A head full of ideas

In this members post, Young Fabian member Anna Bage explains why she joined the Young Fabians.

Politics has seen an increase of young people getting involved over the last few years, whether at a local or national level. Whilst its slightly elitist image remains, the political world has opened up to allow opportunities for young people, and participation has flourished.

But, still, there is work to do. For those living outside of London especially, Parliament can often seem a world away, with the door firmly shut on anyone outside of the Westminster bubble.

The Young Fabians is a go-between for those who want to debate, share ideas and contribute to politics. Unlike Parliament, it doesn’t require an extensive knowledge of politics, just a healthy dose of enthusiasm and passion. The Young Fabian’s allow many young people to gain experience of a wide range of activities, from blogging to campaigning.

There are opportunities to contribute to in ways that Westminster doesn’t always allow. The Young Fabian School Scheme, being piloted this year, aims to go into schools and educate pupils about ways to get involved, breaking down the often assumed image of politics as stuffy and boring.

With the Labour Party in opposition, and a generation of young people with a head full of ideas; the Young Fabian’s are more important now than ever.

If you’re not a member yet, sign up this week!  It’s £5 for the first six months, and if you join before the 23  September you will be entered into a prize draw.

Anna Bage is a Young Fabian Membership Ambassador and co-founder of the new Young Fabian School Scheme

Young Fabians membership: Making politics accessible

This week’s Young Fabians membership drive has given me a chance to reflect on why I became a member seven years ago and why, after four years on the Exec, I’m still as passionate about YFs as ever.

Seven years ago I was pretty new to politics and was living in London for the first time. The Westminster Village can seem like a pretty intimidating and inaccessible world for newcomers, and I didn’t really know where to start. I mentioned to a friend at a party that I wanted to get more involved in left wing politics in the capital, and he immediately told me to join the Young Fabians.

The YFs proved to be a great entry-point. The frequency of events meant that I could fit being involved around a busy social life and work. The fact that there were regular social events (the boat party, the annual dinner, quiz nights) allowed me quickly to build up a network of politically-minded friends; I found that there was no better way to learn about left wing politics in the UK than to listen to well-informed peers who had been involved for longer. And by going along to policy events I got up to speed on the most current debates in British politics, often hearing from the senior politicians at the very forefront of the issues, but in an environment where I felt able to contribute, ask questions and learn.

After 3 years I was so hooked I decided to stand for the Executive Committee, first as a cooptee and then as a fully fledged exec member. Being on the Exec has given me a unique opportunity to help run Britain’s only think tank aimed specifically at young people. By working on the Exec I have had the chance to produce numerous policy pamphlets, stage events in Parliament, write blogs, interact with members of the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet and to drive the direction of the YFs as an organisation. In the process I’ve learnt new skills, met some amazing and talented people and had the satisfaction of seeing my efforts pay off in terms of engaging ever more young people in progressive politics. In particular, through co-leading Young Fabian Women I’ve been able to work on an issue I’m truly passionate about, which is tackling the under-representation of women in public life.

None of these things would have been possible if I hadn’t taken the plunge back in 2004 and become a member. So I would definitely encourage you to sign up this week, and to encourage your friends to do so! You can sign up in a few easy steps by following this link: http://bit.ly/jointheyfs for £5 for the first six months, and if you join before the 23  September you are automatically entered into a prize draw! What’s not to like?

Claire Leigh is Treasurer for the Young Fabians. Claire was voted amongst the top 50 left-wing bloggers in the Total Politics Blog Awards 2011.

Why I joined the Young Fabians

When I joined the Young Fabians in 2007, my main motivations were to find out more about politics and to meet like-minded people. During the years since it has occurred to me that underlying these original motivations were a desire for group membership and a feeling of belonging.

For me, joining the Fabian Society was a precursor to Labour Party Membership, which I had thought about and yet been wary of for most of my early twenties. Learning about the Fabians at LSE seemed to augment for me the desire to be part of something greater than myself and where plurality and diversity were also a natural home, within the progressive political realm. The desire to be part of a group can be an innate or instrumental goal. For me it was both, and the Young Fabians have fulfilled my desire on both levels.

Being a Young Fabian was the start of enabling and formalising my identity as someone who is left-wing, and who identifies with socialist principles and seeks to use these beliefs to influence others. With this goal of identity-building there has also been an interplay with more practical objectives.

