I can’t express to you enough the pride I feel at the moment. Last night I was elected to chair an organisationwith some of the most genuine and committed people I’ve met at University, we’ve had good and bad times, but mostly they’ve been great. My overall goal at being your chair is to ensure that everyone who joins our movement at Uni, leaves with the same enthusiasm for it that I have. That’s a tall order, but if we try and make our club here, something to be part of and be proud of at the same time then I think we can achieve it.

Inside the party is the flame of anger at injustice, and the flame of hope that a better world can be built. That is us, that is what we stand for together. Where we disagree is how we fulfil that hope. I have learned from Gaz, John and Tom the importance of our movement as a family. Gaz and John helped build this club, with Richard Angell and Chris Bloore, Tom has secured it in the very foundations of the Guild and I don’t want to let any of them down or you down as chair.In May we’ve got some crucial elections taking place, across Birmingham we might take a big hit but in defeat, the importance of the labour family is never to be underestimated. You never give up, you pick yourself off the ground and move on, shortly after the 1^st May, I want to speak to the party leadership about how the club can best serve the party over the next two years. This is, and should be a campaigning club, lets get off our backsides and get out of Selly Oak, and go to Quinton and Hodge Hill where we face challenges.

The Guild is important to me, I understand the importance of a strong union for the benefit of all students. I was so proud to play, even a small part, in getting Jenni Larbie elected our new President – she’s going to excite and engage with our membership on a level, I don’t think has ever been seen. We’ve got a great new ethical and environmental officer, who’s going to bring a professional face to the agenda, something close to my heart and we demonstrate proper Labour values once again in our new VP Education and Access. So hopefully we can build on that next year, securing our agenda within the guild, working closely with a new exec team.

I wanted to mention a few other people, Brigid has been a true friend and a socialist at the best of times, don’t ever stop questioning the party and demanding more from it and from me as well. John made everything last year that bit more fun, he has an amazing ability to lighten any atmosphere and when he’s not with us there is a void that has yet to be replaced. Tom forced me to join the club and get involved in my freshers week, and finally Dave, my best friend and true comrade, got me to join the party when we were at college together, and has opened a world of opportunity to me.

I thought I might tell you what brought me into the Labour Party. Most people will give a very romantic story of a tough working class upbringing but I can’t, I know what my roots are, and where my family has come from, but I was born into privilege. I went to a private school where everyday we were told how we were expected to do better than “Joe Bloggs” from the local comp. This idea didn’t have much bearing on me for a while until I began to question it, it seemed illogical that I would have a better chance than this fictitious character, I honestly spent a great deal of time soul-searching, attempting to justify this advantage I had but I couldn’t. That was the main reason I decided to leave and study my a-levels at a sixth-form college in the neighbouring borough, it was a rough area with about 10% of it’s pupils hoping to go onto University, that experience taught me much more in two years than any period of time in private education. When I studied politics I found that there was a group of people who shared my utter confusion and distaste at this privilege, the Labour Party. As John Smith said, what’s the point of being in politics if you can’t speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. That’s why I’m in the Labour Party and that’s what I hope we can all rally behind in the coming year.

Thank you.