Labour Party Annual Conference can be a daunting prospect for new members. You will be amongst some of the most senior politicians, trade unionists and press in the country. But it’s actually the most interesting week of the political year, so don’t miss out!
I haven’t missed a Labour conference since 2011 so I thought I’d write a rough guide on what to expect and how to get the most out of the week! What exactly is conference? Annual Conference is the one time every year (usually September), when all Labour Party members and affiliates are invited to meet up from Saturday — Wednesday to socialise, listen to speeches, attend training events and debate every possibly area of politics you can think of! What to do first 1 — Book your pass — Firstly, you need to book your pass, double check you’ve chosen the right one and if you need any help funding your pass get in touch with one of the Young Labour, Labour Students, CLP or Union groups and they may be able to help you. I think it is so important young members are not priced out of events such as Conference so if you do need assistance, get in touch. In Wirral Young Labour we organise fundraisers each year so we can fund member’s passes who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford conference — something I’d recommend looking at if you chair a group. 2 — Book your Accommodation — If you are going to stay over for the conference and don’t want to stay alone, get in touch with your local CLP, Young Labour or Labour Students group and ask their plans. Ensure you do this around May/June as that’s when a lot of groups do a group booking. If you are in charge of a group then I’d really recommend sending an email out to members asking if they plan to go and if they want to get in on a group booking. We do this on Merseyside and open it up to everyone, it makes the process a lot easier for new members. However if you don’t have anyone to go with (I didn’t on my first conference) still go along. Conference is the easiest place to make friends and chat to people. For the Youth day (Sunday) there is usually a new members session and you won’t ever be left alone as people like myself and the national committee will be on the lookout for people on their own. Conference Running Order Saturday: Women’s Conference — this starts the day before conference begins, it is open for all women members. You can attend this if you are a woman or self define as a woman. Key women from across the movement will be speaking and you will be able to debate on specific women’s issues. There will also be training events targeted specifically at women as we often face different challenges to the men of the party. Sunday: The Youth Day — this is the day when Young Labour, Labour students and Young Trade Unionists arrange events for members under 27! It is a not to be missed chance to engage with young members from across the country and discuss everything from getting involved with the party to best practice within your Young Labour group or club. There will be training events targeted specifically at young members such as how to use social media for your group and speech writing workshops! Then from Monday through to Wednesday there is a lot for you to enjoy before we all unite to sing red flag and conference closes for another year. The 4 basic parts of conference 1 — The Main Hall — here you can see the keynote speakers (shadow cabinet members/senior trade unionists). Delegates can also get up to speak and there are various debates which you can go and listen to. (On Tuesday the party leader makes their speech here.) 2 — The Exhibition Centre — this is outside the main hall, it contains over a hundred stalls and freebies from businesses, charities and affiliates from across the country. It’s really fun just to walk around, (get free pens!) and chat to people. 3 — The Fringe Events — before you get to conference you’ll be sent a catalogue with all fringe event times in. These are smaller and more specific debates and talks on things in different rooms, some have the incentive of free food or drink when get you there (although don’t rely on this as your main food source, as we have all tried)! They begin at around 7am until 10pm and there are around 100 a day on a huge variety of topics! Often if one is on a specific policy area there will a panel of relevant people for you to pose your questions to, such as shadow cabinet members, unionists and charity groups. There are hundreds of fringe events each day (you can choose which interest you) and these are definitely the most interesting talks you will go to! 4 — The Evening Receptions — these tend to consist of food, drink, speeches and socialising. They are a great time for meeting Labour members and politicians, mingling with MPs and dancing — if you go to the best ones! There is also the infamous Labour Students Disco on the Tuesday night, usually held in a club nearby. For those who are under 18 or don’t want to drink there are always soft drinks available. Young Labour and Labour Students also usually run events without alcohol (such as picnics and movie nights)! I’m there every year and I attended my first when I was 15, so if you have any questions and don’t know who to ask, feel free to get in touch:[email protected]! Or if you’re at conference and feeling lost, give me a call: 07814734944 and we can help you out. Overall annual conference is a fantastic experience, you learn a lot and it is a great opportunity to network with members from across the country and make new friends. So don’t miss out! See you there!
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AuthorJasmin Beckett Archives
June 2017
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