George Aylett

Profile

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics from the University of Hull, achieving a 2:1 after three years of study followed by a Merit in MA History at the same institution. My four years as a student at the University of Hull awakened my passion for political research and subsequently I began to work on my PhD thesis in the following academic year.

I began my studies as a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Leeds in October 2019. I am a Teaching Assistant in the School of Politics and International Studies, the School of Earth and Environment, and the School of Sociology and Social Policy. See coursefinder for information about ongoing modules at the university.

Modules I have previously assisted:
- PIED1100 British Politics (2021/22)
- PIED1110 Comparative Politics (2020/21 and 2021/22)
- SOEE5472 Environmental Policy and Governance (2021/22 and 2022/23)
- SOEE1450 Environmental Politics and Policy (2020/21 and 2021/22)
- SLSP1150 Politics and Social Transformation (2022/23)
- SLSP1220 Social Policy: Poor Laws to the Present (2022/23)
- SLSP2050 The Sociology of Gender (cover, 2022/23)
- SLSP2730 Central Problems in Sociology (cover, 2022/23)
- SLSP1160 Understanding and Researching the City (cover, 2022/23)
- SLSP0121 Social Inequalities in Contemporary Society (cover, 2022/23)

In the 2020/21 and 2021/22 I was nominated for a Leeds Partnership Award – the awards celebrate 'students and staff who have gone above and beyond to make the Leeds learning experience so brilliant'. I have media experience after previously appearing on the BBC, LBC and Voice of Islam contributing to a variety of political debates from a left wing perspective. I have also written for VICE UK, Mutual Interest Media and The Gryphon.

View my LinkedIn profile if you would like to see my work/volunteering experience and my Twitter profile if you are interested in reading more on my political opinions.

Responsibilities

• Teaching Assistant

Research interests

My research aims to establish a new leadership model evaluating the effectiveness of opposition party leaders looking specifically at the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn from 2015-2020.

This model, the Partycraft model, is broadly derived from Bulpitt’s Statecraft theory. Statecraft is useful for looking at the leadership of a party in government but can not be applied to opposition parties. For this reason, my research into the Partycraft model is designed so that the effectiveness of both historic and contemporary opposition leaders may be measured.

My research interests are:

• British politics
• Contemporary history
• Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party 2015-2020
• The history of the Labour Party
• Left wing activism
• Socialism
• Marxism
• Trade unionism
• Environmentalism
• Party leadership models
• Vexillology

Qualifications

• BA Politics
• MA History

Research groups and institutes

• Postgraduate research