LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Tommy Long

Why did you decide to run?

Finance Officer is one of the most under-appreciated roles in groups such as Liberal Youth. Almost everything these days costs money and it’s crucial that we have a strong strategy for how we raise and spend ours. We need to ensure that Liberal Youth lives up to its heritage as a bold, often controversial body and doesn’t become a tame party organ like Labour Students or Conservative Future. Good financial management is the key to ensuring we retain our independence from the wider party.

 

What will be your number one priority if elected?

Whilst it’s crucially important that we examine our existing budgets and work out how we could better spend existing money, I’d actually have to say my number one priority will be working with other members across the party to see what we can do to radically transform our fundraising. I have a number of ideas in this regard such as trying to solicit donations from those over-30s who have money more readily available, especially those that we’ve campaigned for in the past or might do for in the future.

 

What is the one reason people should vote for you?

Obviously we need someone with a strong head for Maths and an understanding of accountancy practises, as well as the drive to chase people for receipts and the ability to say “no” and make themselves unpopular sometimes but we also really need more from our Financial Officer.

We need fresh, innovative ideas. Interest for politics among the population and particularly the young is in terminal decline. In addition to this, we are in government doing unpopular things. We need the ability to get our liberal message about we can help people’s every-day lives into the schools, the campuses and the workplace and not simply exist as some small-minded, self-referential clique that further reinforces the people’s experiences with politics.

We need the right message, the right techniques and an indefatigable perseverance if we can hold to achieve this. We also though need sound and secure finances. I believe I can offer these.

What areas of Liberal Youth do you think need cutting?

I don’t think any of what we do should be cut, it’s more a case that we need to examine our budgets to see where we can increase our efficiency. Fresh ideas and the changing nature of technology should allow us to examine whether the way we go about stuff is the optimal way of spending our money. Finding ways of doing the same job but for less isn’t “stingy” as the money will be re-invested and allow us to have a larger footprint on the ground, whether it’s in one-off campaigns promoting Liberal Youth policy or whether it’s campaigning for the party.

 

I also don’t think it’s my prerogative to start deciding what areas of Liberal Youth are the most important. I think that before we implement any future spending plans we should consult our membership about how they view their priorities for Liberal Youth.

 

What will be the test for your term of office to be successful?

I am determined that we need to bring in money from outside of our impoverished student core. As an organisation that welcomes under 30s we need to do more to involve young professionals, such as myself, but also, crucially, those over 30. I would like to setup a “Friends of Liberal Youth” for £15 or so and ensure we have high uptake from our councillor base and from those involved in the national party.

 

Will you extend the funding for IR Cymru & Liberal Youth Scotland?

The current funding system for IR Cymru and Liberal Youth Scotland seems incredibly unsatisfactory. One way or another, I’d like to ensure by the end of my term that we have a system that is transparent and fair.

I’d like to start “tagging” all donations to LY as being either “federal”, “English”, “Scottish” or “Welsh” with the latter three being passed along to the respective bodies and the “federal” option being split evenly between the three based on the percentage of LY membership that they comprise.

I also think the issue of devolution goes beyond IR Cymru and LYS. Liberal Youth England is still a work in progress but I think we should begin supporting their efforts to increase the autonomy of the regions, in both decision-making powers and funding models.

Tommy Long is running to be Finance Officer. You can find out more him and the other candidates here

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Steven Haynes

Why did you decide to run?
Essentially it boils down to the fact that there is still work to be done. LY has come a long way in the past few months but our communications strategy is only really just getting going and we need to ensure that we have someone who knows what they’re doing so we can continue making progress. As I work in online marketing and am the current Comms officer I can guarantee consistency in our attempts to improve things.

What will be your number one priority if elected?
Developing the Liberal Youth brand.

It sounds a bit like its marketing lingo, it’s because it is, but it’s also very important and something that needs to be done.

A brand is essentially an emotional attachment that people have to an object, or organisation, or person. If we want raise more money, get more policy into government, recruit more members then we need to work out how we can get people to develop that positive attachment to LY.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
Because in Communications and Marketing the one thing that you need is consistency and the desire to actually see things improve. I can provide both.

Where next for Liberal Youth’s communication strategy?
The communications strategy needs to be about reaching out to people. Not just members of LY but potential members as well. That means we need to be a totally outward facing and a campaigning organisation.

