I just wanted to just post my manifesto here, cause
although I was lucky enough to be unopposed, I still wanted to put it out
there, so there would be something by which I can be held accountable.
Also please check out all the other people standing for
various positions if you haven’t already; there are some amazing candidates up
for various positions:
I first joined the Labour party in 2010, and was a very
active campaigner within my CLP, but was almost completely unaware of how to go
about getting involved in other aspects of the party or how to connect to other
young members. I am standing for Youth Rep on the London Labour regional board
because I want to work to ensure that all young members in London are able to
get involved; because come 2015 young people need to be at the forefront of the
fight against a government which is putting the future of our whole generation
at risk.
I will work with CLP Youth Reps to help them recruit more
active young members to their CLPs, and ensure they keep their young members up
to date with what is going on in their CLPs, as well as letting them know about
other ways they can get involved with the party (such as through Young Labour,
Labour Students, Young Fabians etc). I will work with CLPs who don’t currently
have youth officers to recruit more active young members who can fulfil the
role.
In order to ensure young members are a fighting force in
London, we need to offer them more than just occasional requests to campaign. I
will help to facilitate regular campaigning days in key seats in London, and
help young people get involved in campaigning with their CLPs; as well as liaising
with members in safe seats to help them get involved in campaigns in more
marginal seats. But I will ensure that this is combined with other social and
policy focused events to make young people feel a part of the party they are
campaigning for.
Looking at the success of Tower Hamlets Young Labour, I’ll
examine the merits of having smaller Young Labour groups in different parts of
London to work alongside London Young Labour, and help to set up such groups.
I want to work with sixth forms and other political
organisations (including those I may not personally agree with) to get Young
Labour in schools talking to young people about how to get involved in politics,
as London Young Labour did in the run up to the mayoral campaigns; this was a
brilliant scheme that needs reinvigorating.
Trade unionism is, of course, a central part of the
Labour party; but it is, worryingly, declining in our society. As well as
working and campaigning alongside young trade unionists, we need to be
encouraging far more young people to be joining trade unions. I will organise
events for young members who are not currently in trade unions with trade union
officials and young trade unionists to facilitate and encourage this.
And, crucially; I will work to make sure every young
member knows about what is happening and what they can get involved with. You
shouldn’t have to already know the right people, or follow the right twitter
accounts to know how to get involved; and too often young people, especially
those not at university, don’t get involved just because they don’t know how. I
will ensure that London Young Labour has an up to date social media presence
and website, that CLP Youth officers send out regular emails (or that CLPs send
out regular young member specific emails in cases where there is currently no
youth officer), encourage people to set up facebook events for events and
campaign days, and make sure these are linked to in emails and work to ensure
young members are always welcomed and not simply overlooked when they first try
and get involved. Getting involved in the Labour Party shouldn’t have to be a
series of ever more complicated challenges, and I will work to make Labour in
London an open and accessible community for all.
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