In praise of Labour Students
Until we hear what voters are saying and relate their aspirations and insecurities to traditional Labour values anchored in solidarity, community, and the equal worth of all, the party will never reassemble a successful election-winning coalition. Labour clubs based around our universities have a major role to play, both in developing the new ideas that the left needs in a world of rapid and far-reaching change and, even more crucially, campaigning on the ground for victory. Labour has always been fortunate to have well organised and active clubs in towns such as Reading, Exeter, Canterbury, Bristol and Southampton – located in, or close to, marginal seats that the party has to win to be sure of a general election victory in 2015. Their role next time around will be crucial, as will Labour Students moving in from other areas of the country to campaign in our key marginals. Labour Students are a crucial part of the ‘ground campaign’ on which general election victories are built.
Posted by Patrick Diamond on 9 August 2013
When I tell people that I am an officer in the National Union of Students, nine times out of 10 they roll their eyes. The normal response is usually that student politics is about a bunch of political wannabes playing politics, arguing over nothing and that it is a waste of time. For some, student politics is either the occasional demo that is on the news, or an old hobby they sometimes indulge in (there are more than a few old hacks in the Westminster bubble who check the NUS election results – you know who you are). Too many people think that the student movement is neither relevant nor effective. To be honest there are times that I think they might be right. Arguing at the NUS NEC about expropriating the banks made me want to first check a thesaurus and then promptly concuss myself with a hardback copy of the Communist Manifesto. But actually that is a tiny snapshot of what the student movement is. Labour Students’ living wage campaign, fighting and winning a living wage on campuses across the country, is the furthest thing from being insular or irrelevant to society. I am sure if you asked Nick Clegg the NUS fees pledge feels pretty relevant to British politics.
Posted by Finn McGoldrick on 9 August 2013
It is because of the campaigning of organisations like Labour Students, Movement for Change and the NUS that we can make sure that the government is finally forced to act. Britain needs to cap the total cost of credit to prevent people getting into further financial difficulty and build a thriving network of local credit unions providing a real alternative to those who need affordable credit. While we push for these changes, we must make sure that in 2013 no one is left in a worsening financial position because they cannot afford to pay the rent at university or ends up leaving college because of the stress of their financial difficulties. By taking action now and kicking the loan sharks off our campuses and out of our communities we can send a message to the government that, even if they will not take action to end legal loan sharking in Britain, together, we will.
Posted by Stella Creasy MP on 9 August 2013
Cracking down on zero-hours contracts
There are very sensible steps that could be taken to make sure the national minimum wage we already have passed through parliament is not undermined by zero-hours contracts: making sure care workers are paid for travel time, for example, through enforcing the minimum wage regulations. There may be other ways these regulations could help limit the worst practices surrounding zero hours. What is more, we can work with commissioners of care services by encouraging them to sign up to Unison’s ethical care charter. And if business organisations – especially those on the high street with a large number of employees – can bring forward their own code of practice in the meantime, so much the better.
Posted by Alison McGovern MP on 8 August 2013
Reassessing Michael Foot
July 2013 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Michael Foot. It provides an ideal opportunity for considered reflection on Foot’s long parliamentary career. Unfortunately, after the general election of 1983, Foot’s reputation hit an all-time low. To a certain extent this was inevitable. After all, he was the party leader when Labour won only 209 seats, and the party’s 27.6 per cent share of the popular vote in that election remains its lowest since 1918. Foot’s reputation has, however, improved over time. Kenneth O Morgan’s excellent, sympathetic biography was published in 2007. Indeed, Foot’s career as a cabinet minister should not be underestimated. As employment secretary from 1974 to 1976 he ensured that the landmark Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 reached the statute book. As leader of the House of Commons from 1976 to 1979 Foot kept a minority Labour government in office with considerable skill.
Posted by Nick Thomas Symonds on 13 August 2013
Finding Labour’s inner geek
Previous Labour administrations had a comfortable relationship with technology when preparing for power. In the 1960s, a period of significant social and industrial transition, Harold Wilson successfully associated his government with technological innovation – in contrast to perceived old-fashioned ideas in the Conservative party. Today’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is the distant relative of Tony Benn’s Ministry of Technology – or ‘Min Tech’ – a manifesto pledge to create a super-coordinating body for technology in Whitehall. Similarly, New Labour had a strong emphasis on new technologies. As we develop our manifesto for 2015 there is an opportunity for the leadership to set out a narrative which would bring assurance to a wide audience, one which can create a ‘One Nation Labour’ story about the digital revolution across successive administrations and engage the hitherto-dormant wider Labour movement in responses to digital change.
Posted by Theo Blackwell on 1 August 2013