We are Warwick Labour

This article is the opinion of another organisation and is not affiliated with The Boar.

Student politics should be an inclusive and tolerant space, but judging by recent events, it has been messy, chaotic, and full of strongly worded statements. For those who have not followed this story, there has been a great schism in student politics at Warwick, and more context can be found here.

TL;DR: The society that was once known as Warwick Labour endorsed Cllr Grace Lewis’ defection from Labour, resulting in a cease and desist letter from the Party’s Central Office. Warwick Labour rebranded, becoming Warwick Labour Movement and then Warwick Left Society. Both the endorsement and the rebranding were decisions taken by the Chair, without consulting the wider executive committee or society members, leaving Labour Party supporters in a precarious position.

As a result, three members of the executive committee resigned, joining with Labour supporters, to form a new Warwick Labour Society, filling the party-political gap on campus and taking on the monumental task of defending the Labour Government, described by our Events Officer as “a behemoth of a challenge”. We want to be the West Point of the Midlands, producing ambitious, motivated Young Labourites who campaign across the region for some of the Party’s brilliant candidates. We will flood God’s own country (the West Midlands) with unrivalled political passion.

However, we will strike a balance between defending our political beliefs and maintaining warm relations with other political societies. We’ve reached out to the Warwick Tories, Greens, and Liberal Democrats to establish friendly relations, and we’d like to thank them all for the welcome we have received. Tribalism is for the professionals, and we aspire to help make campus politics passionate but respectful, competitive but constructive, and rife with debate but ultimately productive for all. Even Warwick Left Society, which has not taken to our formation well, is not an organisation to which we are hostile. We wish to co-exist more than amicably as civil contributors to Warwick’s political discourse. Each of these societies has a strong stance on how to make Britain better for all, and we deeply respect that ambition. Despite our inevitable disagreements, we extend the hand of friendship to all in the spirit of improving campus politics.

We are making Warwick Labour an open, progressive, and inclusive environment where anyone is welcome (apart from splitters). We want people to engage with politics constructively, providing opportunities such as campaigning sessions and training debates, talks with Labour figures, and social events.

Something we wanted to address from the outset was our position on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, which some have misrepresented. This is why we released a statement on the issue in which we made “it unequivocally clear that we condemn the Israeli Government’s genocide and man-made famine in Gaza”.

We also expressed our support for the steps the UK Government has taken to recognise Palestine, alongside “appeal[ing] for the release of the hostages held by Hamas and an end to the Israeli Government’s blockage of aid… One day, Palestine will stand tall and dignified among the nations of the world”. Warwick Labour is deeply committed to this issue, and hopes the mischaracterisation of our stance ends here.

Whether you’re planning on joining ours or any other political society, we look forward to seeing you and working together to improve the University experience of all. To conclude, here are some quotes from our executive committee:

“I can’t wait to see everything we’ve got lined up this year! – Nicole Nikfar, Women’s Officer.

“The Labour Party has been the vehicle for progress and modernisation in Britain for a century, and that is as true today as it has ever been… I am proud to stand with them as they embark on this behemoth of a challenge”. – Connor Summerell, Events Officer.

“From providing 500,000 children with free school meals to restarting Sure Start, scrapping exploitative zero hours contracts, and raising the minimum wage, this government is actually delivering… Labour has made it clear whose side they’re on” – Xander Pearce, Internal Campaigns Officer.