By that I don’t mean we just deliver leaflets and knock on doors for the Lib Dems. It means we choose things to campaign on an campaign on them nationally and locally. Lets take Rape culture as an example, if we run a campaign on that we need to set up achievable aims that branches can engage with and once those aims have been achieved the comms officers job is to help them plot out how they can make the most of it, by helping them get into local papers and mentioned on websites read by people local to their area. If we want to be a meaningful force that means we need to look for coverage in areas where the people we want to recruit will be reading.

So it’s about identifying websites, publications, news papers and journalists who are likely to be open to reporting us and showing us in a positive light and then  having systems in place to turn people who are interested in what we’re doing into members.

What are you plans for the website?

The Website needs to be about 3 things:

1. Recruitment
2. Fundraising
3. Engagement

Whilst the site is now better than the old one on these things there’s still a lt of work to be done. For instance, just last week I looked at the Google Analytics stats and found that a couple of dozen people had viewed the donation page, but few of them actually donated. We need to look at how the site is laid out so that we can make it as easy as possible for people to complete the actions we want them to.

Part of that just boils down to how we write copy on the site, but also it could involve us having to look at how the site is structured and laid out and possibly re-designing it’s look from the bottom up, but it depends on exactly what the new exec wants out of the site.

How will members tell if your term of office was a success?
Positive press coverage is probably the best way to judge success. Not just nationally, but locally as well. I’m planning to work quite closely with the England Convenor, Membership Officer and Campaigns to ensure that branches and regions know what they’re doing and how they can get coverage for their activities.

Steven Haynes is running for Communications Officer. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Stephen Sherwood

Why did you decide to run?
I decided to run for WM Regional Chair, after quite a bit of deliberation, because I believe i can use my skills to create a fully functioning Regional Branch.

What will be your number one priority if elected?
My main priority, if elected, to finish establishing a fully working executive. In addition, i would review and lead tasks needed to create a fully-functioning network of local LY Branches.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
I believe that people should vote for me as West Midlands Regional Chair because i have the communication skills and some leadership experience, needed to successfully execute this role.

How involved have you been in Liberal Youth, specifically in the West Midlands?
I have been involved with Liberal Youth (LY) for at least a year now and attended last year’s LY conference in Leeds. I have been on the executive of West Midlands Liberal Youth (WMLY) since roughly February as Fundraising Officer. I have also been involved with WMLY in a more local capacity as trying to work with others in my local party to try and establish a more fully active LY branch in Herefordshire. As part of this, I have been the youngest member, by far, of my local party’s executive.

What sort of tasks do you think are needed to create a network between branches in the region?
I believe that the following tasks need to be completed, while working with the other relevant officers of the WMLY executive in order to create a fully-functioning network between the branches and the region:

1. To review where we have successful branches currently and where we currently have little or no representation in terms of local branch
2. Discuss with successful branches the idea of “teaming up”/mentoring less successful branches.
3. Create a plan, with help of Membership and Social Officer’s of visits/roadshow/social events to increase the knowledge of WMLY within young people, within the areas that have been less successful local branches.
4. Review, and increase where necessary, the representation of young people on the executive’s of local parties and once established to have regular feedback meetings with them.
5. Review if any improvements are needed as to how the Regional Exec communicates with both local branches and members of LY within the West Midlands.
6. I will personally aim to visit each area covered by WMLY at least twice during my term of office.

Stephen Sherwood is running to be West Midlands Regional Chair. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Maria Wilder

Why did you decide to run?
I decided to run for a position at Liberal Youth Elections because a ‘little Liberal bird’ told me to – I simply obeyed. But, no, apart from much-appreciated advice from a very lovely, perhaps overly eager young man, I decided to run for this particular position – International Committee Member – due to seeing it as the best possible (and realistic) ‘tool’ for materialising my passion towards international affairs. Liberal Youth has so much potential to unleash; it is not only the highly successful ‘Bears for Belarus’ campaign, which caught my attention during the spring conference in Brighton, but also the foundational principles of the party, which make the promotion of human rights and social justice uniformly accepted and thereby also practiced. As I am a fairly new member of the party, seeing so many Liberally-solidaristic members – young and old – makes me feel well-accepted.

