IN response to Alistair Jewison's letter 'Superficial Labour', (December 7) I should like to reiterate that in 1997 New Labour was elected to govern for all the British people, married and unmarried.
Mr Jewison says "to hell with the long- term effects on society".
These people are as much a part of our society as anyone else and it's outrageous to suggest they are second class citizens because they are not part of a married couple.
Mr Jewison claims Labour is the "self-proclaimed party of the family".
Considering what New Labour has done for mums, dads and children, it's fair to say we have done more for families than any other arty.
This includes helping one million working women by cutting the qualifying period for maternity leave from two years to a year; and raising Child Benefit to the highest level in real terms in history.
New Labour's family policies are also a complete contrast to the last Tory Government who told people how to run their lives along the lines of "family values" and then hypocritically indulged in the opposite.
Chris Jukes,
Parliamentary spokesperson,
Vale of York Constituency Labour Party, North Lodge,
Chester-le-Street, Durham.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article