SO, WE did it! After a marathon Labour leadership election that has lasted all summer and taken us from the far north of Scotland to the very south of England, Jeremy Corbyn has been elected as the new leader of the Labour Party — a remarkable achievement.

And I say “we won” because it was a huge collective effort by over 16,000 volunteers. “We won” because the campaign inspired people with politics steeped in the values of the labour movement — values of community, solidarity, justice and peace. People young and old alike have joined Labour for the first time, enthused by this agenda, or have returned to us again full of hope.

Don’t take my word for it. Here is what a new young member, Andrew, in my home patch of West Lothian told me about why he supported Jeremy, and his story is typical.

“My earliest political memory was the day of the 1997 general election. My dad had taken me to my grandmother’s house to take her to the polling station to vote. I asked: ‘What’s wrong with the prime minister? Why do we need a new one?’ I remember so clearly how my Nana explained to me that the current PM was not on the side of ordinary folk like us so we needed him out and someone else in who would be on our side.’ That conversation sparked a lifelong interest in politics and the Labour Party.

“Much debate exists over New Labour’s record in office, and we must never lose sight of the good that the 13 years of Labour rule did: the national minimum wage, a massive decrease in child poverty and the huge investment in public services, to name but just a few. But we could have and should have done much, much more.

“People across this country are crying out for change and real opposition to Cameron’s brutal assault on ordinary working people. To me and the hundreds of thousands of supporters who voted for him, Corbyn embodies the hope shared by so many in 1997 but with a policy agenda to meet the society we see in 2015.

“Rather than offer the same old tired, losing policies, Corbyn is offering fresh new policies with democracy, activism and vision at their heart. Rather than simply accept the Tory austerity or austerity-slightly-lighter offered by the SNP, Corbyn is showing people up and down Britain that there is a different alternative. Rather than stuff money into the pockets of big business by privatising the NHS, he argues that the NHS is our most sacred institution and should be retained in public control. Rather than tie all working people to a mortgage, Corbyn is arguing for a mass public house-building programme. And rather than spend money renewing Trident, we should spend it to rebuild broken lives. None of these policies are radical — they are the reason the Labour Party exists.

“Friends, family and people on the doorstep have told me how they felt how the Labour Party has stopped listening to them and stopped working in their interest. A Corbyn leadership will end these claims forever. And gone are the days of sofa cabinets and focus groups and here come the days of policy debate and discussion. As a party member nothing excites me more than this.

“I was born in 1990, the same year as Thatcher left office. Twenty-five years on, it’s now time for a different kind of politics. Corbyn is the modernising force the Labour Party so desperately needs. That is why I and so many like me voted for him.”

The Labour Party now has the opportunity to take the challenge to the Tories and the SNP. The chance to offer a real alternative that will have an effect on the wellbeing of everyone, creating a more caring, more humane and decent society where we work together for the betterment of all and where the future for people like Andrew is one full of hope and ambition. Exciting times lie ahead.

• Neil Findlay is Labour MSP for Lothian and was Scottish chair of the Jeremy for Leader campaign.