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Scottish Labour Students

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Chairperson
  
Kate Shaw Nelson

Mother party
  
Scottish Labour Party, Labour Party (UK)


Scottish Labour Students (SLS), is a student society affiliated to the Scottish Labour Party, and part of the UK wide organisation Labour Students.

Contents

Scottish Labour Students aim to bring Labour values to campuses and represent students within the Labour Party throughout Scotland. SLS hold regular Scottish events including SLS Conference in November and SLS Council in February. In addition, its members are often invited to hear major speakers at Labour Party events throughout the year. Glasgow University Labour Club and Edinburgh Labour Students are the two biggest clubs within SLS.

History

The organisation was founded as the Organisation of Labour Students (SOLS) in 1970/71, however it is a direct descendant of the Scottish Association of Labour Student Organisations (SALSO) which had existed since 1946. In the 1960s SALSO's UK equivalent, the National Association of Labour Student Organisations (NALSO), was taken over by Trotskyists and disaffiliated from the Labour Party. SALSO, however, successfully resisted any take-over attempts.

SOLS remained famous for its hostility to Trotskyism and its members were key to recovering control of the National Organisation of Labour Students, NOLS, from the Militant tendency in 1975 and the following year SOLS members took the famous "icepick express" (a bus with an icepick - the weapon used to kill Trotsky - attached to the front) to that year's NOLS conference at Lancaster University. This incident is recalled in some detail in Michael Crick's book on the Militant tendency. (See Clause Four Group.) Those who were involved included Bill Speirs and Dave Smith (NOLS chair).

Internal organisation

SLS is made up of affiliated Labour Clubs at universities across Scotland.

SLS has a twelve-member committee, currently including:

  • Chair: Kate Shaw Nelson
  • Vice Chair: Kirsten Muat
  • Secretary: Shonagh Munro
  • Treasurer: Connor Cunningham
  • Press & Publicity: ChloĆ« Marvin
  • Women's Officer: ChloĆ« Marvin
  • Disabled Students' Officer: Gabriel Phillips
  • BAME Officer: Eunis Jassemi
  • LGBT+ Officer: Eva Murray
  • Ordinary Member: Donald MacKinnon
  • Ordinary Member: Carrie Duncan
  • Student Union Liaison: Hannah May
  • All positions are elected at the annual SLS Conference held in November.

    Liberation groups

    The SLS committee includes representatives from each of the 4 liberation campaigns recognised by Labour Students: Women's, LGBT+, Disabled Students and Black Minority Ethnic. Each campaign is autonomous and hold events and discussions designed at highlighting issues relevant to them to the wider Labour Students movement.

    Campaigning

    SLS members are involved in election campaigning in Scotland and across the UK, and the organisation mobilises its members to take part in campaigns in marginal seats across the country.

    In addition to this, for the first time in 2007/08 SLS ran its own issue-based priority campaign. 'Changing Perceptions - Homelessness' intended to challenge the perception young people have of the homeless in Scotland.

    In 2008 SLS ran a Pro Choice Lobbying Campaign against attempts during the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill by Conservative Party MP Nadine Dorries to reduce the upper limit for abortions to 20 weeks from the current 24 weeks of pregnancy. Her amendment was defeated by 332 votes to 190, with a separate 22 week limit opposed by 304 votes to 233 - with MPs continuing to support the 24 week limit.

    SLS are also actively involved in opposing the Scottish National Party plans to introduce a Local Income Tax which SLS claim would hit students who have to work to support themselves while studying.

    As of 2014 SLS officially supports the return of the post-study work visa and free education.

    Former chairs


    1967: Robin Cook
    1976: Robin Wales
    1978: David Smith
    1979: Margaret Curran
    1980: John Boothman
    1981: Geoff Norris
    1982: Paul Robertson
    1984: Sarah Boyack
    1985: Susan Deacon
    1986: Pat McFadden
    1987: Paul Greatrix
    1988: Billy Halliday
    1992: Jason Wassell
    1994: Joanne Milligan
    1997: Gregg McClymont
    1998: Alex Foulkes
    2001: Blair McDougall
    2002: Blair McDougall*
    2002: Gemma Doyle & John Woodcock
    2003: Adam Hug
    2004: Neil Bibby
    2005: Kenny Young
    2006: Kenny Young
    2007: Victoria Jamieson
    2008: Jillian Merchant
    2009: Dean Carlin
    2010: Ross MacRae
    2011: Ross MacRae
    2011: Mary Roberts
    2012: Lewis Miller
    2013: Stephen Donnelly
    2014: Oliver Milne
    2015: Erin Mulhatton
    2016: Pippa Weaver
    2017: Kate Shaw Nelson

    Note: Blair McDougall served two terms because the Youth and Student Conference was cancelled following the death of Scotland's First Minister, Donald Dewar.

    References

    Scottish Labour Students Wikipedia