The new Liberal Youth leadership will be held to account if they return to the youth wing of old.

Since the start of this episode of #lyelects Twitter has been a bit of a depressing place to be. As far as Liberal Youth has come over the past year, at any moment we could return to the youth wing of old, where infighting and spatting at one another were common.

I am unfortunate to have been one of the members who were around at this time. It wasn’t pleasant. The LY leadership of old – the ‘old guard’ – seemed to welcome infighting between members, as it meant no attention or pressure was put on them, and they could sit around doing very little. For 5-6 years I witnessed an in-clique exec that made no effort at all to engage with the members it represented. I know, because I was one of those ordinary members.

It is no surprise to me that at a time when Sarah Harding has announced her candidacy for Chair the infighting has returned. Although I know that Sarah would rather get on with the job than infight, she has a worrying amount of backing from the worst of the times back then. And it is their attitudes, their unwavering pride at the lethargic youth wing of old that worries me. And as much as I appreciate that LY members don’t like to take their elections too seriously, it should worry you too.

Because the ‘old guard’ who led Liberal Youth in the past don’t care about us taking a backwards step. All they care about is their BFF getting elected. They won’t be afraid of shouting about it, or shouting at me for giving my opinion on how they lead our organisation to almost nothing.

Liberal Youth members may have seen my blog posts in the past, and the forthright way in which I stood for Chair at the start of this year. I have never held back the punches and always made genuine points that, even as I write this, no one has been able to give a single decent argument against. I made the point that we should be wary of turning our members into just campaign fodder, or we risk losing the whole point of having a democratic youth wing. I said we need to be more autonomous as an organisation, challenging the way in which Lib Dem HQ made strategic decisions on our Freshers materials last year. I said we needed to branch out to Further Education if we were ever going to grow and develop. As Campaigns Officer for LY I did the latter, showing that the priorities I put forward are achievable.

We’ve come so far recently. I fear more than anything that Liberal Youth will return to the days where the HE-centric executive committee spends time ‘partying’ at our national events rather than engaging with our first time attendees. Where the executive dismisses anyone who suggests an improvement. Where committee members spend more time networking with MPs than actually doing the jobs they’ve been elected to do. These are not concerns I have plucked out of thin air. This is what happened before, and what could happen again unless we elect people who know better.

Some of the people standing for re-election in the upcoming elections havent turned up to an exec meeting this year, or actually achieved anything – a reminder that we have not completely left the Liberal Youth of old behind. If you don’t have total confidence in those standing both as people and as potential leaders of our youth wing then RON them and don’t hesitate. Because, to put it bluntly, not having an executive for a year would be better than going back to what we were.

Whoever does get elected though must realise that members like myself will always be keeping watch. We are critical friends of Liberal Youth; supporting officers in their positive endeavors, but not being afraid to speak out when the leadership isn’t up to scratch. We are not here to bitch and moan at our executive or other members, yet we will not refrain from exercising our democratic rights should the situation demand it.

I have always believed that winning an election doesn’t deserve celebration. All you’ve been given is the opportunity to represent your electorate. Nothing more, nothing less. If you do get elected, get straight on with achieving what you have promised, and more. If you do, I’ll be the first to buy you a pint.

 

* I should probably point out that the print screen of Twitter was taken by someone else, who I then stole it off.

I’m proud of the Liberal Youth I saw at Eastleigh.

As some of you will be aware, I stood for Chair of Liberal Youth at the recent by-election. I lost, but what I did do was gather support from the old and new of Liberal Youth who were becoming increasingly dissatisfied at poor leadership and inactive officers.

I stood to give a voice to those officers who had resigned from Liberal Youth in the past, people who had given so much to try and change it for the better, only to be ignored and shut out. I stood for all the FE students we hadn’t engaged with yet. And above all, I stood for people who wanted a dramatic change in the way Liberal Youth operated.

Now I have to say, that the Liberal Youth I have seen over this by-election is one I am hugely proud of. It’s one that has clearly made a huge difference to Mike’s campaign, and most importantly we have been recognised for it. And that is in no small part down to the change in approach Sam and Kavya’s leadership has brought about.

