Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, made an unannounced visit to Eastbourne yesterday (8 May) to talk to local Labour Party supporters, as part of a pre-planned talk that he gave to conference delegates at the Transport Salaries Staff Association Annual Conference and Jane Marter, Pevensey Bay resident and Bay Life contributor, was there to witness the event—Bay Life, 9 May 2016
Mr Corbyn arrived from Bristol where he had been to congratulate Marvin Rees on being elected mayor of Bristol
The Labour leader who is known to attend at least three of these union and supporters meetings a week up and down the country is said to travel by train and always insists on making his own sandwiches.
Pevensey Bay resident, Jane Marter, who stood as the Labour District Councillor in the recent Wealden District Council elections was one of the invited people to the event.
Jane, who is also a regular contributor to Bay Life, later described the meeting. ‘He is just the same as the man that you see on the television, passionate, intelligent and totally committed to the Labour cause and a really nice bloke”.
Jane got the message that Jeremy was in town at 1:00pm and that she had been invited to meet the Leader of The Labour Party.
Questions were asked about why the visit was not publicised. When David Cameron and George Osborne visited the town on 1 August 2014, on the day after the Eastbourne Pier had been in flames, they were sure to see that world and her Tory husband, together with supporters in the local, regional and national press were given the opportunity to be part of the photoshoot in front of the burnt out pier.
Their trip to Eastbourne at the time, a seat held by the Tories until 2010, was ridiculed by Labour MP Karl Turner.
He said: “Yet again Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne go on a taxpayer-funded jaunt to a marginal seat – this time with only hand-picked reporters in attendance”.
Caroline Ansell, for the Conservative Party, took the Eastbourne seat in the Election of May 2015, securing a majority of 733 from incumbent Liberal MP Stephen Lloyd.
Apparently Jeremy Corybn prefers just to turn up and makes a point of talking to as many people as possible to hear their views.
Perhaps this strategy is best explained by something that Jeremy Hardy said at the weekend.
The popular comic and panelist said on the News Quiz on Radio 4 (7 May), “when Jeremy Corbyn comes out of his house they say, Mr, Corybn, Mr. Corbyn, it is raining, do you intend to do anything about the fact that it is raining, Mr, Corbyn?”
The event and surprise guest seems to have gone down well with the people that were invited to attend, including one proud resident of Pevensey Bay.
Did she enjoy meeting Jeremy Corbyn, Bay Life asked Jane, “Yes”, she said, grinning,” it is not every day that you get the call to see if you would like to come and personally meet the leader of the Labour Party”, concluding in typically down to earth fashion, “a great end for me, to a sunny weekend”.
IMAGE CREDIT: Jane Marter. Meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, 8 May 2016, Eastbourne
