SIXTEEN role and une National Students.
By Anne Kane and Robin Laney people' ones to bring the party's youth.
ship. They are made in the Sawyer of NUPE -age limit to 21.
clude setting up youth campaigns committee franchise, decided by the NEC, ward. in campaigns, leadership • irrelevant young people in the last few years.
the LPYS -for exists in the Labour Party the LPYS create a much RESOLUTIONS and amendments have been submitted to party conference on 'youth organisation'. The essence of the debate will be around proposals made by Glasgow Hillhead CLP to downgrade the independence of the LPYS. These proposals are supported, among others, by Organisation It is claimed the new proposals will create a 'vibrant youth movement' and make Labour more attractive to youth. Labour is to 'Listen to Youth' more, promote Red Wedge, and keep up the work of 'popularising socialist policies amongst young Despite the gift wrapping, the key proposals are - that is the LPYS - sharply under the control of the party leader: context of a £3000 budget cut suffered by the LPYS since October and the total removal of its f4000 newspaper budget. They are part of wider proposals suggested by Tom • which include lowering the The proposals for immediate implementation, by way of preparing the ground for next year, in-!
committees regionally, to which the LPYS would be subordinate and which would allow youth officers in CLPs to 'coordinate' youth work. Next year there would be proposals to replace the LPYS by a - and elect the pre sent LPYS representative on the NEC by a 'wider will come forThese proposals have nothing to do with creating a 'vibrant youth organisation'. The first right of anv such movement is to decide its owr representatives However, the policies of the LPYS render it a small organisation in the tace widespread youth campaigning - as seen during the miners strike, in solidarity with the struggle against apartheid, against racist policing and in many other struggles. The LPYS has failed to involve itself in almost every struggle important to There are two possible responses to this situation. One is the cynical attempt by Hillhead to use this isolation to try and end any independence of - a lot of pop music but no power!
The other is for the LPYS to adopt policies that make alliances with black youth, women, lesbians and gay men on their terms, and be involved with young people in campaigns like the AAM. This type of way forward for the LPYS began to be built with the united campaign around a black sections candidate for LPYS representative on the NEC at this year's LPYS conference. The kind of left that - around WAC, the Black Sections, the Labour Committee on Ireland, and Campaign Group — must organise to further its support inside Supporting these policies and alliances will 'wider franchise' by allowing the LPYS to reach out to and win many more young people for Labour. The proposal from Hillhead is to put Labour's youth under the control of an NEC that opposes exactly these kinds of alliances.