A song for Jeremy: Barnet trade union branch releases song backing Corbyn

The Finchley and Golders Green Labour Party may be one of relatively few branches to have backed Owen Smith for leader, but Barnet Unison has given its own vocal endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn.

Following last week’s announcement that Unison was backing Mr Corbyn, the Barnet branch put out a “solidarity song” for the Islington North MP.

The song is an adaptation of a 1967 song by Dandy Livingston called A Message to you, Rudy - which was covered in 1979 by The Specials, reaching number 10 in the charts.

Whether or not the musical homage to Corbyn takes the charts by storm remains to be seen as the song has currently been viewed only two and a half thousand times on You Tube.

There are no plans to make money from the song, which features Tony Upson on drum and lead vocals and “the Barnet mob” as backing singers.

Barnet Unison said the song was written and performed by members to recognise support received from Mr Corbyn, who recently spoke on behalf of library workers in the borough - half of whom face redundancy.

Mr Corbyn said of Barnet Unison: “I would like to pay tribute to Unison members’ long-standing fight – in alliance with their local community – against an ideological council which seeks to out-source all of their council services.

“I want to be clear to Unison members in Barnet that a Labour government under my leadership will be promoting in-house services, and removing the requirement on councils to out-source services.”