Class of 2009

It falls to me this year to write the customary blog post about the excellent Manchester Labour Students officers that are graduating. We are losing some fantastic people who have been hugely influential and will be greatly missed:

Michael Charles Joslin

Mike is without question the most distinctive character I have ever come across. He has two stand-out abilities, getting things done and getting his bike stolen. Under Mike’s chairmanship of the club we held some great events and strengthened our relationship with the Withington Labour Party. While at University Mike has made massive contributions to the Manchester Labour Party, North West Young Labour, Labour Students nationally, UMSU, and of course Manchester Labour Students itself to name only a few. Mike is going on to work for Labour North West, I’m sure he will be involved in Labour politics for years to come but if it doesn’t work out, I suggest a career in law enforcement…

Alex James

Alex has been an immensely committed and loyal Labour Club member, who notably served as Chair of MLS during the UMSU 08 elections that saw the Incredibles Coalition (which included MLS) achieve electoral success. Alex did great work as a part-time Executive Officer of UMSU, including helping to make significant process on reform to UMSU. He is a great campaigner who works very hard for the cause. And of course I won't ever forget that the football team he supports is Luton Town Watford. Alex is going on to work for Liam Byrne MP in Birmingham.

Ash Singleton

Ash seems to have gone on a political journey since he has been at Manchester, he joined MLS at the start of his third year and in just that one year his contribution to club has been immeasurable, most recently as our Publicity Officer. I won’t ever forget hearing a voicemail he recorded while very drunk that simply said “Mrs Thatcher, Mrs Thatcher” over and over again. Ash has some very interesting job prospects lined up and we wish him well whichever he ends up doing.

I’m sure the whole of the club wishes everyone leaving us this year the very best in what they are doing and thanks them very much for all they have done for Manchester Labour Students!

Brief Thoughts on June 4th

It has been a few weeks now since the European Parliament and local election results and now after all of the over-hyped furore has subsided; it seems like a good time to reflect.

Firstly in terms of Labour’s performance, you would quite rightly call me mad if I said these results weren’t bad for Labour. However it is worth remembering the anti-politics and minority parties vote that there is in Euro elections hurt governing parties in the UK in particular and in terms of the local elections Labour only lost 1% in the share of the popular vote compared to last year’s local elections. In Manchester, where MLS focused its campaigning efforts, Labour’s vote held up very well.

Secondly the BNP winning seats in Yorkshire & the Humber and right here in the North West is a much more difficult thing to swallow than just mid-term blues. The fact that fascists were elected to a Parliament in the UK is horrendous and the fault of the political class as a whole and it falls on all main parties to deal with it, the reason they elected wasn’t because of an increase in their vote, it was due to other people staying at home. The BNP don’t speak for me or of the vast, vast, vast majority of people in this country.

In my own opinion the BNP winning 2 MEPs should sound caution to those calling for wide-spread constitutional reform, the electoral system used for the European Parliament is madness and forms of PR only allow for parties like the BNP to gain seats and gain ground. To react to the current political problems which include the BNP’s election with making it easier for them to get elected in future is nothing short of insane.

So where do we go from here? In terms of the BNP I think, particularly some in the student movement, should spend a little less time talking about how bad the BNP are to each other and a little more time actually tackling them by getting the anti-BNP vote out in elections. The BBC and others need to recognise that it is acceptable to no-platform fascists and racists in a bid not to legitimatise a band of thugs as a credible political party.

In terms of the Labour Party, some elements need to realise that it isn’t our leader that is harming the party’s chances in the next general elections, it is the disunity and lack of a sense of purpose. Labour has something to fight for at the next election, let’s make sure it is fighting for the future of the country and not fighting each other.

New Website Version

I'm in the process of designing a new website for Manchester Labour Students, the new design is up already: http://www.manchesterlabourstudents.org

The content will be going in shortly. So, take a look and if you have any suggestions please comment on this post or tweet it to us by mentioning @manclabstudents in your tweet.

In other website-related news, the web address for this blog is now http://blog.manchesterlabourstudents.org, but all the feed addresses will stay the same.

Executive Committee Changes

A few weeks ago Mike Joslin and Rob Boardman resigned as Co-Chairs of Manchester Labour Students. They have both been fantastic, I wish Mike all the best when he graduates this year and I look forward to working with Rob next year as he remains on our Committee when he takes office as President of MMUnion.

I was elected as Manchester Chair and Luke Pollard was elected as MMU Chair. I am really looking forward to the challenge of leading the club and working with the rest of the Committee in delivering great events and regular campaigning.