What I want to see now though, as do others, is a harnessing of the energy seen in the Eastleigh campaign. I want all those youth and student members who attended to be signed up to our next LY conference/activate in the next couple of weeks. We must not allow ourselves to just become recognised in our party as campaigners – policy passed at LY conferences need to hit home on the big stage too. The longer we leave this opportunity to build a momentum of activism in Liberal Youth, the more likely we are to revert back to the dull, lethargic youth wing of the not-too-distant past.

On behalf of the members I stood for, let’s not waste this opportunity.

A response to an open letter from LYS, IR Cymru, NI LY & LYE

HOW CAN LIBERAL YOUTH BE TRUE TO ITS MEMBERS & FEDERAL STRUCTURE?

An Open Letter from the Presidents/Chairs of Liberal Youth Scotland, Ieuenctid Rhyddfrydol Cymru, Northern Ireland Liberal Youth and England Liberal Youth.

Dear Candidate,

It is important Liberal Youth recognises the difference devolution has made in politics and as a result within our organisation. In the recent budget both Liberal Youth Scotland and IR Cymru were awarded £250 towards their state spending. This is fantastic progress towards supporting our devolved states but more needs to be done to engage our members.

The proposals below outline the changes where progress must be made.

Proposal 1: Recognition for Northern Ireland Liberal Youth
LY must make it a priority to support young liberals in Northern Ireland by (accounting for local wishes) either formally recognising NI Liberal Youth or working with the Alliance party.

Callum – I agree, and I’d like to see LY NI’s involvement in anything we do federally – be that LY campaigns, conferences, or action days

Proposal 2: State Representation on Standing Committees
All Liberal Youth committees, like the executive and our mother party, must have a voting representative from devolved states that is elected by these respective states.

Callum – Totally agree, the Lib Dem Party itself does similar, and we should work a lot harder than we currently do to involve our state organisations. Concerns are that this wouldn’t be suitable on the International Committee of Liberal Youth, but I disagree.

Proposal 3: Access to Executive Committee
A real access issue exists for far reaching members attending mandated meetings held in London. The expenses process must be maintained and improved upon, but there also must be room to introduce both Skype meetings and alternative locations.

Callum – Throughout my time in Students’ Unions, I’ve used Skype and Conference Calling to ensure accessibility, so that certainly isn’t an issue. I’m probably the only candidate in this election proposing a focus on fundraising in order to support our activists getting to meetings, action days, etc.

Proposal 4: Access to Liberal Youth Conference
Again, there are real access issues for far reaching members to attend LY Conference. There must be opportunities for online engagement with Conference and Conference must, if possible, be hosted in venues across the UK.

Callum – the ideal situation for LY Conference would be to stream it live and allow for members watching at home to engage fully in the debate via voting. This could actually be a way of increasing the quoracy and democratic mandate of Conference, and is something some Students’ Unions use to good effect.

Proposal 5: Policy making for the whole of the UK
Policy is decided by the select few at Conference. Policy must be accessible through online discussion and voting, via a Policy & Campaigns Network, with thought given to differing aspects in devolved states.

Callum – I agree, and I think if we can work towards what I have stated in response to proposal 4 then this kind of open online debate can become a common part of Liberal Youth’s membership engagement.

Proposal 6: Joint Elections
If e-voting has the capacity to be introduced then Liberal Youth, alongside the devolved organisations, should examine the prospect of joint election periods for mutual benefit.

Callum – Totally agree, it makes little sense to focus all our elections at varying times anyway, as putting them together creates more of a buzz about the elections. The more elections there are a year, the less people engage in them, so anything we can do to organise our elections better should be considered a priority.

Proposal 7: Collaborated Campaigning & Training
Devolved politics results in campaigns at a federal level that are ineffective at a devolved level. Efforts should be made towards campaigns and training that can be jointly worked on which would ultimately win more support and would cut costs, i.e. Bears for Belarus.

Callum – Agree, this would obviously be aided by having state reps on Liberal Youth committees, in order to ensure that our campaigns can be used across the UK. We should make as many training packs and tutorials online as possible in order to maximise our potential here.

