Of course, amidst this week's flurry of blog posts (this is now my fourth day in a row, I'm not sure which of the seals I've opened, but it's definitely one of them!) I have unaccountably failed to explain the disappearance of certain information from my profile.
I can therefore confirm that I have resigned from LDYS Executive and LDYS Policy Committee. I'm not going to go into detail at this stage, mid-leadership election and all; suffice it to say, my resignation was on a point of principle relating to LDYS' future direction.
In that vein, I offer a challenge to our leadership contenders. The numbers are stark; there are 22 held or target seats in which the student vote alone could decide the seat. And yet, LDYS is the single most neglected part of our campaign arsenal, with the Federal Party taking notice only when it wants its picture taken in front of good things and when it wants bad things hushed up. My challenge, therefore, is this; tell us how you are going to ensure that LDYS is supported, not only by our words, but by our actions.
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2 comments:
Just for information Gareth, I was asked earlier this year by the Campaigns Department to liaise with LDYS over student campaigning.
I have been in regular contact with Mark Gettleson, Adi Smith and others to discuss how we might work together.
In the run up to freshers and the possible election I worked with Mark on an advice note and pack of materials for key seats with large student populations, and in particular to provide materials to help with voter registartion (which would have been a big issue).
Mark also worked with one of our national team on student election materials.
So, yes, there is still a long way to go, but I don't think it is fair to claim that the party is completely ignoring student campaigning.
Oh indeed, and certainly in terms of the practical elements like campaign materials things are improving. My issue is more about the culture of the LDYS-Federal relationship, but as I say there's no need to trawl through it all at this stage when getting through the leadership election and uniting the party is more important.
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