When Jeremy Corbyn launched the Labour manifesto in Birmingham last month, he referred to it as “a manifesto of hope.” If you live in the UK in 2019, and earn less than, say . . . £80k a year, then hope must feel in short supply. A decade of Tory rule has seen a fall in living standards through the implementation of a destructive — and often deadly — program of austerity. The bungled aftermath of the Brexit referendum has helped give power to the Tory far right; their victory at the upcoming election directly threatens the future of the NHS and the environment. Meanwhile, the left-wing alternative, represented by Corbyn, has been constantly monstered in both broadcast and print media — despite the transparently monstrous figures who comprise the current Tory government.

It was in the last election in 2017 that the Labour Party, which had been half-expecting a heavy defeat, began to surge in the polls over the course of the campaign — and ultimately succeeded in depriving the Tories of their majority. A sudden outburst of hope, driven by grassroots activists, conquered the dominant narrative of despair.

“Hope” has become a powerful message for Labour to be running on. If nothing else, it contrasts strongly with what’s on offer from the Tories, whose most ambitious policy beyond the vacuous promise to “Get Brexit done” — something they’ve failed to do during more than three years in office — is the launch of a £2 billion “pothole fund” to help fix the country’s horribly maintained roads. (The fund is apparently only sufficient to fill one-fifth of the holes.)