By being a member and Executive Officer of the Young Fabians I have tangibly used my principles to influence others, for example, as the first Young Fabians’ Equalities Officer, a programme that is now essential to the ethos of the organisation. Also, through organising panel debates and attending events I have been able to strengthen my views through discussion and by being informed by many different perspectives: international, political, feminist, academic (to name a few crude and broad camps).

The end result has been that this experience has made me a more able and confident political citizen, an essential grounding for the years ahead. It has also introduced me to a plethora of wonderful people with a similar aim.

It is with this in mind that I urge anyone with similar desires and thoughts to join the Young Fabians. Believe me, you will not be disappointed. As with most things in life, it is what you make of it and with more opportunities to actively participate in the organisation than ever before, the scope for engagement is tantalising.

You can join for only £5 for the first six months. Your friends can too!

To do so, click here: http://bit.ly/jointheyfs

Preth Rao is Member Involvement Officer for the Young Fabians

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Understanding Israel

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Young Fabian Vice-Chair Sara Ibrahim reflects on Israel’s politics.

Over the course of the last few days two distinct strands of thought have emerged: that security is paramount for Israelis and the Palestinians want to be liberated. So much is agreed between the parties: a two state solution is best, that any boundaries should be drawn along the 1967 green line and that the Palestinians need to develop the structures for statehood.

That is not to say there is no dissent. There are groups of Israeli settlers who are living in settlements well outside the 1967 boundaries and on the Palestinian side. Hamas dispute the right of the Israeli state to exist. However, if the mainstream can agree on the essentials, why is peace so elusive?

It seems to all comes down to power and powerlessness. Coming from the UK it has been difficult to understand the heavy security presence that is evident in and around Jerusalem and the West Bank. In the UK the need for 12-foot security walls and check-points manned with armed (mostly) conscripted soldiers seems anathema. So what is Israel’s rationale?

Today I came closer to an answer. This isn’t just a personal discovery but an important matter for the international community to understand before the UN vote on Palestinian statehood this September. Jeremy Leigh, an Israeli academic, told me and a group of Young Fabians that it wasn’t all about the Holocaust. The fact he told me this at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial site, is more surprising. This is because the West and, many Arab states, have interpreted the creation of Israel as some form of consolation prize for the atrocities perpetrated against the Jewish people by the Nazis.

To say that Zionism didn’t exist before this would be a fallacy. The Jewish people have historically been subject to expulsions from areas they had been well established or mis-treatment. There were the Jewish ghettos in Venice, expulsion of the Sephardic Jews in Spain and the exile to Babylon of the original Jewish community in Jerusalem itself. A culture of being outsiders in the states of others has been a reciting motif of the Israeli narrative and consequently its politics.

Without understanding this viewpoint, the Israeli position can appear irrational. It is not.

The apparent excesses of power shown by the Israeli state are borne out of a feeling of powerlessness. Until Israel has genuine grounds to feel free from attack from extremists then it will not have the strength to negotiate a binding peace agreement. We will know that the Israelis feel truly powerful when they relinquish their checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and reduce their army.

One thing is certain – we are not there yet. Until the Palestinians understand the rationale behind the Israeli concerns  - I fear we will not get there.

Sara Ibrahim is Vice-Chair of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

• You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.
• You can view photos from the delegation on the Young Fabian Flickr channel.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Palestine’s UN bid

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Roxanne Mashari explains why she now supports Palestine’s UN bid for independent statehood.

September 21^st 2011 is not just the day I turn 25, but also the day that the Palestinians will take their bid for independent statehood to the United Nations. You can see faces of the Palestinians that we talk to light up with a sense of hope and energy at the prospect of the bid succeeding and there is a real sense of excitement in the air in the Palestinian Territories.

Dr Sabri Saydam, technology and science advisor to the Palestinian Prime Minister, beamed into our meeting with Fateh Youth this morning clutching a tiny cube in his hand. Taking his seat, Dr Saydam held the cube up for the delegation to see. Inside was a miniature blue chair with a tiny Palestinian flag. The message on the cube reads ‘Palestine’s Right, A Full Membership to the United Nations’.

The overwhelming sense of optimism and pride radiating from Dr Saydam as he speaks is contagious. It’s hard not to get caught up in the energy surrounding the preparation for the bid and sitting here with the Young Fabians, Fateh Youth and Dr Saydam, it becomes difficult to contemplate a down side to the September bid.

