On a gloomy day like today it’s not obviously a day to post about optimism. But I was thinking about it after thinking over Ed’s speech. He said ‘we are the optimists’ and it chimed with me, as it’s one of the key reasons I joined the Labour party. I joined at 21, just as I was finishing university although I had thought about it for a while. In the Labour party you meet idealists and dreamers, but oyu also meet what a lady I met the other day while helping out with planting up a roundabout called ‘do-ers’, that is people who don’t just imagine a better world but decide to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in.
Of course as a local councillor you could say that people on all sides of the political spectrum are do-ers, and have chosen to get involved in their community, and I would agree, and applaud that courage of conviction whether they are Conservative, Liberal Democrat or Green. However I do believe that Labour is the natural home of those who want to see big change and believe it is possible.
I am also optimistic that David Miliband will be back. I may not agree with everything he does and he wasn’t my choice as leader but I do think he has a lot to offer the party and the country. I hope that once the media get over their soap opera style obsession with “the brothers” he’ll feel ready to return, as he’s got conviction and ability.
The only optimism I am lacking is that it will be sunny tomorrow.
