Ask anyone about Nathaniel Grant and you’re bound to receive a mixed bag of responses.

In March, as the then Union Chair, Grant fought a campaign to become UHSU President.

Utilising all the bells, whistles and fireworks he could find, Grant, with team Action, narrowly missed out on victory with only one member of the team, Haydn Stead, winning a seat.

For his contributions to Union life, Grant has been awarded an honorary life membership; constitutionally given when a person or member of the executive committee deems a person worthy based on their outstanding effort.

“I myself, as Union chair, I think, have expanded the role of Union chair more than it has previously ever been used”, speculates Grant on the reasons for his nomination. In a year that that saw the resignation of three of the five exec officers, Grant became a de facto member of the exec, part-time.

“Really we had to steer through a very difficult year” he says of the experience. “I think it was basically things like that and other things I’ve organised here, like debates on Britishness and different aspects of politics” that persuaded people he was worthy of the life membership.

“It’s nice because there a few illustrious honorary life members like Tony Benn. It’s nice to be in that line of succession.”

Grant met, and interviewed Tony Benn in 2007. The interview was printed in the Huddersfield Student, and Grant recalls fondly meeting the former ‘nearly man’.

“He was illuminating”, Grant beams. “I was given more access than I ever thought I would.”

“Tony Benn, as a guy, is always nice to meet anyway. He’s always up for a chat and a good long one at that. But I got to interview him. So I spent most of the day with him, and he’s so easy going it’s beyond belief.

“The man has a sharp mind and he is keen to remind people that the first politician he met was Ghandi. When you start meeting politicians like that, or peace activists if you will, at that level, you realise that you’re with living history- you loose any political lines you would have drawn for anyone else.”

The interview, Grant reveals, was a point of concern for some of his colleagues and peers. Dipping between political parties, at the time Grant confesses an inclination towards the Conservatives.

“You interview Tony Benn,  we understand you have your political leanings, but please, he’s an old man, don’t have a go at him’” was the basic line most who knew him took.

“When you meet him you don’t see a Labour Politician,”- the final two words spoken in a faux-Yorkshire accent- you just see Tony Benn- great statesman, great campaigner, great peace activist. It was in no way political in that sense.”

“Hearing his stories, hearing his view on things and getting to spend as much time with him as I did, was a great priviledge. And I gave him a box of Yorkshire tea. He sent me a message saying Thanks for the tea and a great interview.

“I’ve got his email, I still message him from time to time. He’s a lovely guy.”

You’ve also met Lord David Steel, what was that like?

That was merry, to say the least. He’s an incredibly intelligent man.

Now, I think, he goes around developing African democracies. Working with them in order to reconstruct after post-collonial fallout. We got to talk a lot about contemporary issues.

The first person he walks up to [after his lecture] is me and says (Grant dons a faux-Scottish accent) “Tell me young man, that was a very good question, are you from Africa?” He said, “The last person who asked a question like that turned out to be the son of a President General of a country that had recently had a coup.” I said to him, ‘I assure you I’m not the son of a general; Manchester has its bad spots but don’t worry about that. He looked greatly relieved, took a swig of wine and then he walked off. Wonderful man.

What has led you to meet this calibre of people?

There are two things. On the record, I am indebted to a few people. A lot of people who work at the University itself, and I won’t name names, they know who they are, have been more than generous in accomodating me. Action through your SU can lead to a lot of favours in the University.

I’m also on a Politics course so they’re always looking for eager young people to take part. The Dean of my school is a wonderful help and loves learning and encouraging people to learn.

And how about your unfortunate defeat in the UHSU elections?

It is important to acknowledge a very hard fought campaign in the terms of the rest of my action team- Jordan, Andy, Tank and Dale.

I think many people have said that, and I maintain, that we won the election but lost the vote. I think if you ask many people what they remember most from the SU elections it was the designs we came up with, the type of campaigning- Youtube, Facebook, posters, t-shirts, flyers, stickers. We connected with the whole campus the best we could. Our songs were getting in excess of 100 hits.

I think the other guys were just better at getting their vote out. I think it’s the first lesson of politics- you get your core vote out. Conservatives, get your old people with their tea cosy hats on. Labour, get your former miners. Liberal Democrats, get your vegetarians.

I think our core vote weren’t that bothered. The lesson for the next Action team that runs in the election will be get your core vote out and then start converting people to vote for you.

What next?

I have a wonderfully lucritive directorhsip of a company in Manchester, a charity, which helps give free education to young people who are not getting enough at school or getting kicked out of school.

We also work in mediation counselling. That will be Manchester City Centre, as close to a Starbucks as possible. I will be doing that and practising my golf swing.

I think that the Debating society is being set up- there’s talk of me being made an honorary member of that as well. I’m going to have a whole load of honorary memberships. ‘Did you hold any elected office or where you just put there?’

I might even do a few pieces for the old paper. And that’s about it.

This post is tagged Elections 09, Honorary Life Membership, Lord David Steel, Nathaniel Grant, Tony Benn