We have been reminded throughout our trip of the potential dangers of such a move by the Palestinians. Mark Regev, Spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, put to us yesterday that the Palestinian bid was unilateral in nature and that granting statehood to the Palestinians in this way would allow them to avoid some of the more tough concessions that would have to be made in order to secure a mutually acceptable bilateral agreement with the Israelis. Peace, Mr Reghev argued, must be secured before Palestinian Statehood and not the other way round

As far as I can see, opposition to the Palestinian bid rests primarily on three main points:

1. While raising expectations, the bid will do little to change the reality on the ground for the Palestinians.
2. This is an unilateral move by the Palestinians which seeks to undermine Israel’s role in the peace process.
3. Any UN agreement for the Palestinians will make negotiations with the Israeli’s far more difficult as the Palestinians will be unwilling to deviate from the UN agreements.

Until yesterday I was intrigued but sceptical of the Palestinian bid for statehood. Today, my doubt turned into support.

Putting our concerns directly to Dr Saydam, Dr Mohammad Shtayyeh and members of Fateh Youth, counter arguments to the bid were refuted in a measured and comprehensive manner.

I was particularly concerned that if the Palestinians were granted statehood via the UN that Israel may be undermined or side-stepped in any future negotiations. Between them, Dr Saydam and Dr Shtayyeh were clear that this bid was in no way a substitute for negotiations with the Israelis, that the reality of any borders would need to be decided face to face with the Israeli authorities, that an independent Palestinian state would be a demilitarised in the interim with an invitation to Nato or the UN to remain within Palestine in order to ensure the security of the Israelis.

The Palestinians believe that the bid this month will ‘transform the nature of the peace talks’ and grant the Palestinian people basic state rights and recognition that will place them in a far stronger and clearer position to negotiate a lasting peace settlement.  A clear narrative behind the reasons for the bid began to emerge throughout our various meetings today. The Palestinians claimed that unilateralism hasn’t worked, bilateralism has failed again and again and so the last port of call must be a multinational route.

The quartet, the UN, America and Israel have all backed the concept of an independent and fully functioning Palestinian state. If the Palestinians are committed to ensuring Israel’s security through demilitarisation and the presence of NATO forces as well as clearly stating that this bid is in no way a substitute for tough talks with Israel (as we heard today) I see no reason why the Palestinians should not take this non-violent multinational route to self determination and statehood.

Dr Saydam said today that he would put off his own daughter’s marriage if it fell in the month of September due to the bid. He is right in his measurement of the scale and unique nature of the opportunity in front of us. Today, every concern we have heard about the bid by the Isrealis was answered and answered convincingly by the Paslestinians we spoke to today.

If this is backed up with action, this bid for statehood could very well be a monumental and non-violent victory for the moderates within the Palestinan Authority and breathe new life into the peace process.

Roxanne Mashari is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

• You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.
• You can view photos from the delegation on the Young Fabian Flickr channel.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Securing peace

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Siobhan Randell reflects on whether Israeli security measures will help achieve lasting peace.

Second day on the delegation, already – by the amount of information I have absorbed – it feels like I have been here a lot longer! I’ve felt impressed by the variety of perspectives, both Israeli biased and Palestinian, we’ve heard so far in the programme. Each one an impressive speaker, I’ve felt like my opinion has altered slightly after every meeting and discussion.

Yesterday, I ended the day with the opinion that, at least for the moderates, there was a consensus that they wanted peace and a two state solution. The Palestinian UN bid did not seem to be the biggest deal, as on the ground it wouldn’t change anything, and would simply act as a motivator for further progress in achieving that two state solution.

However, after today visiting Hebron and hearing from Al Haq (who document Human Rights violations – including through very engaging Youtube/Google Earth presentations), followed by a lively discussion with Mark Regev, Spokesperson for the Israeli PM, I am beginning to understand the complexity of the conflict and the final status of borders in particular.

I found the situation in Hebron really unnerving. It felt as if the Palestinians were secondary citizens, that the security wasn’t there to protect them and that the effort by the Israeli government was completely and entirely dedicated to ensuring the ability for the Jews to live in settlements, regardless of the effects it would have on the lives of the Palestinians.

