Author Archives: Callum Leslie

Callum Leslie

Liberal Youth Elections 2013… Chair: Callum Leslie

By Callum Leslie | Fri 3rd May 2013 - 2:30 pm

Callum Leslie reclaim the nightFor the past 18 months, I’ve been wrestling with the possibility of leaving the party. As the party leadership continues to ignore party policy and members’ wishes, we have to sit through the bedroom tax, secret courts, the NHS debacle, shares for rights, tuition fees and more. The position of conference as the sovereign body of the party by which all are bound is all but extinguished.

About two weeks ago, I came to a realisation. Having been a party member since I was 14 and a candidate …

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Posted in Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
Callum Leslie

Opinion: Liberal Youth Scotland campaigns for honest lets

By Callum Leslie | Wed 24th October 2012 - 1:29 pm

Brace yourself — you’re about the hear the SNP getting some praise.

Are you sitting down? Good.

Over the summer, the SNP announced something that student groups like the NUS and groups such as Shelter and the CAB had been calling for a long time. They announced that they would issue a clarification on the illegality of any fees that tenants were being

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Callum Leslie

Opinion: The First Time Candidate’s View

By Callum Leslie | Thu 7th April 2011 - 3:26 pm

Being a first time candidate is a daunting experience, but a hugely rewarding and humbling one.

I was one of the youngest people to ever go through the candidate approval process, at just 17. Many people were surprised that I bothered, given I couldn’t stand for election yet anywhere, but in all honesty, I wanted to get it done and out of the way, so that when opportunities (such as the one I’m about to describe) occurred, I would be able to take full advantage. My advice to others is don’t wait for that ideal seat to come up before you …

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Posted in News, Op-eds and Scotland | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
Callum Leslie

Liberal Youth grow moustaches to beat cancer!

By Callum Leslie | Sun 31st October 2010 - 10:27 am

Members of the Liberal Youth Executive are taking part in this year’s ‘Movember’ to help raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity.

The challenge states that participants must be clean shaven on November the 1st, and grow only a moustache for the duration of November.

Movember is a brilliant cause, with a big message behind it. In 2008 there were 10,168 deaths in the UK from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer accounts for around 12% of male deaths from cancer in the UK and is the second most common cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer. In 2009’s Movember, one million …

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Posted in News | 3 Comments
Callum Leslie

Opinion: We are a party founded on the principle of free education

By Callum Leslie | Thu 14th October 2010 - 10:55 am

Liberal Youth Scotland has made a huge impact in the last few years. They have fought for equalities, demonstrated against the homophobic Westboro Baptist Church when they threatened to come to Edinburgh, produced many excellent motions to our Conference where their Quiz/Debate evenings have become the place to be. Their VP-Communications tells us what LYS has been up to and how it feels about the Browne Report.

Liberal Youth Scotland is one of the fastest growing movements in the Liberal Democrats today. Since April, our membership has gone up by over 60%. Over the past two years, we have succeeded in …

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Posted in Op-eds and Scotland | Tagged , , , , and | 8 Comments
Callum Leslie

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #13

By Callum Leslie | Wed 17th February 2010 - 3:23 pm

So, Tories really are sheep in respectable politicians’ clothing.

In a comment to me on Facebook of all places, Conservative Future Scotland Chair Duncan Stewart attempted to make excuses for Tory spin doctors dropping in “stunt students” for David Cameron’s press conference at University of East London this week.

At the press conference Mr Cameron took the opportunity to attack Gordon Brown over expenses, claiming that the Tories were the “new generation” of politicians “at ease with openness” needed to reform politics.

However, UEL Student Union President Joseph Bitrus blew the whistle on Cameron’s latest attempt at public deception. He was alerted …

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Callum Leslie

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #10

By Callum Leslie | Thu 15th October 2009 - 9:55 am

Last month – in Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #8 – Ruaraidh Dobson wrote about the upcoming Freshers’ season, and how it was an exciting time to be in student politics. He wasn’t disappointed.

Liberal Youth Scotland and university societies across the country signed up droves of new party members, and vastly increased our university presence. St Andrews in particular, a society which had been in the doldrums for many years and has only recently been re-started, is now the largest political society at the University.

Aberdeen, who only re-started in January, signed up 60 new members to their society, making them one of the biggest university societies in the country. Glasgow University Lib Dems signed up 57 new party members, more than any other society in the UK in 2008.

These societies were all supported in their efforts by Liberal Youth Scotland, providing materials and manpower to help achieve these phenomenal successes. However, the work does not stop here.

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