Links

These are links to the websites of the groups/organisations/people/teams that best describe my politics, principles, interests and work in the student movement. Please find below my Links and the explanations as to why they play such a big part of my life.

1. I’ve been proud a member of the Labour Party (www.labour.org.uk) and active member of my Constituency Labour Party (www.castle-point-labour.org.uk) for the last 15 years and am currently Castle Point CLP Youth Officer. As a party member and student it made sense that I became a member of Labour Students (www.labourstudents.org.uk).

With the principles of equality of opportunity, social justice and democracy Labour Students and individual Labour Clubs allow like-minded students/student officers to organise and win on the issues that affect students in their day-to-day lives as students and as citizens of wider society. Along with Wes Streeting, Kat Stark & Be Pringle I am part of the Labour Student NUS group.

2. As a student and later, as an officer the two of the most important sites for me were nusonline (www.nusonline.co.uk) and officeronline (www.officeronline.co.uk). They allowed me access to the information I needed. However NUS realises that these sites need some updating and that is why both sites are under review with an improved site available in the near future.

3. Winchester Students' Union (www.winchesterstudents.co.uk) is where my life in student politics started – before I went to university I had no experience of students' unions and what they did, however I realised from day one what an important part this place was going to play in my life during my time in Winchester. Whether it was through being a member of the Union Council/Exec Committee, a sports team or society my university experience would have been much the poorer without the opportunities being an active member of the students' union afforded me.

4. As a woman in the student movement I believe that I have to constantly justify the need for specific women’s representation and the need for an autonomous Women’s Campaign; whilst a women’s right to choose is constantly questioned, whilst the gender pay-gap is at a staggering 17% and whilst cases of sexual assault are less likely to go to court than any other crime we need to continue to fight to gain parity and equality. It’s for these reasons I feel it important to highlight organisations that fight continuously for the rights of women.

Recently the right for a woman to choose what to do with her body has come under attack again and Abortion Rights UK (www.abortionrights.org.uk) is leading the fight against this rise in right wing political bandwagon by constantly having to ensure that the anti-choice lobby is defeated in Parliament and within the media. I’m also a member of Fawcett (www.fawcettsociety.org.uk), an organisation that campaigns for the radical idea of equality between men and women and has done for the last 140 years.

5. There has been an alarming increase in the support for far-right fascism in UK politics over the last few years. These disgraceful hate-filled organisations are harmful to our democracy and to the lives of the groups of people who do not conform to their views of UK society. It is for this reason that I actively support and campaign with Unite Against Fascism (www.uaf.org.uk), an organisation that campaigns nationally to ensure that society is aware of the threat that these groups hold especially if they are allowed to be seen as credible political parties and gain local council and parliamentary seats.

6. As an LGBT student and former South East Area NUS LGBT Officer it was important to me to work with organisations like Stonewall (www.stonewall.org.uk) in continuing the fight for equality for the LGBT community.

7. My parents have been active trade unionists for many years and actually met when they were both shop stewards in the early 70’s. At the time, my mum lead the fight for equal pay for the women in her department who were earning far less than their male counterparts for doing the same work. I just find it astonishing that I’m still involved with these fights thirty years later. The trade union movement has pioneered the drive for equality in the workplace and this is why I myself am a member of the Amicus Section of Unite (www.amicustheunion.org) and why I believe everybody who has a job should be of a member of a union. I’m also the NUT Scholarship holder (www.nut.org.uk).

8. My favourite daily online newspaper is the Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk) and the Education Guardian (education.guardian.co.uk); I also keep-up-to date with what is happening in the world of education by subscribing to Times Education (www.tes.co.uk) and Times Higher (www.thes.co.uk).

9. In my spare time (when I have some) I enjoy participating in and watching most sports. I’m a member and lifelong fan of West Ham United FC (www.whufc.com) - I visit Upton Park as regularly as possible with my Dad to cheer on the Hammers from the Bobby Moore Stand. I also have a love of watching rugby and have since a small child supported Scotland (it’s my mum’s fault!) (www.scottishrugby.org) and love nothing more than a weekend away in Edinburgh watching a match at Murrayfield.

10. And finally my one guilty pleasure is having the odd few minutes on Facebook (www.facebook.com) – it allows me to indulge my inquisitive side and keep up-to-date with my friends who I inevitably never have time to see in real life. It also allows me to engage in the kind of students' union gossip that we all despise but couldn’t live without!

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