Palestinian shops and livelihoods were closed down, streets cornered off and Palestinians banned from driving on 10km of road in their own city, and even walking on 800m of road, meaning that some people had to enter their houses through their roofs, or leave their house entirely. Their appeared to be no sympathy towards the Palestinians or recognition of their right to be able to get into their own house, or walk along a route to work that was quicker than the one they were told to use by the Israeli’s. Simple things that made their lives so difficult were imposed, and, yet, I couldn’t see how it helped secure the state of Israel.

The main thing I took from Hebron was that although the Jewish population needed protecting, all Palestinians were treated as ‘threats’ instead of human beings and thus had fewer rights.

And yet, after speaking to Mark Regev, I understood more fully the Jewish narrative, history and need to have security. I learnt that ‘the wall‘ was (justified as) only a temporary measure and that it had reduced suicide attacks against Israeli’s by 90%; Regev claimed this saved Palestinian lives as Israel had reduced need to protect itself using violence and killing. After hearing this, the wall, which infringes internationally recognised borders for the West Bank, isolating Palestinian villages and separating Palestinians from their farmland and each other, seemed almost to be for the best.

In my opinion, the key issue is whether the wall really is temporary or whether it is an attempt by Israel to take land that has internationally been recognised as Palestinian.

I’m looking forward to my opinions being altered, dashed and/or developed over the coming days.

Siobhan Randell is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

• You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.
• You can view photos from the delegation on the Young Fabian Flickr channel.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Two sides of the coin

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Natalie Breslaw explores two contrasting opinions of the conflict.

What a day! Following a briefing over coffee, we were taken around the poverty ridden streets of Hebron with Al Haq, a Palestinian human rights NGO, concluding the day with a meeting with Mark Regev, the Israeli PM’s official spokesperson.  As I write this, we’re sitting in the beautiful terrace surrounded by trees and flowers with a gorgeous breeze in the Yitzhak Rabin youth hostel in Jerusalem.

During our time exploring Hebron, Al Haq showed us examples of many human rights violations allegedly being made by the Israelis on an everyday basis to the majority Palestinian population. What they showed us was appalling and shocking, and I say this as a pro-Israeli.

I am certain that the majority of Israelis are not aware of the troubles of everyday life for many Palestinians. For example, to gain access to their own houses, many have to climb the roofs of other housing, or climb through windows, as access to their own front doors has been shut off by Israeli authorities. This is done for the protection of the minority – 1,000 Israelis in the city compared to 200,000 Palestinians.

And the violence between the two groups – with murders on both sides and other attacks, such as rock throwing – shows the urgent need for peace, which is only likely to arise from a two state solution.

I’ve not been convinced by those who argue that Zionism is the problem and with the removal of such a concept the conflict would be solved. My opinion was later reinforced by Mark Regev. Our evening was spent throwing a barrel-load of unanswered questions at the poor man! His answers were direct and honest, and often sympathetic. And bringing together my thoughts for this blog has helped me develop a much clearer opinion following such a busy day.

Time, now, for a drink!

Natalie Breslaw is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

• You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Justice For All

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Joani Reid reflects on a an unexpected image of unity.

It’s easy to look at Israel and Palestine through the narrow prisim of the confilct; to define the people and their communities as being on one side or the other.

What I’ve found most surprising since arriving here, albeit less than 24 hours ago, is that the hot issue off the press isn’t a recent explosion or failed peace talks but rather an explosion of social protests.

Jewish and Arab Israelis alike recently united in their demand for social justice, better housing, better prospects and an end to hardship. It seems to be a demonstration which involves the middle and upper classes, but classes across the community divide. It may seem ironic or crude but I find the idea of over 430,000 people coming together, some Rabbis and some Israelis Arabs, in their outrage at lack of affordable housing, over priced health care and sub-standard education, promising, even romantic.

Joani Reid is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

• You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – The Muslim Room

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Shazia Yamin reflects on her personal experience of entering Israel.

My first experience of Israel, as part of the Young Fabians Middle East Delegation, was not a positive one.

I’m accentuating the point in this blog to help provide an insight about what it feels like to be racially profiled and to have to endure a three hour long security interview process. I understand the need for Israel to contain security and terrorist risks. However, I fear that my small glimpse of ‘security assessment’, and the slight on my time and dignity, may just be the smallest fraction of what Muslims living in Israel and the OPTs endure on a regular basis.