Recently Manchester Labour Students changed its Committee Structure; as a result we have recently held by-elections for the new positions. Those elected were:

Labour Party Campaigns Officer: Andrew Campbell

Membership Officer & Secretary: Mel Haslam

Political Events Officer: Ruby Carr

Publicity Officer: Ash Singleton

Social Secretary: Francesca Cane

Students' Unions Campaigns Officer: John Gilchrist

You can view the full Executive Committee on our website.

I am really confident we have an excellent and experienced Committee who are committed to working hard for future of Manchester Labour Students, holding great events and campaigning really hard for Labour success locally and nationally.

NUS Annual Conference 2009

This past week Manchester Labour Students attended NUS annual conference - with members going as elected delegates from both UMSU and MMUnion. Several of our activists who weren't delegates also went along to volunteer for the many different candidates Labour Students were standing for the NUS National Executive Council.

I am pleased to be able to report that the conference brought huge successes for Labour Students and other progressive political voices within the national union. Firstly, Wes Streeting
was re-elected as NUS President. Wes is a member of Labour Students and has lead the NUS through one of the biggest periods of change in its history during his first term office. He was elected with a huge mandate (81% of votes were cast in his favour) and we wish him well in his drive to make positive change for students.

In another important election for Labour Students, Susan Nash was elected to be the first ever Vice President Society & Citizenship. Susan has been an incredibly hard working member of the national executive this year and has proven herself more than ready to lead the union on important issues such as defeating the BNP in the June European elections. This election was also important as it meant for the first time in 10 years Labour Students had 2 members elected to full time positions.

We were also successful in electing our candidates for the "Block of 15", which is a block of non portfolio, part time members who sit on the national executive. Ed Marsh was re-elected to the block after a hugely successful year, where he is joined by Tobin Webb. These elections mean that Labour Students will once again be leading from the front in the national union, ensuring that progressive voices are heard and students are not let down.

At conference, we also debated and voted on a wide range of policy, which will be used to set the direction of the NUS for the forthcoming year. In perhaps the most important debate, students voted by a wide margin to adopt NUS' "Broke and Broken" policy, which means there will be a key focus on winning the fight for a fairer funding model for students, when the current model of top up fees is reviewed this year. This was a big victory for those of us who did not want to see a return to the NUS of old, where our voices were rarely listened to by politicians and other key decision makers. The decision to pass this policy is welcomed by Manchester Labour Students.

My personal highlight of annual conference this year was the fringe event hosted by the Union of Jewish Students, which featured Ray Hill, a former leading figure in the British far right movement, who subsequently went on to work for Searchlight and infiltrated the BNP - revealing himself in a channel 4 documentary. Ray was one of the most captivating speakers I have ever heard and I urge anyone who get the chance to hear him to take the opportunity to do so.

Manchester Labour Students would like to congratulate all elected candidates, as well as wishing those leaving the student movement this year the best of luck for the future.

The End of an Era

Two weeks ago now I resigned as Chair of Manchester Labour Students. In June I will be graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in politics (I hope!). It has been 3 long and eventful years and I have loved every second of my involvement with Labour Students.

I am proud of the achievements of the Labour Club and I am proud of my own personal achievements. Labour Students offers people as an organisation the most incredible of experiences. I have met Tony Blair, been to a drinks reception at Downing Street, seen most cabinet ministers give speeches and met some amazing friends.

In my time as Chair we doubled the membership, improved our links with the local party, held events with Cabinet Ministers, developed a reputation as a campaigning Labour Club and delivered time and time again when we were needed most.

But I never forget why I do this, why I fight so hard, why I give up my life to take up rhetorical arms and pound the streets of this country; because I believe in something.

I was campaigning a few weeks ago and someone said to me "I'm a pensioner who do you think I am voting for?" That is the legacy of 12 years of Labour Government. Services transformed for the people that need them most, our country rebuilt and reshaped and the economy radically transformed and saved from Tory mismanagement. That is why I fight; because this is a legacy that needs defending.

I am proud of my achievements but more than that I am proud of the achievements of this Government and I will never stop fighting for something I so passionately believe is right.

Richard Neudegg, the new Labour Club Chair, I know will do a great job. I wish him and the rest of the club the best for the future and I know that this Club will go from strength to strength.

No such thing as psychology

Today's Observer contains a fascinating article detailing Mrs. T's formative years in Grantham. We're treated to a Freudian psychoanalytic insight with regards to the development of Maggie's political philosophy:

"Monetarism was an expression of her pathological anal retention (the Big Bang of deregulation was symbolic of her secret desire for explosive release). Her hatred of the nanny state was a response to her own absence of the "suckling breast", her extraordinary insistence on self-reliance an expression of her unconscious desire to destroy her guilty sexual feelings for her father."

