Well-paid work boosts country & communities

WHY does a political party like Labour exist? It's simple to ensure that the wealth generated by working people, from electronic communication to shipbuilding and defence, is shared fairly and the jobs created allow everyone to live decent, dignified lives.

- BY JOANI REID MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven and granddaughter of legendary shipbuilding trade unionist hero Jimmy Reid

Our communities fought to keep the Upper Clyde shipyards open because they understood the dignity that hard, well-paid jobs brought to working people and their families.

The UCS work-in wasn't about ideology but respect and survival. Tory ministers couldn't grasp why working people wouldn't accept their jobs were surplus to requirements, and why they fought back against the reality that closure would bring to their families and communities.

This came into sharp focus this week as I stood in those same Govan shipyards at the launch of Labour's Strategic Defence Review. It felt personal.