As I sit in a little room in Ben Gurion airport, I begin to wonder about the justification for my detention. The room, as I am later told by a young Muslim man from London who joins me, is commonly referred to as the “Muslim room”. He describes passage through this room and the interrogation which accompanies it as rite of passage for any Muslim wishing to enter Israel. To my left sits Sara Ibrahim, my alleged co-conspirator and vice chair of the Young Fabians. It turns out that our co-detainee is an old hand at this; having been stopped a number of times as he travels to visit his fiancé in Ramallah. He explains that my initial interview was only the start of the process and what awaits me behind the other door is ‘Big Brother’. ‘Big Brother’, he continues, will confront me with lots of information that he will have obtained about me from their extensive ‘databases’.

As I sit in the room I reflect on my journey. The experience started at Luton airport; whilst I was still on British soil. I spent 15 minutes being asked questions about my Pakistani heritage. After being allowed to check in into the flight, I notice a large post-it note which has been stuck to the inside of my passport and the yellow tag attached to my case. I also notice that my fellow Fabians have not been allowed access to yellow tag club. I decide at this stage to remove the padlock I had lovingly applied to my case only a few short hours ago. I, after all, have nothing to hide. Predictably, when boarding the aircraft I am taken into a side room where my hand luggage is searched and my shoes are swabbed for what I assume is explosive residue.

As the hours tick away in the Muslim room, I begin to feel like more of a Muslim; almost as if an invisible nikab has started to grow across my face fertilised by the anger within me. The reasons for my detention soon become apparent to me. The only other members of the delegation who are in the room with me are those with Muslim or Muslim sounding surnames. There is no getting away from the fact that this is racial profiling, of the type that would cause an outcry on BBC Question Time were it a UK authority involved. My mind moves to consider the paranoia which no doubt underlies my treatment and the affect that living with such paranoia has upon the psyche of a nation. I also feel an overwhelming sense of empathy with those who have to deal with such treatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities on a daily basis. Whilst the Muslim room is no doubt an annoying inconvenience for me, I begin to appreciate exactly how annoying the ‘Muslim checkpoint’ would be as I go about daily life.

Sadly, I was unable to keep my date with ‘Big Brother’ as I was rescued from the Muslim room by an angel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tasked by the Israeli Embassy in London who very kindly responded to the pleas of the delegation organisers.

As I leave the Muslim room after just over three hours, I make peace with my time there and re-arrange my date with ‘Big Brother’ for the date of my departure. A heightened sense and application of security is something I’m sure we will experience more of during the visit… I’m interested to know from our meetings whether, in any way, the Israeli response to the security threat might be of a nature that actually exacerbates the very threat it seeks to contain.

Shazia Yamin is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East trip 2011.

• You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.

Young Fabian delegation to the Middle East

On Sunday, a delegation of Young Fabian members will leave Luton airport and travel to Tel Aviv for the start of this year’s delegation to the Middle East. It is the first time in 25 years that we are hosting such a trip, and although Israel and Palestine are always fascinating places to visit, our visit could not have happened at a more interesting time.

The Arab world is waiting anxiously for the meeting of the UN General Assembly at the end of September, where a large majority of countries is expected to recognize Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians have been lobbying hard to convince the international community that they have established the necessary infrastructure to survive as a state, and the mood seems to be changing in their favour. But the actual consequences of the results are unclear – the Americans have already announced that they will veto the move, continuing to put their backing behind a negotiated two state solution, whilst Benjamin Netanayu’s speech in front of the American congress in May demonstrated clearly that the Israeli PM will be resilient to international pressure. Recent terror attacks on Israeli civilians in the South and Tel Aviv underline once again the volatile situation in the region. A true end to the Arab – Israeli conflict does not seem any closer – although the rapid developments in the region continue to make future outcomes unpredictable.

During our trip, we will meet with policy makers from both sides, visit key places such as Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron and Tel Aviv and meet with young Palestinians and Israelis to hear their perspective of life in a enduring state of conflict.

We will share our experiences and impressions regularly via our website and blog, so do check them both for regular updates.

As Young Fabians and Labour party members, we are progressives in an internationalist movement, and it is vital that we truly understand the aspirations and the concerns of the peoples on all sides, and that we appreciate the crucial need for a secure Israel and a vital, prosperous Palestine.

Marie-Noelle Loewe is International Officer of the Young Fabians

• The YF delegation is kindly supported by BICOM. You can follow Marie-Noelle Loewe on Twitter (@marieloewe, #yfmep) for regular updates from the trip.