The Youth demand! A report from the Left Unity Youth/Student founding meeting

On Sunday 29 March, hot on the heels of the student demonstration the day before which decried the abysmal Tory-lite education reforms being proposed by the Labour party, young Left Unity members met in Birmingham to discuss our hopes and plans for the future.

Following a period of discussion young members within LU set out to establish a Left Unity youth and student organisation, to push for the interests of young workers and students both inside and outside the organisation. Debates were constructive, participatory and amiable. Various members stressed the need to draw more young people into the organisation, to create a pole of attraction for those young people who have lost out under the neoliberal consensus and those looking for a radical alternative to the mainstream parties who champion it.

A number of motions were proposed, focussed on areas where we felt young members had a particular stake or contribution to give. All motions proposed were passed, they were:

1. To take a group to the Paris COP21 climate demonstration.

2. To organise a summer school/educational and attempt to get stalls at festivals over the summer.

3. For LU members to become members of the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts in order to further our work in the student movement.

4. For the Youth/student caucus to create publications online and in print including but not limited to a blog, leaflets and newsletters such as those produced for freshers’ fairs last year.

5. To take the initiative with the Left Unity policy of instigating a fundraising campaign for the PYD and to campaign for the decriminalisation of the PKK, leftwing organisations fighting for Kurdish liberation in the Middle East.

A constitution was passed:

The purpose of Left Unity Youth and Students Caucus is to raise political demands around issues relating to students and young people, in order to defend our interests within, and shape the policies of, the party.
1. Membership
a) Left Unity Youth and Students Caucus (LUYSC) is open to all members of Left Unity aged 30 and younger, and all those in full-time or part-time education.
b) Members should work within their LUYSC branches, either at their university, school or college or locality, depending on what exists in their area. Members of the Caucus and Section should work in their Left Unity branch.
2. Structure
a) The basic unit of organisation within LUYSC is the local off-campus/university/college/school group. These groups are responsible for undertaking the day to day work of LUYSC. They have autonomy within their sphere of responsibility and should be self-sustaining and constantly striving to take initiatives.
b) Conference is the highest decision making body of LUYSC. It is the only body able to change the political platform and the constitution. Conference is to be held every year.
c) The Executive must give at least one month’s notice of the date and location of conference to the membership of LUYSC when calling it. Conference elects the Executive which acts as the national leadership of LUYSC between conferences. The Executive should aim to meet on a bi-monthly basis.
d) Executive meetings are open to all LUYSC members and minutes of those meetings will be made available to all members. Between conferences an Emergency National Meeting can be called by either the Executive or one third of the total membership of LUYSC. The Executive can be held accountable and is recallable by these Emergency National Meetings.
e) The Caucus shall elect one Student Representative and one Youth Representative to the National Council at each annual conference, one of whom must not be a full time student.
3. Democracy
a) Within LUYSC all decisions are taken by a simple majority vote of all members present at the relevant meeting or committee.
b) Minorities have the right – and the duty – to fight for their different points of view. They must have the possibility of becoming the majority: they are encouraged to publish their critical viewpoints in LUYSC’s publications and openly fight for their views.
c) Groups of comrades have the right to support alternative platforms and form themselves into temporary or permanent factions.
d) The Executive Committee should seek to as far as possible reflect the racial, gender and sexual diversity of the caucus.

A political platform was also passed noting that “From Quebec to Chile via Tahrir Square, youth have risen up to challenge dictatorships and fight for a radically different vision of the future”, that “Universities have become businesses and students have been pushed into the position of consumers” and that “Youth are used as cheap labour, sexually policed and blamed for social decay. Young workers are in general less likely to be protected by trade union membership.”

Two members were elected as NC reps, Chames Zaimeche as student rep and Ian Llewellyn as youth rep, the caucus feeling that in order not to reduce the struggles facing youth into issues faced by higher education students it was imperative to have specific representation for non-students.

An executive was also elected which will plan and organise around the motions put forward whilst members begin to form youth/student groups and organise in their local branches.

Overall it was a very productive meeting in which the foundations and immediate priorities of the youth and student caucus were laid out giving a firm basis on which to draw young people to Left Unity.



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