Jeremy Corbyn asked voters yesterday to “think again” if they value public services.
In a newspaper broadside against government cuts and privatisation, the Labour leader said: “Over the last six years you’ve been deceived on a scale not seen since Bernie Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme.
“Time and again you’ve been told that to build a strong economy we had to tighten our belts and cut public funding.
“Today we have the utterly self-defeating reality of rapidly declining public services while our debt is going up.”
He highlighted that waiting times are up, including for cancer, saying getting a GP appointment was “as rare as hen’s teeth” in some parts of the country.
And he referred to the “Kafkaesque state of the NHS” where indebted King’s College Hospital in London is forking out £715,000 a year for a freelance contractor.
He also launched a fresh attack on Southern Railway, saying the poor level of service in recent months proved that the railway industry should be renationalised.
Southern faces a five-day strike from today following weeks of delays, overcrowding and cancellations.
“Yet instead of recognising the plight of millions of passengers and telling Southern Rail where to get off, the government continues to support them with our money,” Mr Corbyn said in the Sunday Telegraph article.
“The fact is, the economic decisions this government is making are out of choice not circumstances. The choice for you and millions like you is what type of country you want.
“Even if you don’t think of Labour as your natural political home, if you value your NHS, care for the elderly, an education system for all and a public transport system that works for its passengers, then it may be time to think again.”
Mr Corbyn’s comments placed public services at the heart of his Labour leadership campaign.
Wading into the honours row, rival Owen Smith pledged a five-year ban on Labour donors, MPs, advisers and staff from receiving honours if he becomes leader.
Mr Corbyn reiterated his call yesterday for the entire House of Lords to be abolished and replaced by an elected upper chamber.
He said: “Honours appear to be linked to donations to political parties and personal service to members of [David Cameron’s] family.
“I would also say that serving politicians should not be given honours because it’s honour enough to be elected to public office.”
In a newspaper broadside against government cuts and privatisation, the Labour leader said: “Over the last six years you’ve been deceived on a scale not seen since Bernie Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme.
“Time and again you’ve been told that to build a strong economy we had to tighten our belts and cut public funding.
“Today we have the utterly self-defeating reality of rapidly declining public services while our debt is going up.”
He highlighted that waiting times are up, including for cancer, saying getting a GP appointment was “as rare as hen’s teeth” in some parts of the country.
And he referred to the “Kafkaesque state of the NHS” where indebted King’s College Hospital in London is forking out £715,000 a year for a freelance contractor.
He also launched a fresh attack on Southern Railway, saying the poor level of service in recent months proved that the railway industry should be renationalised.
Southern faces a five-day strike from today following weeks of delays, overcrowding and cancellations.
“Yet instead of recognising the plight of millions of passengers and telling Southern Rail where to get off, the government continues to support them with our money,” Mr Corbyn said in the Sunday Telegraph article.
“The fact is, the economic decisions this government is making are out of choice not circumstances. The choice for you and millions like you is what type of country you want.
“Even if you don’t think of Labour as your natural political home, if you value your NHS, care for the elderly, an education system for all and a public transport system that works for its passengers, then it may be time to think again.”
Mr Corbyn’s comments placed public services at the heart of his Labour leadership campaign.
Wading into the honours row, rival Owen Smith pledged a five-year ban on Labour donors, MPs, advisers and staff from receiving honours if he becomes leader.
Mr Corbyn reiterated his call yesterday for the entire House of Lords to be abolished and replaced by an elected upper chamber.
He said: “Honours appear to be linked to donations to political parties and personal service to members of [David Cameron’s] family.
“I would also say that serving politicians should not be given honours because it’s honour enough to be elected to public office.”
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