Birmingham University Labour Students

To any student living in Selly Oak this is not an outrageous statement, it is however news for the Observer. In particular students are prey to gang initiations. For all the debt students are often seen as far more affluent then the ‘locals’ who they share the community with.

Filed under: Birmingham, Law and Order, National Politics | 2 Comments »

One of our esteemed colleagues in BULS recently said to me that there was little point in going campaigning for an election we’ve already lost.
Tomorrow BULS will be heading to Erdington, where we face significant challenges over the next two years, it is a seat the Tories will find ever more attractive now that they [...]

Filed under: BULSInside, Birmingham, Labour Party, National Politics | 24 Comments »

Congratulations to all newly-elected Birmingham City Councillors.  I happened to be browsing through the Birmingham Conservatives website, and found a page containing lovely pictures of all Conservative Birmingham City Councillors, sorted by ward.  I would encourage everyone to go and take a look - it appears not to have been updated with the new councillors [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Birmingham politics, Conservative Party, Race | 5 Comments »

Kathryn Woodroof of BULS reports back from the event “Labour, The Women’s Champion” in Washwood Heath
A few Sundays ago a contingent of us BULS women went over to Washwood Heath to show our support for the local Labour candidate Mohammed Rasib. Birmingham’s Labour Party had originally intended to put forward [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Women | Tagged: Women | 1 Comment »

… and do does campaigning season!
Opportunities abound in Selly Oak, Bartley Green and Quinton. Drop me a shout to labour@guild.bham.ac.uk if you’d like a leafleting round, locally or further afield

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary, Campaigns | No Comments »

Student, Political Activist, Human Being; Some say that when he’s engaged in politics he’s insatiable, some call him a visionary… yet more call him a deluded fool… all I know is… he’s called Martin Shapland.
I call him Shappers.

Filed under: Birmingham | No Comments »

Every once in a while an announcement is made by the Government that raises a smile.  It’s a gesture of self-satisfaction, encouraging you that you did indeed do the right thing when you joined the Labour Party, it truly speaks for your issues.  Curry has a special place in Birmingham and a special place in [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Labour Affiliated Organistions, Labour Party | 5 Comments »

Rod Dungate our candidate in Edgbaston for this May’s local elections has started his own blog which I thought I’d share with you.
Edgbaston Ward is held by the Conservatives but I really think we can give them a run for their money this May and we wish Rod the best of luck.  Happy reading!

Filed under: Birmingham, Birmingham politics, Labour Party | No Comments »

Tom Marley, chair of BULS has recieved a positive boost from the visitor numbers for last month.  BULS’ blog attracted 4515 visitors during one of the busiest periods in Guild politics.  Marley will be cheered by the figures which will be a clear sign that, despite further allegations of sleaze, he has full control over [...]

Filed under: BULSInside, Birmingham | 1 Comment »

I don’t care what they say, that was not a tremor it was an earthquake and it was freaky!

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | Tagged: Earthquakes | 1 Comment »

I have never had to pay council tax, and recently had to investigate it for some friends. I don’t think the way that the amount to pay is decided is fair, and I’ve read tons of letters to papers and tabloid front pages moaning about how it was going up and up. So I [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | Tagged: Council tax | 2 Comments »

While I should have been working I came across gaybirminghamremembered. This project fascinatingly chronicles a the often unspoken history of Birmingham’s gay scene since the 1940s and how life has changed for the city’s lgbt community over the decades, really interesting, and at times sad stuff.

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary, LGBT | Tagged: Gay scene | No Comments »

Sir Dick Knowles, former Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, died yesterday at the age of 90.
 
Dick was leader of the Labour Group from 1984 to 1993, and brought in many of the changes which saw Birmingham get back on its feet and feel the sense of pride in itself that many regarded as lacking [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Birmingham politics, Labour Party, Local news | Tagged: Dick Knowles | 2 Comments »

 Because I am not at all bitter about being stuck in my house with an exam in the morning and no one to watch Super Tuesday coverage with, I am going to blog about something entirely un-Super Tuesday related.
 So, yeah, three thousand people. That’s how many council staff flooded Birmingham’s Victoria Square today in protest over the new [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | Tagged: strike, unions | No Comments »

 The bin-men of Birmingham have dismayed unions by voting to accept a £8000 a year pay rise, which coupled with the cancellation of bonusses means in real terms a £2000 a year cut.
 The Labour group on the Council had accused the Tory administration of “holding a gun to their heads” over the pay deal, and [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | 1 Comment »

Apparently New Street is… old! and pleasent!
Shamelessly nicked from the front page of the Birmingham Post (picture actually taken by Iain Findlay, before I get sued)

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | No Comments »

Thinking back to Tom Geese’s blog on community spirit, I came across this when I should have been doing something more productive. The original article is a pile of shite, but the comments below give an interesting if depressing glimpse of the two Selly Oaks- the permanent comunity and the student bubble…

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | Tagged: Chavs, Selly Oak | 1 Comment »

I see that Birmingham College of Food and Tourism has re-branded, as the imaginatively titled University College Birmingham.
This means our great city is now graced with Birmingham City University, the University of Birmingham and University College Birmingham.
…Anyone else think people are going to find this ever so slightly confusing?

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | Tagged: Birmingham City University, University of Birmingham, Univesity College Birmingham | 6 Comments »

Whilst phone canvassing today I spoke to a lovely lady who told me that the biggest problem living in Selly Oak were all the students.  This rant lasted for about 10 minutes and, without telling her my educational status, I was happy to give her a sounding board for her concerns.  One thing she mentioned [...]

Filed under: Birmingham | 3 Comments »

One of the essential parts of BULS is campaigning throughout Birmingham.  We’ve got some very important local elections coming up this May so what better time to start grinding the campaign gears than at the start of the New Year.  Today, comrades travelled to Kings Heath to help Labour candidates Nathan Matthew and David Williams [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Birmingham politics, Campaigns | 2 Comments »

 Am loving this story from Tom Watson, who spotted that instead of their own city, Tory MEPs had displayed their wealth of local knowledge by illustrating their website with pictures of Birmingham, Alabama.
(Ironically my dear parents made the same mistake at Christmas, when they gave me a book entitled A Photographic History of Birmingham.)

Filed under: Birmingham, Brigid Jones's Diary | No Comments »

It looks like Clegg scrapped in, just. With 20,988 votes to 20,477 Nick Clegg won with a margin of 511 votes which is 1.2% of the vote. To be honest I didn’t follow this contest as I always presumed it was a foregone conclusion; Clegg was surely always going to win. If I had to [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats | 3 Comments »

The Birmingham Post has carried two headlines this week that prompted me to shell out 70p for it. The first, on Monday, was in the fall out of the Enoch Powell Tory row… like the Post correspondant, I had already googled the speech, only to be led straight to the National Front website which carried [...]

Filed under: Birmingham, Birmingham politics, Brigid Jones's Diary, Women | Tagged: Birmingham, Birmingham Post, Enoch Powell, Gender pay gap, Nigle Hastilow | 1 Comment »