What will be your number one priority if elected?
As I have already stated in my manifesto – my role is mainly advisory and consultative in comparison to the role of the International Officer. Even though I initially thought about running for the position of International Officer, I was soon faced with my own insufficient capacity – mainly time-wise – in committing to a role such as this (I have been accepted to volunteer abroad for three months via an international development agency VSO). But coming back to my main point – my number one priority, if elected, will be in improving the way international affairs and foreign policy within Liberal Youth is treated, by: 1.) Broadening the selection of probable campaigns (anti-racism/immigrant hate campaign anyone?), as well as making them more factually-informative; 2.) Helping to render our policy-making with regard to international affairs more accurate and prescriptive. Liberal Youth is not just a ‘youth wing’ of the party, but a fully able and vocal PART of it. Let’s make ourselves heard!

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
If you want to see Liberal Youth become more emancipated into the party with regard to international issues and corresponding action – vote for me! As much as I am physically and mentally able to do, I promise to deliver on OUR common concerns related to human rights and social justice.

Maria Wilder is running to be elected onto Liberal Youth’s International Committee. You can find out more her and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Hannah Bettsworth

Why did you decide to run?
I decided to run because I have experience in organisation and working with others on the Liberal Youth Scotland executive, and I wanted to apply it in an area I’m really passionate about – foreign policy.
What will be your number one priority if elected?
Anyone who knows me will know I actually love human rights. I’ll defend them for ages in arguments with my Daily Mail reader grandparents. So I’m really happy with what we did on Belarus. However, having studied Russia’s transition to democracy this semester, there are some really big issues there, and I think it would be great for us to stand up for our fellow liberals Yabloko and do a protest for real democracy in Russia.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
Because I’ve got the passion for international issues, and the experience to make sure Liberal Youth can campaign effectively on them.

Where do you want to see the International arm of Liberal Youth doing by this time next year?
I want to see us working more closely with other societies on campuses that may share our aims – for example Amnesty, because we can get more people involved in our events that way and it would be a good way to recruit liberal minded students.

How do you think the Belarus campaign should develop?

That’s really the same answer that I gave above, if I was going to do an event about it (I’m President of Edinburgh University LY) I’d invite Politics Soc and Amnesty Soc members, for example. I think it would be good to try and encourage local branches to do events about the issues in Belarus like Liberty in North Korea did earlier in the semester here. They ran a presentation about the reality of the human rights situation there. So it would be good to raise awareness that way about Belarus.

Hannah Bettsworth is running to be a member of International Committee. You can find out more her and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: John Ashton

Why did you decide to run?
Because, when I started up an LY branch, the hardest thing to get going was policy debate—not because we were short of ideas, but because it takes the wind out of your sails a bit, knowing that no matter how well you pitch your idea, it still won’t go beyond this room and the ten people in it, who already know you  well enough to know what you’re going to say. And even more frustratingly, because I know that in LY branches all over the country, very bright young things are coming up with ideas that I want to hear. So I’m running because I want to talk policy with some of those people, and because I want to help branches talk to each-other.

What will be your number one priority if elected?
What I’d like to do is set up regular policy emails which circulate recorded talks and presentations from branch members. That way, not only would we stimulate debate, but people would know that their ideas are reaching the entire LY network. Everything would be hosted on a closed Facebook page, because I know anyone with an ounce of sense will be hesitant about flinging their nascent ideas indiscriminately across the interwebs. Obviously I’d only be a committee member, and I’m an outsider so I’m not familiar with the way LY works, but I look forward to working with the Policy Officer and trying to get this set up, because I think it would get loads of people who aren’t otherwise interested in LY to talk to each-other.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
I’m quite open-minded: I’m nowhere near enough of a policy geek that I would stubbornly argue over a policy or reject anything out of hand. The reason I’m bothering is to help other people have their say. I am a bit of an Apple geek so I’d be useful at editing videos together with PowerPoints &c. Last year I was given the award for Outstanding Contribution to Liberal Youth, which I’m proud of, and I’d like to contribute more.

John Ashton is running to be a member of Policy Committee. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Chris Dunne

Why did you decided to run?
I decided to run in these elections because I think I can bring new ideas to the International team, and have the skills and enthusiasm to work with the rest of the International Committee to help build on the progress that has already been made in the last year.

What will be your number one priority if elected?
If elected, my main priority will be to push for improved communication, firstly with other young liberal groups, like Jonge Democraten in the Netherlands, Junge Liberalen in Germany and many more; but most importantly, I want to help provide even better communication with LY members, through regular emails to update people on the work of the committee, along with occasional surveys to allow people to have a say on international issues.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
I would love to get your vote as I will be a hard-working member of the committee and do my best to listen to and act upon members’ concerns.

