Happy first birthday UCL Labour!

By Paul Riley

When I arrived at University College London two years ago, there was no Labour society to speak of. According to one source, although far from conclusive proof, it fizzled out, dried up; it had become very Blairite and therefore unsustainable. So I was told.

Before UCL, I was not active in the Labour Party. I had joined, always felt that Labour is my party and imagined that university would be the place to get political. May 1968, Cohn-Bendit, barricades, occupations, surely university will be a political hot-bed, right? Apparently not for Labour at UCL two years back, and understandably so. With Iraq and tuition fees, many students were (and are) angry with the Government, myself included.

Over the course of my first year, however; I talked with friends about the absence of a democratic left, Labour, at UCL. “There’s so many Tories”, we would say, “Something ought to be done”. This imbalance was incredible, considering UCL’s position, reputation and its progressive tradition, with the Conservatives very much established, since 1910 in fact. So, I, we, decided to act and UCL Labour was born.

That was May last year. Our official birthday, we concluded, is May 26th and, to celebrate at the end of Term, we threw a first birthday party for the society. Those students, eh, all they do is drink?

Not entirely true. The speakers we invited to UCL this year have counted among them, Polly Toynbee, John McDonnell, Frank Dobson, Chuka Umunna and, of course, Ken. Ken turned out to be a highlight of the UCL calendar, attracting an audience approaching four hundred. Coincidentally, the May 2008 mayoral elections marked the start of our campaigning. I remember standing outside Camden Tube station – it was raining – willing people to vote for Ken, to take a leaflet, and I remember our bitter disappointment with Boris’s victory; a victory for fools and the Evening Standard, not for London.

Our campaigning did not stop with Ken. From Camden council elections to free education, the Living Wage and Hope not Hate, UCL Labour has played its part, working with different progressive students, societies and organisations across UCL and across London. We also marched to end child poverty, Put People First and for Strangers to become Citizens.

And, ok, we did drink. Obama’s election night, the Christmas meal and the meal with Ed Miliband (courtesy of our close friends, Camden Labour were three such occasions on which the pub featured highly.

Without doubt, a packed year, and one that is far from over: we have to stop the BNP in the upcoming European elections. If you search for our Facebook page, our website or follow us on Twitter, you can see UCL Labour’s involvement with Hope not Hate. Take a look at the Hope not Hate-NUS video, for instance; we make an appearance. For Student Sunday (May 10th), in glorious sunshine I went over to Brick Lane for the brilliant Bengali Mela to leaflet there. For the European elections, we have a full campaign week planned, kicking-off Thursday May 28th with Chuka Umunna at UCL in fact.

Another quick glance at our Facebook page and you will find two neat sentences. “We are a forum and a home for the left. If you are looking to affect change, UCL Labour is the way to do that as a student”. That, for me, encapsulates our purpose this year. The Labour Party is a diverse grassroots political movement; a platform to represent and “to affect change”, not simply one opinion, one minister, one policy. If we seek greater student and youth participation, we have to reflect the former, so that the whole Labour tent feels at home. The minute we become the latter, we lose our identity and our support.

Different points of view and policy demand discussion, honesty and criticism. Without that, again, we are lost; politics is a conversation. That collective conversation has to be fully open, accessible and welcoming for everyone. I am overjoyed that before the end of Term our meetings were more female than male, that our next Chair is a woman and identifies as BME and that our committee, next year, is gender balanced, without any need for quotas. We are clearly not Parliament and certainly not the workplace; still, we are another very small step forward, in the right direction.

So, following that, to mark the start of our campaign week at UCL with Chuka, and at a difficult time, with a depleted membership, recession and the polls looking glum, what advice can I offer, here are my top ten tips to regenerate Labour at universities, and at our grassroots:

1 – Lay the foundations and build upon them, be honest. If you keep banging the same old drum about a perfect Labour Party, immediately your audience switches off.

2 – Reflect that honesty in debate and discussion, talk about politics, policy, principles and criticise.

3 – Recognise that we are a grassroots, progressive movement; a diverse political platform. We are not just one opinion, one minister, one policy; you have to say and show that and be a part of it.

4 – Welcome everyone who shares our values into the Labour tent, in an open, accessible and equal way.

5 – Once you have put the tent up, get involved, go along to meetings, campaign for the right causes and understand that political activism is multifaceted.

6 – Do not forget democratic activism and your local community. Democracy is everything; local politics is real politics for real people. Leafleting for Ken is about our future, posturing or playing politician is not. If the Conservatives and Liberals cut services here in Camden, local citizens (and students) are directly harmed.

7 – Equally, Camden Labour has provided invaluable support and resources. Make the most of every opportunity.

8 – Keep your perspective; we are about how to most effectively organise for change. So work with others; if you aim for the same objective, plan efficiently and cleverly and weigh up whether certain political roads do in fact lead to nowhere.

9 – Comrades, to the pub! Activism naturally necessitates committees, meetings and laptop sessions, but do not abandon the social side; hold parties, blow up red balloons, bake a red number one birthday cake. Politics and the pub go hand in hand.

10 – Finally, if you are lost, dispirited and in need of inspiration, listen to Tony Benn on YouTube for ten minutes or read one of his diaries. Your political passion will immediately be restored, I find.

Still, we students are a small part of a big movement, with a proud history and enduring values. That is the lesson I have learnt. Looking ahead, next year there is more to do; more discussions to have, more campaigns to fight, more members to welcome and, of course, a party to plan. Unfortunately I will not be there; I am off for the Year Abroad. But May 26th, keep a space free in your diary. Come and celebrate UCL Labour’s second birthday – you are all invited.

Thanks go wholeheartedly to all of UCL Labour’s friends, comrades, supporters and well-wishers, you know who you are.