FOR some, he is the Conservative Party’s dream candidate. For others he is the man who could transform Labour into a true alternative party.
YT asked Labour Party member Scott Nelson to tell us why he is supporting Mr Corbyn.
"I am backing Jeremy Corbyn because his left-wing views and principles represent mine and he is someone who has touched my heart. Jeremy is the only candidate who voted against the Welfare Bill. Jeremy is the only candidate who attended the anti-austerity demonstration in London. And Jeremy is the only candidate representing working class people.
When I campaigned with Labour here in Thurrock ahead of the election, many people told me on the doorsteps and on the streets told me they had stopped voting Labour because they feel we no longer represent them.
Quite often Tony Blair’s name would crop up and people said they stopped voting Labour because Blair moved the party further to the right, and they no longer considered Labour being a party of the working class man and woman. However, people did say that they would vote Labour again if the party moved to the left and if it was led by a strong left-wing leader.
Ed Miliband was not popular in Thurrock and people often said the same thing: "Miliband is too weak" or "He stabbed his brother [David] in the back and that is why he will not be getting my vote."
That said, people in Thurrock voted for Polly Billington because they liked her left-wing stance and were impressed that she campaigned with the unions; worked very closely with the Fire Brigade Union; saved the Stroke Unit at Basildon Hospital; worked closely with young people including students and apprentices and fought hard to try and get the people of Thurrock a better deal.
People often told me they felt Polly was on their side and she gave them faith, but they still had issues with Labour’s leadership: Ed Miliband.
Labour has lost a lot of voters to UKIP because Nigel Farage has reached out to disenfranchised left-wing Labour voters, but not everyone voted UKIP purely on immigration. People here in Thurrock and indeed on social media have told me they voted UKIP as an alternative because they feel UKIP is the only party representing the working class.
My worry is if Labour moves further to the right then we will be crushed by UKIP in the north of England. UKIP polled second in Labour-held seats in the north and we should be very concerned by that. Lessons also need to be learned on our embarrassing defeat by the SNP in Scotland.
Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of being the new "Michael Foot". Scaremongering by senior Labour officials, the Conservatives and the Murdoch gutter press who claim Jeremy will split Labour and it will be like 1983 all over again: when the Socialist Democratic Party or SDP was formed. This simply will not happen and I urge you not to believe the lies and scaremongering.
It was the Murdoch gutter press and the Conservatives who helped Labour lose the election. They told lies about Labour’s policies and said Labour would do deals with the SNP which simply was not true. Ed Miliband publicly said Labour would not do deals with the SNP but people did not believe him; even people in Thurrock raised concerns about Labour doing deals with the SNP and it was very difficult trying to reassure people this would not happen.
Thanks to the Murdoch gutter press, the Conservatives had a surge of support at the eleventh hour on Election Day because people did not know who to vote for.
Jeremy Corbyn has the most Labour CLP nominations and he will win Labour votes in Thurrock because he represents the very Labour Party the people of Thurrock are asking for. Jeremy is fighting austerity and also fighting for future generations. None of us caused the financial crash and neither did our children, yet David Cameron had taken us to account and 184 Labour MPs joined him when they abstained the Welfare Bill vote.
I fear for future generations in this country, including my niece and two nephews, who will be affected by Tax Credit cuts. I also have close friends who will be adversely affected by welfare cuts.
Jeremy Corbyn gives me hope. When casting your nominations today, please think about what I have said. Please think about the UKIP threat in the north of England. And please think about future generations and the impact David Cameron’s austerity measures will have on them.