Chris Dunne is running to be elected onto Liberal Youth’s International Committee. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Daniel Lewis

Why did you decided to run?
I decided to run because I felt I have something to offer basically. I am committed to the party and Liberal Youth and have the time and energy to invest in making Liberal Youth the best it can be. I decided on NPO because I feel my experience in Westminster, constituency offices and in “the real world” have given me a broad base of skills which can be used to help out other members of the exec,

What will be your number one priority if elected?
In many ways that’s not for me to decide. I will act as I am requested to by the other members of the exec in line with the role description set out by the constitution. However I will always try and ensure that whatever we are doing helps further the aims of increasing communication with our membership, electing Liberal Democrats and making Liberal Youth an organisation which is easy to get involved with for new members.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
I should hope there isn’t only one. I have already outlined my commitment, energy and experience but above and beyond those is my overarching desire to improve Liberal Youth for Liberal Youth members. Often we will talk of impressing the party, which is of course important, but to seldom we discuss impressing new members or first time attendees at events.

What are your ideas for improving Liberal Youth then?
I have offered up a few ideas about improving engagement and making it easier to get involved on my website. I have also tabled a constitutional amendment (sorry!) to remove the need for two nominators which serves little purpose but to prevent those new to Liberal Youth getting involved. I also hope to work to improve fund-raising with major donors though that would have to be discussed with the relevant portfolio officer. However a NPO shouldn’t be about pushing his or her own pet projects but instead providing the best possible support to the portfolio officers

What will be the first thing you’ll do to improve Liberal Youth?
I will work with the portfolio officers as they require me to do. However to better answer the question I do have a couple of ideas about membership development which I’d like to discuss with the next Membership Development Officer.

Daniel Lewis is running to be one of two Non Portfolio Officers on Liberal Youth’s Federal Executive. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Stuart Wheatcroft

Why did you decide to run?
I decided to run for Convenor because in the few months I have been doing the job I have realised just how much there is to do. Liberal Youth England is a new organisation which is just beginning to find its role in Liberal Youth and the wider party. We need to move away from just being an administrative unit and towards our potential as a campaigning force. I have started that process but the majority of the work remains to be done. I am seeking a mandate for that work.

What will be your number one priority if elected?
My first priority will be to strengthen the role of the regions in Liberal Youth. In the past they have often been treated as a means to implement strategies handed down from on high: I want more regional control of LIberal Youth campaigning. For example, Gold Guard should have a far stronger regional focus. Regional branches also need to be far more involved in the freshers campaign and should have the support they need to provide ongoing support to branches and members throughout their term of office.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?
I have the experience to hit the ground running: I’m already working on making Liberal Youth England into a stronger and more effective organisation, and will continue that process seamlessly if elected. This is particularly important when it comes to relationships with the English Party, which are vital to success in the role.

How do you intend to develop Liberal Youth England beyond being an administrative unit?
The first part of my approach is subtle, and not necessarily outwardly visible. In the past Liberal Youth’s activities in England have been highly centralised. Even over the last few months the Gold Guard project was very much managed from the centre, though latterly the emphasis did shift somewhat, particularly in the case of the Cambridge action day. My first priority is to ensure that Federal officers recognise the huge advantages of working with Liberal Youth England, whether in the form of the Convenor or, probably at least as often, in the form of regional chairs. LYE is better able to develop grassroots connections and also has ties with regional parties. These ties are extremely important at any time but will be particularly so during the European election campaign.

The other side of the coin is that Liberal Youth England itself has to merit its increased role. I will work to bring regional chairs together more than has happened previously: I know from my time as a regional chair how tempting it is to focus on one’s own region and ignore the wider picture.

Liberal Youth England should not take on the same level of independence as Liberal Youth Scotland or IR Cymru – they both have devolution, for one thing – but there is huge potential to make LYE into an effective campaigning organisation rather than just a constitutional anomaly.

What will happen in regions where there isn’t the infrastructure to have that regional control?
Exactly what “regional control” means is a flexible concept. Most regional branches do not currently have a regional Liberal Youth executive, so in most cases greater “regional control” will take the form of proper involvement for regional chairs in decisions about campaigning in their region. This does not always happen at present.

