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- Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) was founded in 1919 to promote democratic socialism and is today the home of the Labour Party and of social democracy at Oxford University. OULC is the largest and oldest university Labour club in the country and has a particular reputation as an active campaigning force. The club caters for any students who are interested in the ideals of the labour movement whether members of the Labour Party or entirely new to politics. Stewart Wood, special adviser to consecutive Labour Party leaders Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband, said that 'OULC is held up as an exemplar of what needs to be done.' During his visit to Oxford in July 2009 the Prime Minister Gordon Brown was reported as having praised OULC's 'brilliant contribution to progressive politics in the University, the city and the country.' The club was instrumental in returning Andrew Smith to Parliament for Oxford East at the 2010 General Election with a 4.1% swing to Labour, the largest in England outside London. Throughout the year it hosts a range of speaker, social, discussion, and campaigning events, as well as producing a termly magazine called Look Left. Signature events include the annual Barbara Castle Memorial Lecture and John Smith Memorial Dinner. In 2016, some officers of the Oxford University Labour Club resigned citing allegations of antisemitism in the club. This resulted in the national Labour party officially investigating the club for antisemitism, resulting in a report concluding that the true extent of the problem was hard to verify. (en)
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