When I was little I used to go to my Grandmother's room, with my sister, and she used to tell us stories of Ireland and the little people (fairies) and leprechauns, Irish giants and the like.  But there was one we always asked for and it went like this:           

            I'll tell you a story about Johnny McGlory.

            He went to the woods and he shot a Tory.

            And when he came back he shot another.

            And they set the blame on his poor old mother. 

Well, we couldn't make out what a Tory was and we asked her what Tory meant.  "Well, children, it is an awful thing to be a Tory, terrible indeed," said Grandmother. "They are the very rich people who live by oppressing the poor.  They own all the pits and all the factories, and keep managers with big salaries, just to grind and make them work for starvation wages. And, if they complain about conditions well, they put the screw on to them a bit tighter or else dismiss them."
Well, I can remember what we miners' wives have had to face in our time - starting long before the first World War - unemployment, low wages, and the pits just working when the owners decreed.
I had a dear brother in that first World War who had to join up in the Sappers.  He had a wife and seven children to keep.  He got one leave and it was his last - God rest his soul.  I asked him why he had joined up.  He said: "It was neither for King nor country nor honour.  It was for bread for my wife and bairns to eat.  We couldn't get food or clothes for them out of two or three days' work a week.  Now I know they will get the war allowance and enough to eat."  Well, he never came back and left us to mourn for him - one of the best and dearest. When his sons grew up to be able to help their mother, the same thing happened again.  Dole - none if any one was working in the house or money coming in, and their mother's widow's pension Army allowance had to keep them and support them.
This is just one instance of Tory administration and not a very proud one to their credit.  I know what we had to endure here at Wardley Colliery.  It was a terrible time, both during the first World War and the years after.The pits here were more often idle than working, and we mothers had to put our studying caps on and wonder how ever we were going to feed and clothe our men and families.  Many a time we hardly knew how to start laying our money out to the best advantage and keep respectable at the same time.  I remember one instance which I will never forget in all my life.  We and all the people here had to seek relief from the Poor Law Assistance Board.  We put in an application and were told to be at the Felling Council Chambers at 1.45 p.m.  As the pit worked, that day, we women had to go instead of our husbands.  The waiting room was packed to the door and we were kept waiting until our names were called out to go before the Guardians and state our cases.  Then we had to go back into the room again and take turns to go before the Relieving Officer.  Some of the women had families and infant children left at home, and I had three small boys going to school.  When we got those vouchers for food it was going on for 8 p.m. and all the shops were closed.  Some of the women cried because they needed the food so badly.  Our husbands had come home from the pit and, seeing that we were still out, came to Felling to seek us.  They met us coming home. It meant us going out the next day to get food into our pantries.  It was something I hadn't been used to.  I had had a good up-bringing and seeking charity was something I had never thought about.
Those were the Good Old Days the Tories swank about to-day.  Those are the days that we will never forget here in Wardley, near Jarrow.
It was pitiful to go down to Jarrow those days,  I used to go there to do my shopping.  They had to sell things cheap because there was very little money to spend, what with the dole.  Down Western Road and Ormond High Street and Grange Road shops were closed and windows broken.  There was distress everywhere.  What a shame for decent people to have to go through this pitiful existence and to try to live.  Poor derelict Jarrow!  No wonder they had hunger marches to London with wee Ellen Wilkinson at their head.  It was enough to make them revolt.  Ask the poor people of Jarrow about the Tories they know.  They know who to vote for now and for always - Labour.

Give Labour a bigger majority this time all over England.  Give Churchill, Woolton and Eden such a shock that they will never recover from it, and the Tory Party will fade away for ever.