In short, the only way a region cannot take on a greater role in decision making is if it has no regional chair. If that happens, it’s the Convenor’s constitutional responsibility to find someone to cover it until the vacancy can be filled.

What support should regions have and how will you deliver it?

To some extent this question puts the cart before the horse: the support each region needs may be different, and if elected I will expect each regional chair to work closely with me to determine exactly what they need.

There are some major areas of support which are likely to apply to most (if not all) regions. For example, any region which wants to run events is likely to need money. It may be possible to raise some of this within the region, but donating to Liberal Youth England might be more attractive for some potential donors. It would be simple enough to set up a “Friends of Liberal Youth England” campaign, either independently or as part of a Federal fundraising effort. I will look into this as part of a wider review of Liberal Youth England’s (hitherto very limited) relationship with money.

We also need more sharing of ideas and advice between regions and branches, and indeed across the state borders. For example, there is an ongoing question about the best way to provide social opportunities to non-branch members, and in particular those who are under-18. I don’t think anybody has come up with a perfect solution yet but let’s keep trying. Whenever someone does put on an innovative event, I want Liberal Youth to keep a record of as much information about how it was done.

Stuart Wheatcroft is running to be England Convenor. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.

LY Elects ’13 Interviews: Callum Leslie

Why did you decide to run?
I’ve been wrestling with leaving the party for about 18 months, but around three weeks ago I came to the realisation that I couldn’t do that and not be involved in politics. Instead I decided to take a stand for the things I believe are going wrong in our party.

So you have decided to piss in the tent then?

In a way, yes. Pissing against a tent isn’t very effective, unless you want to annoy someone at a festival.

What will be your number one priority if elected?

Equipping Liberal Youth and our branches to be more effective campaigners, in all senses. This doesn’t just mean training on how to design leaflets, and recruit more leafleters though. I want to make our branches effective campaigning units in their communities and campuses to tackle misogyny and inequality, to have success in student union elections and to take an active part in NUS.

What is your plan to make us effective campaigners?

Groups like Everyday Sexism and No More Page 3 have run hugely successful campaigns tackling misogyny and rape culture, so I’d like to work with them to learn from their methods to allow us to put together an effective and engaging campaign on these issues off the back of our upcoming Freshers materials. More generally give LY members support to engage with community councils, community groups and local parties to effect change and run campaigns, providing them with materials and backing to make big waves.

How will you encourage branches to get more involved in SU & NUS elections?

A lot of the reason people don’t get involved in SU politics is simply a lack of understanding of how to. We need to develop resources and training on how our branches and members can get involved. Winning student elections is remarkably similar to winning the Lib Dem way! We have a number of former SABBs in our ranks, and they can lead the way on more people getting involved.

What is the one reason people should vote for you?

Liberal Youth is pottering along very nicely, doing a good job helping in elections, but I think we need something more than the status quo. We need a Liberal Youth that is the radical heart of our party, equipping a new generation of campaigners. We also need to be putting focus on the Scottish independence referendum, which I can’t believe no other candidate has mentioned! Liberal Youth shouldn’t just be a platoon of activists the party can call on for any election they see fit – why should we campaign for people who voted against equal marriage, or for secret courts? I think there is an argument to be made for Liberal Youth being more choosy in campaigning for people who have sanctioned horrible policies in Government.

Do you think you winning will give you the sufficient mandate to go against current Liberal Youth policy?

I don’t think my platform goes against Liberal Youth policy really. Fundamentally my platform is in keeping with Lib Dem policy, like increasing access to education, and protecting the poor and disabled.

Do you think Liberal Youth is too Southern-Centric?

Definitely. Obviously this is a problem with the office being in London, but meetings and events need to be held round the country. Activate needs to be held in cities too, rural locations in the middle of nowhere are a nightmare.

Being Chair of Liberal Youth is a very consuming job; do you have the stamina to stay in office for 16 months?

I was Vice-President (Communications) of Liberal Youth Scotland for two years, and for most of the first year I was also effectively acting VP Campaigns. I know how demanding party positions can be. I don’t pretend that when I have assignments due or exams I won’t be a little quiet, but I will see it through and make up for it at other times.

Callum Leslie is running to be Chair of Liberal Youth. You can find out more him and the other candidates here.

All candidates were invited to be interviewed.