Oxford University Labour Club
Encyclopedia
| Founded | 1919 |
|---|---|
| Home Page | http://www.oulc.org/ |
The executive, Michaelmas Term Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St... 2011 |
|
| Co-Chair | Nicola Sugden, Balliol |
| Co-Chair | Colin S. Jackson, LMH |
| Treasurer | Chris Gray, Merton |
| Secretary | Sarah Coombes, Jesus |
| Women's Officer | Claire Smith, St. Hugh's |
| Social Secretary | Tom Rutland, Jesus |
| Campaigns & External Links Officer | Kevin Feeney, Trinity |
| Membership Officer & Treasurer Elect | Hannah Wilkinson, LMH |
| Look Left Editor | Anthony Breach, St. Hugh's |
| Co-Chair Elect | David Butler, Jesus |
| Co-Chair Elect | Tom 'AV' Adams, Jesus |
| Women's Officer Elect | Grace Pollard, St. Hugh's |
Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) was founded in 1919 to provide a voice for Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
values and for socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
at Oxford University, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the largest university Labour club in the country.
The club caters for any students who are interested in the ideals of the labour movement whether a lifelong member of the Labour Party or entirely new to politics. In a recent lecture Stewart Wood, special adviser to Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
and politics tutor at Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, said that 'OULC is held up as an exemplar of what needs to be done.' During his visit to Oxford in July 2009 the Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
was reported as having praised OULC’s 'brilliant contribution to progressive politics in the University, the city and the country.' The club was instrumental in returning Andrew Smith to Parliament for Oxford East
Oxford East
Oxford East is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
at the 2010 General Election
2010 general election
2010 general election may refer to:* Anguillan general election, 2010* Australian federal election, 2010* Bougainvillean general election, 2010* Brazilian general election, 2010* Burmese general election, 2010* Cook Islands general election, 2010...
with a 4.1% swing to Labour, the largest in England outside London.
OULC holds regular speaker events, social events, policy discussion and takes part in year-round campaigning activity, in the student movement for the Labour Party and on issues decided by the membership. In recent years, the club has hosted a number of high-profile figures from the Labour movement including Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, Andrew Adonis, Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, Lord Falconer, Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell
Alastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994...
, Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Islington North since 1983.-Early and personal life:...
, John Denham, Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997 to 2005, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997...
, David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
, Brendan Barber
Brendan Barber
Brendan Paul Barber has been the General Secretary of the United Kingdom's Trades Union Congress since June 2003.-Early life:...
, Derek Simpson
Derek Simpson (trade unionist)
Derek Simpson is the former Joint General Secretary of the UK's biggest private-sector trade union, Unite from 2007 until 2010. He was General Secretary of the Amicus trade union from 2002 until its merger with the Transport and General Workers' Union to form Unite in 2007.-Early life:Derek...
, Nick Cohen
Nick Cohen
Nick Cohen is a British journalist, author and political commentator. He is currently a columnist for The Observer, a blogger for The Spectator and TV critic for Standpoint magazine. He formerly wrote for the London Evening Standard and the New Statesman...
, Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell
Tessa Jowell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood since 1992. Formerly a member of both the Blair and Brown Cabinets, she is currently the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and Shadow Minister for London.-Early life:Tessa Jane...
and Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
.
It also produces a termly magazine called Look Left and hosts an annual John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
Memorial Dinner in the fifth week of the university's Hilary term.
Speaker events
OULC has hosted a range of speakers from the Labour movement, including a number of high profile politicians. OULC’s good name within the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and the club’s outstanding contribution to progressive politics attracts prominent Labour politicians to the club every term. In Trinity term 2009 OULC hosted the then current Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
, David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
. He commented 'I recently met with the OULC members and was impressed. [They] can help Labour be at the cutting edge.'
Policy fora
OULC holds regular informal meetings to discuss policy. This provides its members with an opportunity to engage in serious political debate. An October 2008 review of party political events by Cherwell (newspaper)Cherwell (newspaper)
Cherwell is an independent newspaper, largely published for students of Oxford University. First published in 1920, it has had an online edition since 1996. Named after the local river, Cherwell is published by OSPL , who also publish the sister publication ISIS along with the Etcetera Supplement...
commented that OULC is 'an active political party as opposed to a social gathering. Their meetings are informal, and last year they were visited by a number of prominent left wing politicians.'
