Co-Chairs- Anthony Breach (St Hugh’s) and Kevin Feeney (Trinity)

Co-Chairs elect- Grace Pollard (St Hugh’s) and Claire Smith (St Hugh’s)

Treasurer- James Wilken-Smith (St Benet’s)

Secretary- Adam Whiley (St Anne’s)

Women’s Officer- Lois Aspinall (Wolfson)

Social Secretary- Brendan Harris (Oriel)

Campaigns & External Links Officer- Ellie Law (Hertford)

Membership Officer & Treasurer Elect- Will Brown (Pembroke)

Look Left Editor- Joe Collin (St Anne’s)

On Wednesday evening, OULC voted by 20 to 4 to begin the process of reaffiliation with Labour Students. Last year, we voted to remove ourselves from Labour Students. We were concerned about the absence of contested elections, the lack of open access to the constitution and the dearth of opportunity to reform internal structures.

Since then, Labour Students has made a number of positive changes to improve transparency, internal democracy and has shown a willingness to respond to grassroots pressure. This year, every position (full time and part time) is fully contested and the problem of access to the constitution has been overcome. We have also witnessed the great work that Liv Bailey and her team have been doing to promote the Living Wage across universities. This is a campaign we are proud to be involved with ourselves in Oxford and we can only achieve more by working together.

Many of our members felt that our decision to leave Labour Students was merely a temporary measure to register our protest. At a time when people across Britain are facing an unprecedented attack on their standard of living, it is essential that progressive students speak with one voice.

We don’t think that Labour Students is perfect, but then neither is OULC. We look forward playing a role in making Labour Students better for all its members

In solidarity,

Oxford University Labour Club

Women’s Officer-elect: Grace Pollard
Co-chairs elect: Tom Adams and David Butler
Membership Officer and Treasurer-elect: Hannah Wilkinson
Social Secretary: Tom Rutland
Campaigns and External Links Officer: Kevin Feeney
Secretary: Sarah Coombes
Look Left Editor: Anthony Breach

They will join the already elected members from last term, new co-chairs Nicola Sugden and Colin S. Jackson, Treasurer Chris Gray and Women’s Officer Claire Smith.

As is tradition, The Red Flag was sung at the end of the meeting before (as is also tradition) adjourning to the bar.

OULC also thanks Hilary co-chairs Jack Evans and Kat Shields for chairing the meeting, and Michaelmas co-chairs Stephen Bush and Kieran Cunningham for acting as Returning Officers.

It’s been a great Trinity term here at OULC and we hope to see everyone in Michaelmas.

Dear Labour Students,

Yesterday evening, we took the decision by 19 votes to 6 to disaffiliate from Labour Students. This was not a course of action we were happy to take, or one we took lightly. Our affiliation with the student movement within our Party is something we regard as an important part of our identity within the Labour movement. We are sad to be leaving an institution that has secured the election of countless Labour candidates while leading the way on tuition fees. But we could no longer remain within an institution whose democratic failings we feel increasingly threaten to undermine its positive work.

For the last two years as a club we have held an annual debate on whether to re-affiliate to Labour Students following concerns over its democratic proceedings. This year’s elections though, which saw every single position on the Labour Students Exec elected unopposed, showed that the problems that had initially concerned us had become worse not better. One of Labour Students’ worst kept secrets is the prominent role of the outgoing Exec in choosing and encouraging a chosen group of candidates to run for positions, with little to no attention focused on encouraging others to enter the race. This practice is clearly in itself wrong, but also serves to stifle debate and discussion about how Labour Students can be reformed to serve the clubs who need it most.

The undemocratic culture of Labour Students is typified by its constitution, which is not available online or even at the request of members. How can individual clubs be expected to argue for change if they can’t even consult the constitution? We have also been sad to see this same lack of transparency reflected by the organisation itself, which is all too often disconnected and remote from the student clubs it was elected to serve, with little to no regular contact with clubs. During the affiliation meeting itself, even those members of Labour Students who came to speak on its behalf acknowledged that the organisation has ‘lots to improve’, while one recent delegate to Labour Students Conference said that these democratic failings made them ‘sick’. While these shortcomings are problematic as a matter of principle, they are also beginning to affect the services Labour Students provides.

At the last election, we received election material that may have been fine at targeting most voters, but was completely unsuited to targeting students, forcing us the scrap the material and produce our own instead. In Labour Students’ campaign literature, there is no discrete student offer. We have found the local party’s election material more suited to targeting students than our own national body’s. The decisions Labour Students have chosen to take have also seemed disconnected with their membership. While Labour Students’ decision to endorse David Miliband last year was not out of keeping with our club’s own stance (he shared our endorsement jointly with Andy Burnham), the failure to even make members aware in advance that such a decision was being made, let alone inform them how they could make their own views heard, rightly angered many.

