--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our problem in the 2015 general election…" description: "\"Our problem in the 2015 general election was that for all the good stuff that was in the Labour manifesto, we were still going to be freezing public se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/jeremy-corbyn-3212_austerity_our-problem-in-the-2015-general-election_562453.jpg" --- # Our problem in the 2015 general election was that for all… ![“Our problem in the 2015 general election was that for all the good stuff that was in the Labour manifesto, we were still going to be freezing public sector wages, cutting council expenditure, laying off civil servants. We were offering 'austerity light' instead of a real alternative.” quote by Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/jeremy-corbyn-3212_austerity_our-problem-in-the-2015-general-election_562453.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/jeremy-corbyn-3212_austerity_our-problem-in-the-2015-general-election_562453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/jeremy-corbyn-3212_austerity_our-problem-in-the-2015-general-election_562453.jpg) > “Our problem in the 2015 general election was that for all the good stuff that was in the Labour manifesto, we were still going to be freezing public sector wages, cutting council expenditure, laying off civil servants. We were offering 'austerity light' instead of a real alternative.” [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The party promised progressive policies but still adhered to austerity measures, offering only a milder version rather than a true alternative. **In simple terms:** Labour promised reforms but kept austerity. Key Takeaway Demand genuine alternatives to austerity. Themes politics policy economics social justice Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - campaign speeches - policy debates - budget planning - public sector negotiations Key Concepts austerity public spending political strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can a party break from entrenched fiscal constraints? - What alternatives could replace “austerity light”? A Different Perspective Austerity constraints may limit policy impact despite reformist rhetoric. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Austerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austerity/) [Civil servants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-servants/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Public sector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-sector/) ## Related quotes > [If the Labour manifesto is a pale shade of austerity, then I believe Labour will be defeated at the next election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-mccluskey/if-the-labour-manifesto-is-a-pale-shade-of-austerity-then-i-believe/) Len McCluskey > [“All around the world, the hard realities of a warming world are crashing up against the brutal logic of austerity, revealing just how untenable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/all-around-the-world-the-hard-realities-of-a-warming-world-are/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Increasing student numbers must be a central plank of the Labour manifesto, backed up by action, not just well-meaning words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-streeting/increasing-student-numbers-must-be-a-central-plank-of-the-labour/) [Wes Streeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-streeting/) > [The general election of 1983 has produced one important result that has passed virtually without comment in the media. It is that, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/the-general-election-of-1983-has-produced-one-important-result-that/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [If the Tories are serious about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to learn, regardless of their background, then the only thing they need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rayner/if-the-tories-are-serious-about-ensuring-everyone-has-the-opportunity/) [Angela Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rayner/) > [Labour has the responsibility to give a lead where the government will not. We need to bring people together, hold the government to account,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/labour-has-the-responsibility-to-give-a-lead-where-the-government/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [It is opposition to economic orthodoxy that leads us into austerity and cuts. But it is also a thirst for something more communal, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/it-is-opposition-to-economic-orthodoxy-that-leads-us-into-austerity/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I want to reveal in a simple way the usual - and unusual - life of the city; the corporation workman, the busmen, policemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/i-want-to-reveal-in-a-simple-way-the-usual-and-unusual-life-of-the/) [Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/) > [One of the keys to ensuring accountability is to have civil servants who witness fraud, waste and abuse to blow the whistle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-dorgan/one-of-the-keys-to-ensuring-accountability-is-to-have-civil-servants/) [Byron Dorgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-dorgan/) > [Wicksell's old-fashioned liberalism is reminiscent of John Maynard Keynes' attitude toward conscription during World War I. Keynes opposed conscription, but he was not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mancur-olson/wicksell-s-old-fashioned-liberalism-is-reminiscent-of-john-maynard/) [Mancur Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mancur-olson/) > [“Several studies of thousands of British civil servants (the Whitehall studies) have found that workers who have little control over their jobs—meaning they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/several-studies-of-thousands-of-british-civil-servants-the-whitehall/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [Give a civil servant a good case and he'll wreck it with clichés, bad punctuation, double negatives, and convoluted apology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-clark/give-a-civil-servant-a-good-case-and-he-ll-wreck-it-with-clich-s-bad/) [Alan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-clark/) > [Civil servants take forever to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wambaugh/civil-servants-take-forever-to-do-anything/) [Joseph Wambaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wambaugh/) > [Socialism would gather all power to the supreme party and party leaders, rising like stately pinnacles above their vast bureaucracies of civil servants no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/socialism-would-gather-all-power-to-the-supreme-party-and-party/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“I regretted my human form briefly; it would be so much easier to drag and rope information into the brain as neatly as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-johnson/i-regretted-my-human-form-briefly-it-would-be-so-much-easier-to-drag/) [Marilyn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-johnson/) ## More by Jeremy Corbyn > [I believe in public ownership, but I have never favoured the remote nationalised model of the postwar era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-believe-in-public-ownership-but-i-have-never-favoured-the-remote/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [Because I've never had any higher education of any sort, I've never held in awe those who have had it or have a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/because-i-ve-never-had-any-higher-education-of-any-sort-i-ve-never/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [There is a democratic process in the party, and that can be operated at any time. But am I going to resign? No. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/there-is-a-democratic-process-in-the-party-and-that-can-be-operated/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I don't make personal abuse against anybody, I don't mind personal remarks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-don-t-make-personal-abuse-against-anybody-i-don-t-mind-personal/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I have dealt with a pretty interesting mix of young people, many of whom have never been involved in any form of politics at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-have-dealt-with-a-pretty-interesting-mix-of-young-people-many-of/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I have already said and will continue to say that I won't respond to personal abuse, and I never make any personal abuse, ever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-have-already-said-and-will-continue-to-say-that-i-won-t-respond-to/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [It is opposition to economic orthodoxy that leads us into austerity and cuts. But it is also a thirst for something more communal, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/it-is-opposition-to-economic-orthodoxy-that-leads-us-into-austerity/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [A lot of people didn't feel attracted to Labour, so they voted in desperation for other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/a-lot-of-people-didn-t-feel-attracted-to-labour-so-they-voted-in/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [We're not going back anywhere, we're going forward, we're going forward in democracy, we're going forward in participation, we're going forward with ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/we-re-not-going-back-anywhere-we-re-going-forward-we-re-going-forward/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I'm quite concerned that if I spend time in the office, someone will always find something for you to do. There's always a crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-m-quite-concerned-that-if-i-spend-time-in-the-office-someone-will/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I think in English history a very interesting character is John Lilburne. Very interesting character because of the way he managed to develop the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-think-in-english-history-a-very-interesting-character-is-john/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I think we can spend too much time worrying about polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-think-we-can-spend-too-much-time-worrying-about-polls/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [We oppose the benefit cap. We oppose social cleansing. We will bring the welfare bill down by controlling rents and boosting wages, not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/we-oppose-the-benefit-cap-we-oppose-social-cleansing-we-will-bring/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [The idea that somehow or other you can deal with all the problems in the world by banning a particular religious group from entering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/the-idea-that-somehow-or-other-you-can-deal-with-all-the-problems-in/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [The Zocalo is a magnificent space, at least four times the size of Trafalagar Square, with the National Palace on one side, the huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/the-zocalo-is-a-magnificent-space-at-least-four-times-the-size-of/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) [Explore all 136 Jeremy Corbyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) ## More Austerity quotes > [Mainstream economic theories popular in the last several decades have tended to downplay the government's role in markets and to increase skepticism about even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/mainstream-economic-theories-popular-in-the-last-several-decades-have/) [Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/) > [“It was my good fortune to be linked with Mme. Curie through twenty years of sublime and unclouded friendship. I came to admire her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/it-was-my-good-fortune-to-be-linked-with-mme-curie-through-twenty/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I believe that if we are able to, obviously we need to ensure that we have a robust budget that's balanced, but there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jagmeet-singh/i-believe-that-if-we-are-able-to-obviously-we-need-to-ensure-that-we/) [Jagmeet Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jagmeet-singh/) > [“South of Larissa the landscape began to change. Jude watched an irrigation machine like a giant stick insect creeping over a field, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-alkazraji/south-of-larissa-the-landscape-began-to-change-jude-watched-an/) [Paul Alkazraji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-alkazraji/) > [Too many politicians seem to reach for 'infrastructure' as the default answer to investment, as if roads and bridges were the answer to everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/too-many-politicians-seem-to-reach-for-infrastructure-as-the-default/) [Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/) > [The flaw in, say, austerity, is that its success is predicated on the relative exactitude of math rather than the shifting, liquid imperfection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/the-flaw-in-say-austerity-is-that-its-success-is-predicated-on-the/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [You can be creative only when there is abandonment-which means, really, there is no sense of compulsion, no fear of not being, of not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/you-can-be-creative-only-when-there-is-abandonment-which-means-really/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [It is opposition to economic orthodoxy that leads us into austerity and cuts. But it is also a thirst for something more communal, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/it-is-opposition-to-economic-orthodoxy-that-leads-us-into-austerity/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [When people are running up more and more debt for housing, they call that "real wealth." It exposes what's wrong in the mainstream economics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/when-people-are-running-up-more-and-more-debt-for-housing-they-call/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [“If the surprise outcome of the recent UK referendum - on whether to leave or remain in the European Union - teaches us anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morritt/if-the-surprise-outcome-of-the-recent-uk-referendum-on-whether-to/) [Alex Morritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morritt/) > [The world has conducted a massive macro-economic experiment since the cataclysm of 2008. In Europe, the fans of austerity have had their chance, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-world-has-conducted-a-massive-macro-economic-experiment-since-the/) [Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/) > [We used to be one of the richest countries in the world, but we are now on a path towards under-development. This austerity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/we-used-to-be-one-of-the-richest-countries-in-the-world-but-we-are/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [The emphasis so far on fiscal austerity, while to a degree necessary for the countries facing market funding difficulties, is excessive when carried out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dallara/the-emphasis-so-far-on-fiscal-austerity-while-to-a-degree-necessary/) [Charles Dallara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dallara/) > [And what if we’d been utterly open? Made jokes about the first wife? 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