Campaigning
A significant aspect of the club is its involvement in year-round campaigning for Labour in Oxford. OULC is at the heart of efforts to keep Oxford East Labour, and contributed significantly to the election effort in July 2009 where Labour gained four seats on the county council, the most successful Labour result in the county. In its report on the election victory, Cherwell (newspaper)Cherwell (newspaper)
Cherwell is an independent newspaper, largely published for students of Oxford University. First published in 1920, it has had an online edition since 1996. Named after the local river, Cherwell is published by OSPL , who also publish the sister publication ISIS along with the Etcetera Supplement...
cited the club's then co-chair, Jacob Turner, as saying that he felt the result was a consequence of 'a very great effort from the local party including Labour Club members. We've been going out, meeting people, and asking them not to vote for us, but just how our councillors can help them. We've built up a relationship with residents which is ultimately expressed in voting.' OULC turns out 20 campaigners every Sunday and in the final two weeks leading up to the county elections OULC members were out every day, including nearly 50 on election day. This made a huge contribution to Oxford East's position of having the highest voter contact rate of anywhere in the country (more than Wales, Scotland and the North-East put together). OULC on its own contacted almost 7,000 people in the run up the county election while 2,500 was the target contact rate for marginal CLPs. During the Easter holidays of 2011 OULC sent some campaigners to Edinburgh to campaign for the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections and sent people to Reading, Slough, Southampton, Abingdon and Thame on local election day 2011.
Social events
OULC holds a number of social events including a fresher's dinner in Michaelmas Term and a barbecue in Trinity term. OULC’s most popular event, the annual John SmithJohn Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
Memorial Dinner, is hosted in the fifth week of Hilary term. The dinner commemorates the contribution and life of John Smith, the former Labour party leader, who died suddenly in 1994. Recent speakers at this event have included Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
and Margaret Beckett
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
Constitution and organisation
OULC is run by an elected executive committee. The current Co-Chairs are Nicola Sugden and Colin S. Jackson.OULC also holds General Meetings and Termly General Meetings at which its members can pass policy in the form of motions (such as submissions to the Labour Party's Policy Review), hear reports from the executive and elect (At the Termly General Meeting) the new executive.
Notable former members of the executive committee
- Rushanara AliRushanara AliRushanara Ali is a British Labour Party politician and Associate Director of the Young Foundation, who has been the Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010...
, MP and associate director of the Young Foundation - Tony BennTony BennAnthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, former MP, former cabinet minister - Bridget PhillipsonBridget PhillipsonBridget Maeve Phillipson is a British Labour Party politician who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South.- Early life :...
, MP - Barbara CastleBarbara CastleBarbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn , PC, GCOT was a British Labour Party politician....
, former MP, former cabinet minister and former leader of the Labour MEPs - Richard CorbettRichard CorbettRichard Corbett was a Member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party for Yorkshire and the Humber, serving between 1996 and 2009...
, former MEP, Deputy Leader of the Labour MEPs
- Richard CrossmanRichard CrossmanRichard Howard Stafford Crossman OBE was a British author and Labour Party politician who was a Cabinet Minister under Harold Wilson, and was the editor of the New Statesman. A prominent socialist intellectual, he became one of the Labour Party's leading Zionists and anti-communists...
, former MP, former cabinet minister, diarist - Tony Crosland, former MP, former cabinet minister
- Michael FootMichael FootMichael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
, former MP and former Leader of the Labour Party - Anthony HowardAnthony HowardAnthony Howard may refer to:* Anthony Howard , British journalist* Anthony Howard , British swimmer...
, journalist - Billy HughesBilly Hughes (educationist)Herbert Delauney Hughes , known as Billy Hughes, was a British adult educationist and Labour Party politician...
, former MP and principal of Ruskin College - Chris HuhneChris HuhneChristopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
, MP and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeSecretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeThe Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
following the 2010 general election. - Roy JenkinsRoy JenkinsRoy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
, former MP, former Chancellor of the ExchequerChancellor of the ExchequerThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, President of the European CommissionPresident of the European CommissionThe President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
, co-founder of Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (UK)The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams... - Oliver KammOliver KammOliver Kamm is a British writer and journalist. He wrote Anti-Totalitarianism: The Left-wing Case for a Neoconservative Foreign Policy , an advocacy of interventionism in foreign policy....
