Glasgow University Labour Club

Glasgow University Labour Club
Motto	Serious about Socialism
Formation	1946
Chair	Oliver Milne
Treasurer	Debbie White
Key people	Vice President: Iona Baker Honorary President: Dennis Skinner
Parent organization	University of Glasgow
Website	glasgowlabourclub.org.uk

Glasgow University Labour Club was formed in 1946, and has served as a training ground for a number of prominent Labour politicians of the twentieth century. Membership is open to all matriculated students of the University.

The Labour Club runs weekly Pint and Politics events as well as organising guest lectures. The Club was recently involved in protests at a pro-life talk held in the Glasgow University Union featuring Ann Widdecombe and Lord Alton of Liverpool, and joined the Take Back The Night march against violence against women. It has also welcomed various guest speakers, including former junior Northern Ireland minister Adam Ingram, whose talk was entitled,"What can Baghdad learn from Belfast?", and a talk on the British monarchy from Hazel Blears, the former Communities Secretary, and Professor Adam Tomkins, a member of anti-monarchy group Republic and an academic in the School of Law. The Club also helps with Labour Party election campaigning.

In the past, the Labour Club has put candidates forward in Rectorial elections at the University, although it did not do so at the 2008 or the 2011 election. Ross Kemp, who was Rector from 1999-2001, was nominated by the Labour Club, but was forced to resign for unsatisfactory completion of his duties. The Club nominated Hortensia Allende, widow of former Marxist President of Chile Salvador Allende, in 1977, however she lost to John L. Bell, a student at the University at the time and Glasgow's only student rector.

The Labour Club is affiliated to Scottish Labour Students (SLS), and to the national Labour Students (NOLS) group. Labour Club members Margaret Curran (1979), Sarah Boyack (1984) and more recently Victoria Jamieson (2007) have served as Chair of SLS, while Boyack was Chair of NOLS shortly after being Chair of the Labour Club. Although NUS Scotland has in the past been seen as a largely Labour-ite movement, the University of Glasgow is not affiliated to the organisation.

2012/2013 Council

• Chair: Oliver Milne
• Vice Chair: Iona Baker
• Secretary: Ross Henderson
• Treasurer: Debbie White
• LGBT Officer: Aidan Turner

2011/2012 Council

• Chair: Rae Cahill
• Vice-chair: Mark McGeoghegan
• Treasurer: Debbie White
• Secretary: Oliver Milne
• Womans Officer: Iona Baker
• LGBT Officer: John McKee

Notable members

• Wendy Alexander: MSP for Paisley North, former Leader of the Scottish Labour Party^{citation needed}
• Sarah Boyack: MSP for Edinburgh Central (Chair 1981-82)^{citation needed}
• Margaret Curran: MSP for Glasgow Baillieston and MP for Glasgow East (Secretary and Vice-chair)^{citation needed}
• Donald Dewar: former First Minister of Scotland (Chair 1961-62)
• Johann Lamont: MSP for Glasgow Pollok^{citation needed}
• Dickson Mabon: former MP for Greenock (Chair 1948-50)
• John MacCormick: founder of National Party of Scotland, forerunner of Scottish National Party^{citation needed}
• John Smith: Labour Party Leader 1992-94 (Chair 1960-61)
• Sir Robin Wales: Mayor of Newham (Chair 1975-76)^{citation needed}