Given these problems, it was clear to us that Labour Students is in need of reform. However, it was also clear to us that the institution’s own structures make internal reform near-impossible. When we put some of these concerns directly to members of the national executive two weeks ago, as a club we felt a clear lack of engagement with the issues we were raising. As a club we are consistently outward-looking in our nature, be it in our strong links to the Oxford East CLP and local charities or our record of campaigning in elections across the country. On this occasion though, we felt with regret that the best way to foster a meaningful debate about the way forward for Labour Students was through deciding not to affiliate for the next year. We remain committed to fighting for the values that brought us into Labour Students in Oxford and elsewhere, but these wouldn’t be in keeping with our continued presence in an organisation whose democratic deficit increasingly stifles efforts at meaningful reform and improvement. With this in mind we hope through disaffiliation to start an honest and open discussion about the way forward for Labour Students, and return to a revitalised and refreshed Labour Students. We hope that this decision can be the start of a constructive, open discussion about how Labour Students can stand up for progressive students across the country that we didn’t feel we could have while remaining members.

In comradeship,

Oxford University Labour Club

Welcome back to Oxford!

This is a very exciting time to Join Oxford University Labour Club (OULC). As the only progressive party left in British politics, the re-election of local MP Andrew Smith and a majority Labour council in Oxford- as well as a new leader in former Co-Chair Ed Miliband. Oxford University Labour Club was founded in 1919 to provide a voice for Labour Party values and for socialism at Oxford University. It is the largest University Labour club in the country and its alumni include Ed Miliband, Tony Benn, Michael Foot, Roy Jenkins, Peter Mandelson and our own Oxford East MP Andrew Smith.

With the Liberal Democrats abdicating the progressive ground, the Labour Party remains the only centre-left party in mainstream politics. Over 30,000 people have joined the Labour Party since the election, around one third of those had voted Lib Dem. Whether one of those newcomers, a party veteran or someone who hasn’t considered getting involved in politics before, we hope you can get involved and help to make this country Labour again!

OULC is a vibrant and busy club, and hopefully everyone of a progressive mindset can find something that will interest them. The main events that will be held will be campaigning sessions, speaker events, policy forums and social events. Enclosed is a termcard with most of these events in but to receive more information and reminders about all our events please join the Facebook group (OULC) and follow us on twitter at @OxUniLabour

We hope to see you at as many events as possible

Lincoln Hill
Chair, Trinity 2011
Download a membership form here!

David Miliband has answered questions from OULC members as the club begins the process of endorsing a new Leader. To be a part of the leadership debate, after which which OULC will endorse one of the leadership candidates, come to Balliol College on Thursday 10th June from 7.30pm.

David Miliband speaks to OULC Members.

Yes We Did.

OULC has lived up to its reputation as one of the best student campaigning organisations in the country with the re-election of Andrew Smith as MP for Oxford East- with a historic 4.1% swing to Labour.

This is one of the best results for Labour in the country- so huge thank you to everyone for all your hard word. It paid off.

The Results:

Ed Argar (Con) 9,727

Roger Crawford (EPA) 73

Sushila Dhall (Green) 1,238

Julia Gasper (UKIP) 1,202

Steve Goddard (Lib Dem) 17,357

David O’Sullivan (Socialist) 116

Andrew Smith (Lab) 21,938

Turnout: 64 per cent

ANDREW SMITH DULEY RE-ELECTED MP FOR OXFORD EAST.

BREAKING:>>>>>>>Oxford win back overall control of Oxford City Council.

A brilliant night for the Labour party in Oxford.

Ed Miliband spoke about Climate Change and the upcoming Election to Treasurer, Kat Shields, and Social Secretary, Jack Evans- following a meeting and campaigning session in Oxford East Clp.

Click here to hear: Ed Miliband in conversation with OULC

There is important work to carry forward in our mission of social justice at home and abroad. Labour has invested in health, education and in rebuilding the fabric of our society. Labour pioneered the way on civil partnerships, the social chapter, the minimum wage and the first ever Climate Change Act, as well as massively increasing overseas aid and debt relief. We reversed the Tory legacy of benefit and opportunity for a privileged few which saw them hold down child benefit and cut overseas aid. We have made important steps in combating poverty and bringing forward progressive social change.

I am proud to represent Oxford East, where we have two excellent universities and all the benefits these bring. I value the contribution which students make in our community.