, writer and journalist - David LewisDavid Lewis (politician)David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
, former Leader of the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic PartyThe New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
of CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Peter MandelsonPeter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
, former MP, former cabinet minister, former EU commissioner, spin doctor - David MilibandDavid MilibandDavid Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, MP, former cabinet minister - Ed MilibandEd MilibandEdward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
, MP, former cabinet minister and current Labour party leader - Austin MitchellAustin MitchellAustin Vernon Mitchell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby since a 1977 by-election.-Education and early life:...
, MP - Iris MurdochIris MurdochDame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
, writer - Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, media tycoon - Sir Julian PriestleyJulian PriestleySir Julian Priestley , Secretary-General of the European Parliament from 1997-2007.He was educated at St Boniface's Catholic College, Plymouth, and Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in 1972 with an honours degree in philosophy, politics and economics . He was President of the Oxford Union and...
, former Secretary General of the European Parliament - Bill Rodgers, MP, former cabinet minister,
- Andrew Smith, MP, former cabinet minister
- Shirley Williams, MP, former cabinet minister, first female President of OULC in 1950
Labour Students
OULC was affiliated to, and had strong relations with, Labour StudentsLabour Students
Labour Students is a student organisation affiliated to the British Labour Party.Membership comprises affiliated college and university clubs . Membership of Labour Students is through membership of a university or college Labour Club. Affiliation is open to any Labour Club generally supportive of...
, and former OULC chairs have held a number of prominent positions.
Labour Students was nationally chaired in 2002/3 by Ellie Reeves, in 2003/4 by Karim Palant and in 2011/12 by Olivia Bailey. In 2004/5 Oliver Kempton was elected as Campaigns & Membership Officer, as was Steve Longden in 2006/7 and Emily Richards in 2007/8. However, on 16 February 2011 OULC voted, by 19 votes to 6, to disaffiliate from Labour Students at a general meeting, with speakers primarily citing a lack of genuine democracy within the organisation, lack of accountability and a lack of useful benefit to membership.
Other
OULC also has links with other socialist organisations, trade unions, and Labour Party groups, including the Oxford District, Reading and Slough Labour Parties.Oxford University Student Union
Since the establishment of the Oxford University Student UnionOxford University Student Union
The Oxford University Student Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford by its acronym, OUSU . It exists to represent Oxford University students in the University's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher...
in the early 1970s, OULC has maintained a strong presence. There have been many Labour presidents, starting with John Grogan in the early 1980s, and OULC candidates have in recent years been successful in the 1997 (Katherine Rainwood; who then resigned after being caught cheating in her final exams), 1998 (Anneliese Dodds), 1999 (Kirsty McNeill), 2004 (Emma Norris), 2005 (Alan Strickland) and 2006 (Martin McCluskey) elections. OUSU's executive committee and delegate body has also had a consistently strong Labour presence.
National Union of Students
Stephen TwiggStephen Twigg
Stephen Twigg is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since 2010. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997 to 2005, when he lost his seat. He came to national prominence in 1997...
was National President of the National Union of Students and an OULC member in the early 1990s.
Local government
Six current or former members of OULC currently sit on Oxford City Council, and one is a County Councillor in Oxfordshire.Parliament
At the 2005 General Election, five recent former OULC members stood for election as Labour candidates.In parliament former OULC members include John Grogan, Ed Balls (although also a member of the Oxford University Conservative Association whilst at Oxford) , Ed and David Milliband, and in the European Parliament, Richard Corbett and Mary Honeyball.
David Lewis and the early 1930s
When David LewisDavid Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
came to Oxford, the Labour Club was a tame organization adhering to Christian activism, or the not-quite-so-scrappy-socialist theories of people such as R. H. Tawney
R. H. Tawney
Richard Henry Tawney was an English economic historian, social critic, Christian socialist, and an important proponent of adult education....
and his book The Acquisitive Society. David's modified Jewish Labour Bundist
Bundism
Bundism is a Jewish socialist and secular movement, which originates from the General Jewish Labour Bund founded in the Russian empire in 1897. Bundism was an important component of the social democratic movement in the Russian empire until it was violently suppressed by the Communist party after...
interpretation of Marxism, that Cameron Smith labels "Parliamentary Marxism," ignited the renewed interest in the club after the disappointment with Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's second Labour government.
The Oxford newspaper The Isis
Isis magazine
The Isis Magazine was established at Oxford University in 1892 . Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper Cherwell, it was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, OSPL, in the late 1990s...
noted Lewis' leadership ability at this early stage in his career in their February 7, 1934 issue: "The energy of these University Socialists is almost unbelievable. If the Socialist movement as a whole is anything like as active as they are, then a socialist victory at the next election is inevitable."