Proposal 8: Increased vital Funding
The devolved execs have workloads and aims similar to the federal executive yet minuscule budgets. Adequate funding must be in place to fully enhance activity and support members.

Callum – Almost everything comes back to funding, and that’s why I’ve pledged a totally new way of fundraising – our state organisations will be given priority for a large chunk of money raised.

Proposal 9: Increased Support
Again, the devolved execs have significant workloads. Support and time from the federal funded staff member must be given over to the devolved executives where required.

Callum – 100% agree here, and I know this will be helped if Liberal Youth can actually get to a stage where only we line manage our staff support, rather than doing so jointly with Lib Dem HQ. That way we can organise the staff member’s time more efficiently.

We the undersigned call on you, if elected, to support the above proposals and make a commitment towards ensuring real change is introduced during your term of office that will be cemented throughout the structure of Liberal Youth.

Callum – I have to say it is great to see a letter of this kind. Regardless of who is elected as Chair of Liberal Youth and on to the executive, all of the suggestions above should be implemented. From experience of leading Students’ Unions and being involved in NUS, both of which have independent bodies, I know that all the above makes sense and are recommendations that can be implemented without an awful amount of effort. I think the main two things I offer as a candidate in this election are experience and the vision to make a change to the way Liberal Youth operates. Thus, should I be given the opportunity to represent Liberal Youth, I will look to implement all of the suggestions in the manner stated.

David Green
President of Liberal Youth Scotland

Sam Bennett
Chair of IR Cymru

Stephen McFarland
Chair of Northern Ireland Liberal Youth

Conor McKenzie
Chair of England Liberal Youth

Why it’s more important than ever to vote for change in Liberal Youth.

When I first got involved in Liberal Youth 6 years ago, I was immediately put off. The cliquey atmosphere and half-hearted executive officers meant that members like me often felt like their time and money had been wasted when going to Liberal Youth events. In one year alone, we had almost 40 resignations. It was a dire situation, but how does back then compare to now? Well, despite having less infighting and resignations, the problems of the past still haunt us.

If we’re ever going to progress as a youth wing, we need to look at the foundations upon which we are built. I know from experience of leading Students’ Unions up from nothing that to build any organisation into a tower of strength, large or small, you need to build the solid basis on which you can grow. You don’t get that by offering a 6 month plan to campaign – after all, if we spent our whole time doing that then we would be a lobbying organisation, not a political youth wing. And you certainly don’t get that by offering to carry on in the same manner we always have. If we’re ever going to engage with our members, then we need Liberal Youth publicised on the Lib Dem website. We need information about LY in the membership packs that are sent to new young and student members. We need to make a real buzz at Conferences via promo teams, fundraising and flashmobs. We need stronger campaigns throughout the year that hit home in Further Education, not just at Universities. We need the Lib Dem’s regional committees to support Liberal Youth members who want to get involved in the party, whether that’s campaigning, standing for election, or going to their first federal conference. We need to fundraise in a way we’ve never done before, so we no longer rely on the federal grant from the Lib Dems alone.

The other candidates in this election won’t tackle any of the above. They offer little change from what has gone before. Sam & Kav offer only a campaign-centric Liberal Youth, one that does little to improve its relationship with its members, as well as a Liberal Youth that scraps travel expenses for its executive committee – resulting in a LY Exec that spends most of its time behind computers at home rather than out and about engaging with members. Katy offers nothing beyond what we’ve already seen for 6 years – a lethargic Liberal Youth that improves very little and uses ‘we’re better than we were before’ as an excuse for failure.

If Liberal Youth members don’t vote for something different now, then when midnight comes on new years eve 2013 we will still have seen no improvement in our youth wing and very little respect earned from our federal party.

If we’re ever going to gain the respect from the Lib Dems that we all crave then we need to offer something vibrant, exciting and unique that no one else can offer – a Liberal Youth that engages with its members in a way that Lib Dem HQ can’t. If we’re ever going to be the go to place for young and student Lib Dems, we need to start again on a blank canvass and offer something different. And I’m the only candidate to offer it. Vote Callum for Chair of Liberal Youth.

A Liberal Youth members deserve – My candidacy for Chair.

