Jimmy Sergi

Tell us about yourself and your role:

I’m Jimmy, and I am an 18-year-old History and Politics student from Merseyside. This year I will be Editor of Anticipations (Antics for short!), the Young Fabians quarterly magazine. After a year as Blog Editor, I’m really excited to be making this move to editing a physical publication which will be sent to all members. 

Antics is a perk of being a Young Fabians member, and a great way to get your opinions heard by other YF members and senior Labour Party figures. You can read past publications here. 

What's your first political memory?

This may be hard to believe, but my first political memory is from when I was 6 years old! After the 2010 General Election I remember being reassured by my mother that the Liberal Democrats would never let David Cameron become Prime Minister. Needless to say, that the sense of betrayal I felt when our teacher told us we had a new prime Minister a few days later was formative for my political outlook.

What made you join and get involved with the Young Fabians?

I had been involved in Labour for two years when lockdown hit in 2020. With a new Labour leader and shadow cabinet with extensive involvement in the Fabians, I finally made the leap to join. 

Straight away my regional group, the North West Young Fabians, welcomed me with open arms as I got to know other young people from across my region through the newly found wonders of Zoom. Within a few months I was lucky enough to become Secretary of the North West group, and at the end of 2021 I was elected to the National Executive, serving as Editor of this blog for a year. I also proposed the foundation of our Under 19s Advocacy Group last year, to ensure that the next generation of political activists saw YF as a safe space to begin their involvement.

What are your aims for the year ahead in your position?

My number one goal is to return Antics to a more frequent release schedule. We are lucky enough to have the funding to send out magazines to every Young Fabian member in the country, which should be a crucial part of our membership package. Work on this is already beginning, with our first edition in the works ahead of a Spring release. 

Secondly, I want to ensure that the impact of each issue is maximised. By focusing on themes which relate closely to policies the next Labour Government can implement, the ideas of Young Fabians can have a tangible impact on policy. We are also working on securing guest contributors who can increase the profile of each publication.

If you could write and implement one law, what would it be?

The first thing that needs addressing is the state of our public services after 13 years of Tory underfunding. It would be difficult to choose where to start, but I would probably go for the NHS, dealing with ludicrous waiting times and ensuring it remains free at the point of use. 

For more ideas of policies that Young Fabians can implement, you can to read our first edition of Antics for this year, with the theme of ‘Broken Britain: The Task Ahead for Labour’, which will explore policy options the next Labour Government can explore to fix public services.

What was the last book you read?

If we aren’t including books I’ve had to read from my degree, it would be ‘Why We Get the Wrong Politicians’ by Isabel Hardman. With parliamentary selections within the Labour Party in full swing, there is lots we can learn from this analysis of some flaws of Britain’s political system. This round of selections has been more promising than ever, with policy experts from different walks of life ready to join the Parliamentary Labour Party after the next election.

Finally, the most important question – dogs or cats?

As someone who lives with two of each, I feel very qualified to speak on this topic. For me, cats are vastly superior.

You can contact Jimmy via [email protected]

 

Panny Antoniou

Tell us about yourself and your role:

I have been involved in politics and the Young Fabians for a number of years now, I was co-chair of the international network before being elected to our Executive Committee. My role is essentially to act as a connector. Building links with organisations which share our aims and values both at home and abroad and providing opportunities for collaboration for Young Fabian members. It is my second year in the role and with Labour looking ever more likely to be forming the next government, I am excited to expand the breadth and range of horizon expanding opportunities available.

What's your first political memory?

Domestically, my first political memory was Labour winning their second landslide election in 2001 - I hope that we will see a win for our party on a similar scale whenever the Tories’ second unelected Prime Minister in six months finally decides to get the public’s opinion on the government he leads. Internationally, my first political memory was probably 9/11 and the profound impact it had on our domestic and international policy for decades. Everything changed that day and it is still affecting the world today.

What made you join and get involved with the Young Fabians?

I have always been interested in policy making and the Young Fabians seemed like the best place for a young person with a passion for progressive policy making to get their voice heard. With an active blog, policy pamphlets, and the capacity to host events it is a great place to share your ideas and create innovative policy solutions for the future of the left.

What are your aims for the year ahead in your position?

My aim for my second year in this role is simple - to build on the successes of last year and create even more opportunities for enrichment and learning for our members. I was delighted that we were able to arrange so many foreign trips with Young Fabian delegations or meet-ups with sister organisations in Portugal, Turkey, Albania, Croatia, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands last year. I was also delighted to have engaged with so many think tanks including Centre Think Tank where we worked on a document around policing reform and Compass who co-hosted their Big Basic Income Conversation with the Young Fabians.

This year I aim to build on these successes and expand our links with our sister parties across the world as well as with trade unions and think tanks. Working with these groups provides opportunities for enrichment for our members and expands horizons when we are putting together the policies which will form the manifesto of the next Labour Government. My long term ambition is for the Young Fabians to be the most influential think tank on university campuses, inspiring a new generation of left wing thinkers and policymakers. Working alongside Labour Students, I hope that we can deliver on this promise.

If you could write and implement one law, what would it be?

This may be a bit of a cheat answer (and a nerdy one) but I would love to have a codified constitution. This would prevent future governments from trampling on our fundamental human rights as the Tories are with their attacks on courts and devolution as well as providing a codified charter of the rights we all take for granted. The right to an education, the right to healthcare, the right to free speech, the right to bodily autonomy. These are all rights which are vital to our democracy and the functioning of our country which we take for granted today. Codifying these in a constitutional format would allow these to be cemented into British law and would prevent future governments from eroding the individual and communal values we all hold dear.

What was the last book you read?

The most recent book I read was The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye. Written by a trans woman, it dissects and breaks down the “culture war” issues which manifest themselves in culturally conservative circles and outlines a new model for LGBT+ Liberation. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is LGBT+ as well as for allies looking to champion progressive causes and minority liberation in the New Year.

Finally, the most important question – dogs or cats?

This is by far the hardest question - I would love to own both! If forced to choose I would say I am probably more of a dog person but as a private renter, a cat seems like a far more achievable and realistic pet.

You can get in contact with Panny via [email protected]