In February 1934, British fascist William Joyce
William Joyce
William Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality...
, (Lord Haw Haw), visited Oxford. Lewis and future Ontario Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
leader Ted Jolliffe
Ted Jolliffe
Edward Bigelow "Ted" Jolliffe, QC was a Canadian social democratic politician and lawyer from Ontario. He was the first leader of the Ontario section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and leader of the Official Opposition in the Ontario Legislature during the 1940s and 1950s...
, organised a noisy protest against the fascist, by simply planting Labour Club members in the dance hall that Joyce was speaking in, and causing a commotion, as groups of two and three left making much noise on the creaking wooden floors. The speech was foiled. Afterwards, the Blackshirts
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
contingent had a street battle in Oxford with members of the Labour Club and the townsfolk.
Lewis prevented the communists from really making inroads at Oxford during his time there. He increased the Labour Club's membership by three quarters, from 484 members in December 1932 to over 850 members by the time he left, while the October club never rose above 300 members. Ted Jolliffe stated "there was a difference between his speeches at the [Oxford] Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
and his speeches at the Labour Club. His speeches at th Union had more humour in them; the atmosphere was entirely different. But his speeches at the Labour Club were deadly serious.... His influence at the Labour Club, more than anyone else's, I think, explains the failure of the Communists to make headway there." In 1935, the Soviet controlled Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
's Seventh Congress, called for a united left response to fascism, called the popular front
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
. The communist October Club used this call, for a popular front, as a pretext to have a union between themselves and the Labour Club. Under Lewis' leadership, the club was able to easily defeat a motion by the October Club, as only 20 OULC members voted for the union.
When Lewis returned to Canada in the summer of 1935, there really wasn't anyone to replace him, to keep the communists at bay as The Isis noted: "The Labour may have rejected fusion [with the October Club] but the matter is not yet settled. An interesting thing is the dearth of what are technically known as 'promising people' in the ranks of the Labour Club. For years the Labour Club has been turning out a Geoffrey Wilson, a Frank Hardie, a John Cripps, a David Lewis, each year: but this [coming] year there seems to be no figures as outstanding as these."
Communist takeover
Since there wasn't a strong Labour leader to take over from Lewis after he graduated and left in the summer of 1935, the Labour Club amended its constitution to remove impediments to fusion with the communist October Club in December 1935. Shortly thereafter the two clubs joined together forming a "popular front". The club's membership peaked before the war at between 1000 and 1200 members depending on whose numbers were used, which was approximately a fifth of all of Oxford's 5023 students. Of the club's total membership, the Communists made up approximately less than 200 members.World War II splits
The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939 caused a major club split, with the communists now being strongly against British involvement in a European war that would have seen Britain fighting the Soviet Union. Following a vote to reaffirm OULC's affiliation to the popular front movement in early 1940 which resulted in the Labour Party disaffiliating the OULC, Executive members including Tony Crosland and Roy JenkinsRoy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
decided to leave OULC and form Oxford University Democratic Socialist Club
Oxford University Democratic Socialist Club
The Oxford University Democratic Socialist Club was a splinter group from Oxford University Labour Club , formed in 1940 after disafilliation by the national Labour Party of OULC over its opposition to the Second World War and its support for the Soviet Union. Its first Chair was Tony Crosland,...
(OUDSC).
The schism was extremely damaging to the OULC, which was quickly reduced to an increasingly extreme communist rump; within 12 months the OULC had fewer than 100 members. Its standing was further damaged when the national Labour Party chose to allow the OUDSC to affiliate to it — making the OUDSC the effective student Labour Party body in Oxford, ignoring the presence of OULC. The club's financial future was also in jeopardy, as new OUDSC Treasurer Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
and OULC Treasurer Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch
Dame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
engaged in an ongoing battle about which new organization should carry the debts and assets present prior to the split.
As the war progressed, membership of both clubs changed, and the reasons for the split became more the stuff of history, OULC and OUDSC merged following a referendum of the members of both clubs in 1943. It is interesting to note that many of the key protagonists of both clubs went on to be colleagues in future Labour governments. It is also of interest that Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
in particular demonstrated a willingness to depart from established party organizations when his position would be better represented by a new, more moderate organisation. This foreshadowed the establishment of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
over forty years later.