Scottish Labour Students

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Scottish Labour Students (SLS) is a socialist society organisation, affiliated to the Scottish Labour Party and forms an important part of the UK-wide organisation Labour Students.

Scottish Labour Students aim to bring Labour values to campuses and represent students within the Labour Party throughout Scotland. SLS hold regular Scottish events including SLS Conference in November and SLS Council in February. In addition, its members are often invited to hear minor speakers at Labour Party events throughout the year and are involved in Labour Students meetings around the UK. Glasgow University Labour Club and Edinburgh University Labour Club are the two biggest clubs within SLS.

SLS has an eleven-member committee that includes various representatives of Liberation campaigns including Women's, LGBT, Disabled Students and Black Minority Ethnic. The current Chair is Jillian Merchant, Dundee University Labour Club, the current Vice Chair is Dean Carlin, Edinburgh University Labour Club, and the current Secretary is Helen Stephen, Glasgow University Labour Club. Positions are re-elected at the annual SLS Conference in November.

The organisation was founded as the Scottish Organisation of Labour Students (SOLS) in 1970/71, however it is a direct desecendant of the Scottish Association of Labour Student Organisations (SALSO) which had existed since 1946. In the 1960s SALSOs UK equivalent, NALSO, was taken over by Trotskyists and disaffilitated from the Labour Party. SALSO, however successfully resisted any take-over attempts.

SLS remained famous for its hostility to Trotskyism and SOLS members were key to recovering control of the National Labour Students organisation, NOLS, from the Militant Tendency in 1975 and the following year SOLS members took the famous "icepick express" (a bus with an icepick - the weapon used to kill Trotsky - attached to the front) to that year's NOLS conference at Lancaster University. This incident is recalled in some detail in Michael Crick's books on the Militant Tendency/Revolutionary Socialist League. (See Clause Four Group.)

[edit] Former Chairs

1967: Robin Cook
1978: Dave Smith
1979: Margaret Curran
1980: John Boothman
1982: Paul Robertson
1984: Sarah Boyack
1985: Susan Deacon
1986: Pat McFadden
1987: Paul Greatrix
1988: Billy Halliday
1994: Joanne Milligan
1997: Gregg McClymont
1998: Alex Foulkes
2001: Blair McDougal
2002: Blair McDougal*
2002: Gemma Doyle & John Woodcock
2003: Adam Hug
2004: Neil Bibby
2005: Kenny Young
2006: Kenny Young
2007: Victoria Jamieson
2008: Jillian Merchant

Note: Blair McDougal Served two terms as a result of Youth and Student Conference being cancelled, due to the death of Scotland's First Minister, Donald Dewar.