About us
The Cambridge Universities Labour Club offers students the opportunity to debate, campaign and socialise with like-minded individuals.
The club is a broad church, representing all sides of the Labour Party and the political left. We enjoy rigorously discussing and assessing ideas with reference to their impact upon our principles of fairness, equality and opportunity.
Although affiliated to the Cambridge Constitiuency Labour Party, we are an independent organisation that democratically drafts policies and provides the infrastructure for effective campaigning.
What brings us together is the belief that we can achieve more together than we can alone; a practical belief that it is through the Labour Party that we can best push for the vision we hold of a fair and just society.
Campaigning
The club campaigns throughout the year in two main ways:
Firstly, we work with Cambridge Constituency Labour Party in elections at all levels from local to European. Last June we helped Richard Howitt win re-election to the European Parliament, beating a potential BNP threat to his seat, as well as making sure that Labour continues to have strong representation on Cambridge city council. This year the main focus is clearly the general election that will be held. Labour's candidate will be Daniel Zeichner, who comes to speak to the club regularly and whom we have every intention of putting into Parliament this year.
Canvassing for elections is a good way to break out of the bubble and talk to local residents about real issues. All are welcome, and for anyone who has never canvassed before we offer occasional workshops, and always work in groups so no-one is given a clipboard and told to get on with it.
Secondly, we also work every year on specific issue campaigns, either local or national. This term our biggest focus is supporting the Co-op Party's campaign to remutualise Northern Rock. Previously we have been involved in such areas as putting pressure on colleges to make sure all staff are paid a living wage and supporting the Child Poverty Action Group.
Debate
The club has many speakers from both within the Labour Party and other key figures in centre-left politics. This term we have Jon Cruddas and Baron Basset of Brighton (chief whip in the Lords) coming to speak to us. In the past speakers have included Anthony Giddens, Michael Meacher and Polly Toynbee. Other events held by the local Labour party often present excellent oportunities for students to get involved in political debate, such as a forum on Europe held by the regional party with Richard Howitt and Ed Miliband last year which club members attended.
And as well as these high profile speaker events, we hold regular pub meets for that great political tradition of arguing out the world's problem over a drink.
Socials
Finally of course, the club holds various socials. As mentioned above, we hold regular pub meets, we also hold termly formals (this term at Jesus), and after exams there is a garden party (held last year on the island of Darwin college, for a thoroughly acceptable price of £4 per head). And while the Cambridge University Conservative Association have port and cheese evenings, we in the Labour Club decided a few years ago on the rather more Labour equivalent of Beer and Sandwiches.
Be a part of something bigger than yourself: the Labour Movement. It brought us the NHS, the minimum wage, rights for homosexuals and equal pay for wome
(To read our wikipedia entry, click here).