Yeah.

Eddie Izzard coming to Manchester Labour Club

Eddie Izzard, the world famous comedian and actor, has agreed to come and speak at the University of Manchester about his opinions on politics, modern society and his proud support for the Labour Party.

This promises to be the event of the 2008/09 academic year and one of the biggest events in recent times.

Eddie Izzard started his career as a stand up comedian playing various comedy clubs in the country before progressing to be a West End and Broadway superstar and now a world famous actor.

Izzard, aside from his professional career, has always had a deep passion for politics and is relishing the opportunity to display his humour, wit and values to a large audience of students at our University.

Eddie will be discussing his views with Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for the South Manchester seat of Withington, Lucy Powell, and a to be confirmed guest cabinet speaker.

Wine and refreshments will be on sale and this event is free of charge and there is no need to reserve tickets. The event is first come first served.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Manchester Labour Students.

As the year draws to a close, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the year Manchester Labour Students has had so far and to talk about the hard work that we plan to continue in the New Year.

The academic year began in fantastic fashion for Manchester Labour Students, with the most successful freshers week in our history. Thanks to the hard work of several members of the club, as well as the enthusiasm of many people to join our club, we managed to recruit a record number of members to the party over a 3 day period in early September. The freshers fair also saw the visit of Jamie Reed MP to the club, as he helped us in the drive to recruit new members.

Freshers week ended with one of the most successful events in Manchester Labour Club history when over 200 students turned up to see Ed Miliband MP visit the Students’ Union. The event saw lots of students taking the opportunity to engage a high profile cabinet minister in a Q & A session. The event received widespread coverage including an article in Student Direct. Due to the incredible success of this event, we are planning to bring more high profile speakers to the club next year.

Freshers week was an incredible success and we would like to thank all of those who helped out, signed up or came along to the event for proving that it is possible to engage young people in politics at a time when apathy is at a worrying high in the general population.

In October, Manchester Labour Students heard from another cabinet minister, this time we travelled out to Hyde to visit the constituency office of James Purnell MP, Secretary of State for Work & Pensions. James took the time out of his day to chat to our members and answer any questions they had of him. This is not the first time that he has shown his commitment to young people in the Labour Party and we are always grateful for that.

November was an extremely busy month for us. First and foremost, Manchester Labour Students twice took a large group of Scotland for the long drive to Glenrothes to campaign for the Labour Party in the by-election that was taking place there. Our presence, along with the insane amount of hard work from people the people who travelled from all around the country ensured a big victory for Labour in what was an extremely difficult climate. We are very proud of the hard work our activists put in and the victory made all the hard work worth it.

We also had a big victory for the Students’ Union in November, as Manchester Labour Students worked with many other groups on campus to pass “No Platform Policy” at the UMSU General Meeting, as well as passing reforms to the Students’ Union council which we believe will improve the union a great deal.

Further to this, we then held a joint event with the Manchester Jewish Society with John Mann MP who is the chair of the cross party group on anti-Semitism, where we discussed anti-Semitism on campus as well as his time involved in student politics when he was a student at the University of Manchester.

We topped off the month by travelling to North West Labour Party conference, where our very own chair Mike Joslin was elected to be the chair of North West Young Labour. Oh yeah, and Barack Obama was elected President of the USA too in case you hadn’t heard. This event held a special place in the hearts of Manchester Labour Students as Mike had spent the summer of 2007 working on Obama’s campaign over in the states.

It might have been coming up to Christmas, but we didn’t slow down in December and worked harder than ever to deliver for students in Manchester. We spent every minute we could campaigning for a “Yes” vote in the Manchester transport referendum, and although the result went against us, we were once again noticed as being some of the hardest working campaigners around and enhanced our record of campaigning for not only the Labour Party, but for the interests of the whole community.

Following this, Manchester Labour Students Executive Vice-Chair Richard Neudegg launched his new “Community First” campaign. The work is just beginning, but please support the campaign by joining the Facebook group which Richard set up.

So, it has been an extremely busy year for Manchester Labour Students so far and this is just a small sample of what we have been up to. On top of this we have also been building our already strong relationship with the city party and working very hard on Lucy Powell’s campaign in Manchester Withington. We will be continuing this work throughout the year and continuing to campaign for the party at all opportunities.

That’s about it for now, watch out for our upcoming events which we will be announcing soon and have a great New Year!