Labour Students: Assets, not tools

As the general election draws closer, Labour students across the country will be assisting their local Labour candidates and Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) on the campaign trail, but it is important to remember that Labour students are assets, not tools.

Labour students make a huge difference to the Labour Party. We will campaign when we can for no price (okay, maybe a cheeky pint at the local pub) and will even mobilise and visit neighbouring constituencies, and even visit seats on the other side of the country.

In some seats, we can seriously make all the difference and be the final push to secure a Labour victory in a constituency. The constituency of Swansea West in which I serve as Chair to Swansea Labour students is a prime example of this.

Before I even came to Swansea University I had already heard of Swansea Labour Students’ fame and success of helping secure a Labour win by a 504 majority, with the Liberal Democrats just behind.

Part of this victory came from very hardworking and dedicated Labour students, who were willing to give up their free time to ensure a Labour victory in the constituency.

Giving up our free time is actually believe it or not, very important. Instead of using our free time to study more, we campaign. When we are hungover after a student night out in the Student’s Union, instead of hiding in our rooms like vampires trying to avoid the sun, we crawl out onto the streets and campaign. We do less hours in our part time jobs which help fund our cost of living to, you guessed it, campaign.

Campaigning has almost become a requirement of being a Labour student,.

However, there are some Labour students I know who do not enjoy campaigning and will likely never campaign. But these people are still Labour students and play a vital role in our student Labour clubs up and down the country.

We are an organisation filled with many great characters, people who love the Labour party and love meeting and working with other likeminded people within Labour students. Some people I have met at university, who have gone on to become my closest friends, were made in Labour students.

So we aren’t just robots who act as hardworking campaigners for the party, we are also very sociable people who most importantly want to enjoy themselves and have fun.

It is very important that Labour candidates and CLPs remember that we are a Labour student club. Therefore, we are independent from Labour branches.

For Labour candidates seeking election or re-election across the country I kindly ask that you respect that we are studying hard for our degrees and love being sociable with our fellow students.

Labour students love the Labour party, it is why we joined up at university to get involved and be around likeminded people. We want to see a Labour government as much as anyone. Just please remember, Labour students are assets, not tools.

Joshua Lovell is Chair of Swansea Labour Students