A while back, Tom Wood announced his resignation as Chair of Liberal Youth. Now we’ve all had time to assess our thoughts, we can start mapping out the Liberal Youth members deserve. Tom’s resignation has brought many members to say that now is the time for radical change in Liberal Youth, or we risk losing it forever. Not even Tom, who many (including myself) would say has been the best Liberal Youth Chair for a long time, could fend off the need for change in our youth wing.

From my eyes, despite Tom being a vast improvement on Chairs before and bringing some much needed stability, Liberal Youth hasn’t moved forward enough over the past few years. Executive Officers have come and gone, sighting the fact that the leadership wasn’t standing up for Liberal Youth’s autonomy as the main reason for upping and leaving. With their and Tom’s resignations comes the proof that we shouldn’t be afraid of standing up for our membership, be that against other youth wings, youth/student organisations or our own party.

And here’s one way I’ll be radically different from the leaders of Liberal Youth we have seen before.

When something bad has happened in Liberal Youth, such as Lib Dem HQ making decisions on our Freshers campaigns this year, the Chairs of old haven’t stood up for our members. They haven’t said when the Liberal Democrat party needs to give us more freedom or respect, because they have believed that standing up for the youth wing they lead will mean the Liberal Democrats won’t support Liberal Youth ever again. I think that is the wrong approach to have.

Isn’t it time for a Chair who gets more in return for what we offer to the party?

Do young members or students who join the Lib Dems get automatic information about Liberal Youth in their membership packs? No, because Liberal Youth has never fought for it.

Does Lib Dem Federal Conference have a commitment to discussing at least one Liberal Youth motion? No, because Liberal Youth has never fought for it.

It’s not about the Chair of our youth wing sticking two fingers up, it’s about standing up for our members when the time comes.

If we’re ever going to progress, and build the foundations on which Liberal Youth can grow, we are going to have to accept that infighting and resignations isn’t something new. I’ve been involved in Liberal Youth for years, and it has tainted us for that time and more. Changing Liberal Youth into something radically different will prevent more infighting and resignations, and only doing so will turn us into a youth wing deserving of respect.

I believe it is time for a Liberal Youth our members deserve – one that challenges the party on its actions, engages with our members in a way never seen before and empowers our members to get involved in the party in whichever way they wish to. Whether that’s campaigning, standing for election, becoming a political intern, going to speak at federal conference, whatever it is – Liberal Youth needs to be the go to place for young and student Lib Dems.

I want more members turning up to Activate and Conferences. I want more diverse candidates and an increase in voting in our elections. I want more funding from the Liberal Democrats and, if we can’t get it, we need to fundraise in a way that we have never done before. I want staff support at Lib Dem HQ that only the Chair of Liberal Youth line manages. I want our members and executive officers to get involved in NUS, like I did, not shout at it from the sidelines. I want young people and students to know about Liberal Youth from the minute they join the party. I want Freshers campaigns decided by our elected officers, not by a select few in Lib Dem HQ. I want Liberal Youth motions and fringes to be at the very heart of every Lib Dem Federal Conference. And above all, I want more students from Further Education, as well as young people in general, involved.

As the ex Campaigns Officer of Liberal Youth I promised a Freshers that our members deserved, after years of failure. We may have had some problems with Lib Dem HQ trying to take over the look and feel of the campaigns, for which I resigned in protest, but I delivered on my promise. We didn’t just do it on time for the first time in years, but we moved the whole process earlier to encompass FE colleges too. I was proud to be part of such a monumental change in Liberal Youth.

In more recent times Sam Fisk and his International team in Liberal Youth, along with our colleagues overseas, have put together the Bears for Belarus Campaign – by far the best campaign Liberal Youth has put together in a long time, but we do need results from all our hard work.

These two key shifts in the way we do things show Liberal Youth at its best, and we shouldn’t underestimate the impact they could have.

I wholeheartedly believe that Liberal Youth has the potential to be a truly fantastic organisation, one that young and student Lib Dems are eager to get involved in. I want an open Liberal Youth that respects the variety of opinion in its membership and uses that to its advantage, not one that shuts off people who are critical of the way we operate and the policies we fight for. I believe in a Liberal Youth that understands that the federal party hasn’t done enough for us over consecutive years, and will stand up for its members as a result.

