Jeremy Corbyn [Simon Lamrock]

To mark his 40 years as the MP for Islington North, JEREMY CORBYN MP reflects on the past – and the future

Today, June 9, is exactly 40 years since the General Election of 1983. That was the day I was first elected to represent the people of Islington North.

It’s time, then, to say thank you. Thank you to everyone in the constituency who has exercised their democratic right to vote.

Thank you to every single person whom I have had the pleasure to meet, listen to and learn from. Thank you to all those who have worked alongside me in our local office over the years.

And thank you to my family for their dedication, patience and hard work. I could have done none of this without your support.

Over the past 40 years, I’ve always been struck by how willing people are to join campaigns to preserve our green spaces, schools, hospitals and community hubs.

Whether it’s preventing the government from turning Archway Road into a motorway, turning a disused railway siding into what we now love as Gillespie Park, or saving the Whittington Hospital’s A&E department (proof of Nye Bevan’s conviction that the NHS would last as long as there were people willing to fight for it), huge victories have been achieved by principled, tireless and people-powered campaigns.

In the case of Archway Road, sometimes all it takes is a glimpse of the truth: who could forget a group of people walking down the road in a rope enclosure the size of a bus to show how little road space was needed for public transport, compared to private cars?

So much of what we have in Islington today has been won from below, not given from above. That is the great strength of our society.

It has been 40 years this month since I held my first constituency surgery, starting at the old Red Rose Centre in Seven Sisters Road.

With the help of an excellent team, we have done our utmost to serve and empower people to surmount the problems they face: housing is undeniably the greatest challenge in our community. In addition to fairer conditions for private tenants, we urgently need more council housing to meet the needs of so many, from young families to the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged.

Education is in crisis too. Easily one of the most heartening parts of my work is visiting schools and
talking to teachers and students, but each visit reminds me that teachers are stressed by a tick-box regime that allows so little leeway for context, compassion or creativity.

And why have our students been made just as stressed by over-testing? Suppressing young people’s ability to find joy in learning, and especially music and art, is no recipe for a healthy society.

People in Islington have always responded to hardship the only way they know how: with kindness, cooperation and solidarity.

The year after I was elected the miners’ strike began, ushering in a bleak year of bitterness, anger and poverty in mining areas all over the country. Our borough raised thousands of pounds in support; I still have photos of a coach taking people to South Wales in 1984.

Today, solidarity is most powerfully expressed on local picket lines, and in our many wonderful local community centres. Look around you: proof of people’s commitment to a fairer society is everywhere in our borough.

Despite the best efforts of divisive governments, solidarity in Islington has been strengthened by increasing levels of diversity.

Festivals and local events are essential points of connection in our community. I have experienced so much joy at countless celebrations in Islington over the years, including those for Christmas, Ramadan, Chanukah, Diwali and many more.

In Islington, it is hospitality, community and openness – and the quiet, unremarkable acts of neighbourliness – that sustain us all. Strength in diversity has also got our borough through its darkest times.

In 2017, Makram Ali was murdered in a terrorist attack in Finsbury Park. I will never forget the sight of leaders of all faiths and local communities holding a commemorative event in Seven Sisters Road, determined to show that love and community are stronger than hate.

Ultimately, being an MP is a priceless education; it has allowed me to learn from so many people, be moved by their challenges, cares and joys, and draw inspiration from all the daily – often unseen – work performed by so many people.

And it has been a source of hope to support causes for justice and peace, both in parliament and in the wider, inspiring and wonderful world beyond Westminster.

Just as when I look at the achievements of the Arsenal men’s and women’s teams, when I reflect on the contests and victories I have seen during my time as the Member of Parliament for Islington North, I know they are all team efforts.
And I look, as Arsenal fans always do, to next year – because there is always more to achieve.

I am as determined as ever to ensure that we get more decent housing, that our young people grow up with hope and optimism instead of debt and despair, and that we can all live in a sustainable, safe and peaceful world.

It is an honour to represent the people of Islington North. With your support, that is what I’ll continue to do.