Where are the Sabs?

[The Rt Hon. Richard Poet MP (Tower Hamlets)]

I wish people would stop thinking that Sabs run for their posts just to get into politics. examples being ... um.. Marcus Booth... and er... oh that girl from years ago who is an MSP now...

Most of us ran because we liked pints of coke and greasy food... no! (sorry) I mean because we wanted to improve things... whether we did or not is another matter but stop dismissing hacks as mercenary would-be politicians.

[Marco Biagi]

[s]Unregisted User The Rt Hon. Richard Poet MP (Tower Hamlets) wrote on 15:11, 9th Jun 2004:
I wish people would stop thinking that Sabs run for their posts just to get into politics. examples being ... um.. Marcus Booth... and er... oh that girl from years ago who is an MSP now...


Catherine Stihler (MEP).

And from the last few years:

Marcus Booth - Tory.
Kev Head - Scottish Socialist organiser.
Dana Green - happily talks of going into politics in the future after jobs.
Rory O'Hare - told me we'd one day be facing off across the House of Commons.
Me - screw party politics, but I'm going to be in politics one way or the other for the rest of my life
Bonnie Ryder - wants to be President (not of the union... well, maybe that too...)
Ben Reilly - self-explanatory...

And two notable failed ones...
Colin Pyle 2002 (SNP, even though he resigned his membership shortly before filling out his declaration of interests) and James North 2003 (Tory researcher).

Those are just the ones with declared political ambitions.

I'm not saying all this is necessarily a bad thing - politically literate Presidents and DoRs ("Ds-oR"?) are in many ways an advantage. But you can't say that Sabs don't have a tendency to be quite political.

[Prophet Tenebrae]

If anything one would assume that they'd want to do their job comptently to show they aren't a liability?

[hr]Ah, I hate how nothing changes. Such a peaceful Earth should just collapse...

[Pilmour Boy]

Yes, I admit it.

A future as a high-flying Labour councillor for an inner-city Sheffield ward awaits me.

[Kev Head (Edinburgh)]

Nice to hear from you Marco

Thanks for promoting me to the position of Organiser for the Scottish Socialist Party... I do go out and help sell papers every now and again, organise the odd petition around the Council Tax and the sell-off of local housing stock, that sort of thing. All unpaid, and not really deserving of the credit you give me, but thanks anyway!

What do I do now, after an interesting (and far from overwhelmingly positive) year in the student politics? Well I run a youthwork service for LGBT young people right across Scotland. I know that some of the skills and experience that I got by working as a student rep has definitely helped me do a good job since and, hopefully, make real differences in the lives of lots of young people and support them to take their place as active and equal citizens in society.

That's where my ambitions lie Marco, not in the world of party politics. My activities for the SSP are just me volunteering to do my little bit, just the same as when I volunteered to be VPR.

Kev xx

btw - when can we expect you to make the switch to socialism just like all the other old, disenchanted SNP activists I see at branch meetings nowadays?

[David Bean]

[s]Cain wrote on 11:51, 9th Jun 2004:

I thought that you were in favour of low voter turnout.


Ah, a reader. As you'll know, my point there was made specifically in the context of an argument against enforced postal voting. If more people vote because more people are informed and interested, that's unquestionably a good thing.

[hr]
"And all the people rejoiced, and said: 'God save the King! Long live the King! ...May the King live forever!'" - Handel, 'Zadok the Priest'