80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JARROW MARCH

That this House commemorates with pride the 80th anniversary of the inspirational Jarrow Crusade; salutes the 200 jobless men who set off for London on 5 October 1936 to highlight the grim reality of life without work; commends the proud marchers who wanted Parliament to understand they were orderly, responsible people who deserved the right to work to put food on the table for their families; recognises that the famous Crusade represented an intense pride and togetherness which flourishes in the town today; believes that the 290-mile protest symbolises the strength of a community which adversity had tested but could not defeat; acknowledges that these proud men, the town of Jarrow and their local hon. Member who marched with them, Ellen Wilkinson, united in a collective effort to ask the authorities to listen; regrets that Parliament and the Prime Minister in that era did not treat them with greater respect and respond positively to their plea for employment; and pays tribute to the Crusade's enduring spirit which stamped the town of Jarrow on the world stage.