Like many of you, I believe it is time for a Liberal Youth that our members deserve, and that is why I am standing to take over from Tom Wood as Chair of Liberal Youth.

If you have any questions about what I have to offer, feel free to comment. You can also find me on Twitter or Facebook. If you’d like to support my campaign for Chair, please click here.

Where not.

This is a piece featured in The Libertine written by Callum Morton, previous Campaigns Officer for Liberal Youth, in response to an article by Vice Chair Harry Matthews, entitled ‘Where Next’ 

If you’ve been keeping up with this debate, you’ll have noted that at the last Liberal Youth Conference an amendment was approved encouraging us to ‘move away from the ‘Party within a Party’ mentality’.

What this phrase is supposed to mean I have no idea, but I can understand the crux of the issue.

What the Liberal Youth leadership wants to do is stop talking amongst ourselves (in other words, being critical) and get out there and campaign, particularly for those target seats in the next election. Now, if you’ve read my articles for The Libertine and Lib Dem Voice in the past, you’ll note that I hate the idea of turning Liberal Youth members into campaign fodder. Of course campaigning is important, and we should always encourage young members to get involved in local campaigns, but as Liberal Youth we should be providing more opportunities for our members than simply door-knocking.

Overall though, the whole argument of ‘where next’ for our youth wing is invalid, by the simple and pure fact that Liberal Youth is not yet fit for purpose. We do not have enough of our members involved. We have poor turnout at elections. Not enough members turn up to Activate or Conferences. Far more don’t even know we exist. And let’s not forget the fact that staff at Lib Dem HQ have too much involvement and say over what we decide to do – something that still hasn’t been resolved by the leadership of Liberal Youth. Oh yeah, and the fact that the party doesn’t have a commitment to discuss at least one Liberal Youth motion at every Federal Conference. I could really go on.

Until we resolve these issues and more, most of what we try to do as a youth wing of a political party in Government will be redundant.

We have started doing things differently though, in the way that I think Liberal Youth members deserve. The Bears for Belarus campaign and involving FE colleges in our Freshers campaigns are both great examples of Liberal Youth being the best that it can be. Of course we should get the party involved where necessary, but we should withdraw from treating the party like it is some almighty being. We should be challenging the party on its actions, engaging our young members in anything we do and empowering our members to get involved in the party and Liberal Youth in any way they wish to. Three key goals that we can’t derail from.

I worry, and I think other members should too, when a Liberal Youth Executive Officer uses the words ‘work with our party more’ or ‘respect our party’ – because the reality of the situation is that the Liberal Democrat party should be working with us more, and respecting the contribution we have, NOT the other way around.

A Post-Resignation Thank You

They say hindsight is a wonderful thing. In my case, it truly has been wonderful. The amount of support I have received post resignation as Liberal Youth Campaigns Officer has been overwhelming. Over 400 people have now seen my resignation blog post, including Lib Dem MPs such as Party President Tim Farron. So I thought it only right that I express a thank you to those who have supported me at what is quite a difficult time, especially having been involved in Liberal Youth for 5 years.

Here are some of my favourites:

[Email] I was shocked at the illiberal manner in which you have been treated, as I have just read on Facebook, and I fully understand your resignation.

I first met you when you were in your pushchair, and have kept up to date with your progress.

I was impressed when I was part of the interviewing panel for the District Council elections by both your fluency and your achievements. I have followed your Facebook entries with interest.  You are a young man of principle with much to give.

If, as ______ of _____ Liberal Democrats, I can write to anyone to express my outrage, I will be pleased to do so.  I thought, however, I would write to ask you whether you would be pleased to have my support, to whom I should write, and any further information that would make what I wrote really hit the button.

And lastly, my Dad who has always been supportive:

Sending hugs x x x x x x x

I never wrote my resignation blog post with the intention of getting so much support, I did it because I thought it only right to tell Liberal Youth members the truth about my resignation. Having not received a single interaction slating my decision, I am glad I did.