I have campaigned on the things which matter to students in Oxford, both on issues of national policy and on local improvements. I worked with students to improve security on the streets, and led calls in Parliament for proper licensing of landlords to improve accommodation standards. I have stood up for overseas students, making extensive representations to help improve the visa regime for foreign students and researchers.

Thanks to Labour policies for opportunity and investment in higher education, there 300,000 more students benefiting from university education than in 1997. I believe that everyone who has the ability should have the opportunity to go to university. I am concerned that students don’t have to get deeper into debt, which is why I signed the NUS pledge to vote against any increase in student fees in the next Parliament.

Labour has taken active steps in helping young people since our election to government. As well as the big expansion of university places and post-graduate students, we brought in education maintenance allowances, trebled the number of apprenticeships, and have given job and training guarantees to young people threatened with unemployment by the global recession. Labour also set up the Office for Graduate Opportunities (OGO) to help young people forward into careers.

I am heartened by the commitment and concern I find amongst students for the future of our planet. I am committed to effective measures to combat climate change and to investing in a sustainable future. I am personally pledged to 10:10. I have pressed for huge investment in renewables, energy conservation and sustainable transport and am proud that Labour has brought in the first ever Climate Change Act. Oxford’s Labour City Council has an excellent record on sustainable practice, and has pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% of its 2006 level.

I believe meeting our international responsibilities is crucial too, like achieving the UN target on the share of GDP for overseas development assistance. I have spoken out on the need to make world financial institutions play their part in combating poverty and making sure the world’s poor do not pay the price of climate change.

I want to see Labour’s drive for fairness extended at home – building on the important steps we have taken on NHS investment, nursery education, Sure Start children’s centres, improving maternity and paternity support, increasing child benefit and bringing in tax credits as well as the Educational Maintenance Allowance and the Child Trust Fund

I have been active in support of Labour measures for social progress, abolishing the homophobic section 28, open and fair recruitment to the armed forces, and bringing in civil partnerships.

I have also voted against the government where I have felt it was the right thing to do, for example in support of the Gurkhas, and to vote against a Heathrow third Runway and Trident.

I am proud of the government’s record on alleviating poverty at home, and of the achievements made while I was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. During this time, the overall number of people living in poverty fell, as well as the number of children and pensioners in poverty, and the numbers of unemployed. Tackling poverty in our country is crucial to our success as a society.

It’s important to remember the Winter Fuel Allowance, the free bus travel scheme, the Pension Credit, and the Child Trust Funds simply didn’t exist under the Conservatives, who have even refused to protect Sure Start centres from cuts. The Liberal Democrats would cut child tax credits, and have now pledged to put the Conservatives in power if there is a hung Parliament.

Labour is the only party which will really tackle poverty and extend opportunity. I am proud to represent Oxford East – and unlike my Conservative and Liberal Democrat opponents, I live in the constituency. I want to continue working for and with students in Oxford East and I hope you will support me in this vital General Election campaign for the future of our country, our community and our values of social justice.

Andrew Smith MP

We go campaigning every Sunday during term time, and collect vital information from as many voters, in as many different parts of Oxford, as possible. This lets us do two things: firstly, in the weeks before a general election, we know exactly which houses to target and with what information, be it on Labour’s record on the environment, housing or Andrew Smith’s performance as a local MP; yet perhaps more importantly, it lets us all keep in touch with the real world. Cooped-up in Univ, Magdalen or Christ Church, it becomes easy to imagine that all of Oxford is dreaming spires, Pimm’s and punting; through campaigning we go to all parts of Oxford and actually discover the very real problems that people have in their day-to-day lives.

This term, in anticipation of a general election next year, we are focusing on areas such as Cowley, Blackbird Leys and Headington. We meet in Sofi 2, the café by Carfax Tower, at 10am every Sunday, have some breakfast, and then go campaigning until about lunch time. While we’re out campaigning, we don’t try to get into debates with people (although this can be entertaining). Instead, we try and find out what their concerns and issues are, locally and nationally, and see if Andrew Smith, or the local councillors, can do anything about it.

If nothing else, campaigning can be really good fun. You meet dozens of similarly-minded people, for breakfast or lunch and then go campaigning. There’s nothing quite as entertaining as sharing stories about your most bizarre moment with your fellow campaigners; just this morning I was told by a lady that she always votes for whichever party is in government because she “doesn’t like change”.

I remember before the first time I went campaigning, I thought it would be terrifying. In fact, it really isn’t, and you can always ask to be teamed up with someone from the exec if you want to be. It can actually be really enjoyable, and is massively important for making sure that Labour stays connected and competitive in Oxford. I hope to see you out some time!