A Labour Activist Sets The Record Straight About Who Really Represents The Working Class

By Ed Scarce — May 25, 2019

Britain's Labour Party is often derided by the far right, much like the Democrats here, as really being run by liberal elites rather than those who "fully understand working-class concerns." Guy Matthews, a Labour Party activist from Retford, has heard that bullshit too often and went off, setting the record straight in a video that went viral on Facebook and Twitter.

Or as he says in the video, "I’m closer to a Jamaican born brickie than I am Jacob Rees-Mogg. I've got more in common with a Polish hotel maid than I do with Nigel Farage. There's a lot of money and effort that goes into obscuring that simple truth."

"The working class is the working class, regardless of skin colour".

Labour member and activist Guy Matthews on how the right will never represent the working class. pic.twitter.com/cQNrTrfEF6

— Labour Voices (@VoicesLabour) May 22, 2019

He's garnered much praise on twitter for saying what needed to be said.

WHYYY did I wait so long to watch this?? So happy to share with my American friends after it’s made the rounds here in the UK. pic.twitter.com/6Jfuu7uRcw

— rob delaney (@robdelaney) May 25, 2019

"I am closer to a Jamaican born brickie than I am Jacob Rees-Mogg. I've got more in common with a Polish hotel maid than I do with Nigel Farage. There's a lot of money and effort that goes into obscuring that simple truth."

This is simple but really goodpic.twitter.com/G8xtN9pqdO

— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) May 23, 2019

I think this is incredibly incredibly powerful and so so true.

We should always remember our roots and the communities we are so proud to be from.

Not crumbs off the table just fairness equality and opportunity.

Not the world ! But fairness !! 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

pic.twitter.com/ZbXbybhiLx

— Ian Lavery MP (@IanLaveryMP) May 24, 2019

"I’m closer to a Jamaican born brickie than I am Jacob Rees-Mogg. I've got more in common with a Polish hotel maid than I do with Nigel Farage.”

This is one of the best arguments against the poison of divide and rule you will ever watch.pic.twitter.com/PvBSntFgqA

— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) May 23, 2019

An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified Mr. Guy as an MP.

Explore more

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.