institutions that make up the fabric of our society. I believe our communities are enriched when we care for everyone within them and that public servants should be looking to those with the most need, not the most greed. I have a track record of campaigning for the most vulnerable in our communities because I know that it is through breaking down barriers and bringing people together that we will see our society prosper.

I am a champion, not just for the people who shout the loudest, but particularly for those who do not have a voice. I have demonstrated this by highlighting the multiple injustices faced by prepayment meter households, well before it became the scandal it is today; working as part of a team to set up a warm space for the benefit of our local community; and my ongoing campaign work to make our train stations step-free.

Labour’s core values, along with the trade union movement, are equality and fairness. These are the same values that drive me in everything I do. As a representative for Welwyn Hatfield, I will promote trade unionism as part of the solution to the problems we face across the UK and work with them to end in-work poverty, empower workers to bargain collectively, outlaw ‘fire and rehire’ and provide basic rights from day one of a new job. As comfortable talking to directors as to those on the shop floor, I would advocate a pro-worker, pro-ethical business approach and would champion those workers in the public sector upon whom we all rely so greatly.

The Conservative government is out of touch with the lives of ordinary working people and Tory MPs such as Grant Shapps are detached from the day-to-day struggles endured by the people he represents.  I believe it is time we had more working-class representatives in the House of Commons who understand the lives of working people and are focused on their communities, rather than their media careers or corporate directorships.  

What do we need to do to win the next election?

Public faith in our institutions and politicians has been seriously diminished by years of Tory sleaze and austerity. For Labour to win the next General Election we will need to be viewed by the electorate as being competent in dealing with the UK economy and have a credible plan to fix the NHS, support social care and restore our crumbling public services.

The Conservatives have given the public numerous reasons not to vote for them. However, the current substantial leads in the polls are likely to narrow in the run-up to the next General Election. Therefore, Labour needs to ensure that we set out a bold, but realistic plan of how to transform a country that is reeling from the impact of years of austerity, the pandemic and Tory economic incompetence to ensure people are motivated to go out and vote for us.

The government is seen as out of touch and motivated by greed and self-interest. Labour should position itself as a Party that is both ready for government and one that will be ‘on your side’, with policies rooted in Labour’s core values of fairness and equality. We must inspire optimism, while also rebuilding credibility in the positive power of government.

Apart from economic competence, which will mean we must present a fully costed and achievable manifesto, I believe we need crystal clear messaging on the core issues of secure homes, secure jobs and a secure future, as we make a just transition to a green economy.

Labour should be pro-ethical business, while at the same time setting out clear expectations around corporate responsibility to ensure the protection of the public.  Grenfell must be a turning point, not just another tragedy where lessons were not heeded.

For many of us, under our ‘First Past the Post’ voting system, the trip to the polling station is a forlorn ritual, with the disheartening knowledge that your vote will not impact the result of the election. It is just not right that only a handful of ‘swing seats’ across the UK decide virtually every General Election. If elected as your candidate and subsequently elected to Parliament, I will support moves to a fairer voting system.

I would suggest that Labour resists an albeit understandable temptation to be too cautious and sets out an agenda for the country that has empathy, compassion and competence at its heart and that sweeps away the apathy many of the public feel about our politics today. This campaign must strike a chord with public feeling across the country, while ensuring local campaigns tie it in with the issues most relevant to their constituencies.

Climate change is already impacting the UK and the wider world. We must act now, both for us and our children. The drive to ‘net zero carbon emissions’ will influence every policy decision I make on your behalf, as leaving a healthy and sustainable environment for the generations that follow us must be at the heart of Labour’s vision for Britain.