Democracy and Young Labour have, in recent history, been mutually exclusive. The strange incompatibility of democracy in this organisation and Labour Students has been justified with various excuses: “we should spend the money on campaigning” (as if a political organisation has no politics); “it will disenfranchise women” (as if the majority of women in our […]
Posts under ‘Young People’
Young Labour leaders ridicule member for working in a restaurant
Feb 8th, 2015 by Jake Johnstone.This is the text of an open letter to Labour Party General Secretary, Iain McNicol Dear Iain, My name is Jake. You’ve only met me once so I doubt that you’d remember this particular bespectacled Labour-supporting 19 year old. Anyway, hello. I currently work in a restaurant in Waterloo. I enjoy my job. It’s sociable, […]
Share:
Labour can win if it’s bolder
Jan 8th, 2015 by Peter Rowlands.With only four months to go Labour can win, but only if two sets of conditions are fulfilled. Firstly, that there is internal discipline generating external unity, with the usual suspects forswearing any ‘advice’, at least until 7 May (Blair and Mandelson please note). This means Progress supporting the Miliband ‘ left’ line, which merely points in a […]
Share:
The paedophile next door – moving beyond condemnation?
Nov 26th, 2014 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.Are we living at peak paedophile? No, we passed that a few years ago. But we do live in a culture saturated by paedophile panic. You’re practically not allowed to have contact with kids unless cleared by the Disclosure and Barring Service. Nary a day goes by without a paedophile somewhere getting banged up. We’ve had dear […]
Share:
Woolf’s enforced resignation exposes Establishment & Home Office stitch-up
Nov 1st, 2014 by Jon Lansman.It’s not often I disagree with my colleague Tom Watson MP, but on the issue of Fiona Woolf being forced out of the chairmanship of the child sex abuse inquiry after a string of damning revelations I think he’s got it wrong. “Labour should not go after May”, he’s reported as saying. Of course he’s […]
Share:
Labour Students wreck their own wrecking amendment
Oct 22nd, 2014 by Conrad Landin.Last night the Labour Students and Progress block on the Young Labour national committee accidentally wrecked their own wrecking amendment, thereby wrecked (for them) the overall motion, and then voted it down – despite their amendment having been carried. The bizarre spectacle was the climax of a shoddy episode which once again revealed that Labour […]
Share:
Young Labour members: lobby your reps for free education
Oct 21st, 2014 by Newsdesk.Today (Tuesday 21st October) the Young Labour national committee will be debating a motion on free education and providing support for the free education demo on November 19th, submitted under-19s officer Rida Vaquas and seconded by trade union rep Caroline Hill. It is likely that right-wing members of the committee will attempt to prevent the […]
Share:
Young Labour and Gaza: first as farce, then as farce
Oct 19th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.The religion of socialism is for me not so much the language of priorities, as the language of common sense, of right and wrong. So sitting on the Young Labour national committee has been a frustrating experience. At the August meeting, senior members of the committee – including chair Simon Darvill and national executive committee […]
Share:
A revolution of the mind: why Labour must target young voters
Oct 10th, 2014 by Daniel McAteer.In the 1964 general election, turnout for 20-24 year olds (18 year olds couldn’t vote until 1969) was 77%, the same as the turnout for those aged over 65. In 2010 however turnout for 18-24 year olds was just 52%, yet for those aged 65+ it was 75%. We are all familiar with the story; ‘there […]
Share:
Lest we forget: why you should never, ever trust a Lib Dem
Oct 5th, 2014 by Jon Lansman.Let’s never forget what Nick Clegg promised just four years ago: I really think tuition fees are wrong. I think it is wrong to saddle young people with £25,000 of debt before they’ve even taken a step in adult life.”
