revival of student conference. militancy? FEATURES Inside NUS olay far let in me what die o more for their apathy than their g militancy, despite heing betler or 3 ferent slory. Students over the last = few years have boen noted rather 3 sive student mobilisations of all backgrounds, as well as For many of the forces of major force on the British the affluent late 1960s inspired many political activists from Campus militancy was once a political landscape. The mas- providing a training ground today's far left.
riglirwards clashed head-on with the ellects cit NUS leadership still managed to maintain The elements of the situation were background of struggle: but in con- trast came the DL/Communist Party plan to restructure NUS. These proposals included a few positive aspects to cover up more negative ones (most notably the complete abolition of the winter conference itself, rendering the NUS leadership even less accountable, and con- The leadership's attempt to move NUS the anti-Joans struggles, ercating an almosphere two-fold: firstly there was the new solidating even further bureaucratic control). pause for breath. of confrontation. trary to their verbal commitment to democracy and their libertarian demagogy, the Kannockites have fended off challenges from the left by measures which have nothing lo do with democracy - such as ruling "oul of order' at NOLS conferences whole delegations from colleges controlled by the left. The Kinnockite porters of the Communist Party, and the ideol- ogy of Marzism Today dominates the politics of the leadership, due to the political weakness faction shares a leadership block with sup Until recently, student militancy had ebbed of the Democratic Left. real terms. There has also boen an crosion in everything from tutorial standards to cuts in al Union of Students (NUS). "New realism" has ment endemic in highereducational institutions grants - down hy a staggering 23 per cent in Live situation and the leadership of the Nation- blended with the culture of individual achieve- to form a mass - though sub-conscious - quari- The explanation for students' relative pas sivity is to be found in the politics of the objec came to office in 1979 there has been a dramatic fall in the valuc of student Since the Thatcher government ganised than other sections of youth. housing benchits.
fion, and their hopelessly bankrupt strategy of WaR enough to maintain their domination. At such times it is almost impossible for the right wing any automatic ascendancy for the left, which liances which help maintain the leadership's control over the conference: The explosion of casions, including a number of occupations of the platform. However it is hard to believe that mance - as shown by their blunders and mis- to make gains: but such criscs do not guarntee now must look afresh at the forces and the al- anger reached theatrical levels on a lew oc- the leadership'x dismal politics and perfor Icadership over the November 24 demonstra "changing the minds of Tory MPs" covered by bank loans, with repayments spread cess, let alone exam failures — will he thousands ing classstudents and those from less privileged students, many of whom will simply not be able The revelation of the Tory plans for student Joans last Novemher upset the uneasy balance plosive escalation of the govemment's attacks on students. From 1990, all social security and housing benefits for students will cease, Grants will be frozen, and increases in costs will he of pounds of debt, affecting all students apart from the very rich. It will particularly hit work- sections of society, especially women andhlack of the last couple of years, signalling an ex- over a period of years. The price even of suc- private capital and the new developments in cuts in the funding of polytectics, huge debts in universities, and many cost cutting mergers The atmosphere of apathy and influence of the high technology - at the expense of the "arts Thatcherite vicw of the world. For many, the world outside the texibook is too ugly and However the Tory attacks on education have steadily increased, aimed at re-structuring the whole educational system to meet the needs of This restructuring has also led to massive Resistance from the NUS has been minimal. "textbook cocoon" have assisted the NUS and other non-technical disciplines. theatening to be confronted. of colleges.
ly greeted by the leadership, and ended with a SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 12 February 1989 On closer cxamination of the factional war- fare at conference, some clearly related phenomena are revealed. One occupation of the platform - by the Scottish students, after the Icadership's soft line on opposition to the Poll Tax had been passed - was greeted by the leadership closing down the conference for the rest of the day. Yet an earlier women's oc- cupation of the platform appeared to be wanu- statement against "intimidation" of women by of parliament into a mass demonstration which The release of the loans White Paper was met with massive resistance nationally. A wave of activity drew whole new layers of students into struggle and transformed the atmospliere from one of passivity to onc of outrage in student unions across the country. An estimated 50,000 took to the strects on the day of action in mid November, every major city saw a xizable stu- dent demonstration against loans. The NUS leudership were forced to transfon what they hoped would be a peaceful and low-key lobby to afford to take their places. government hoards on how best to make cuts ensure the minimum involvement of the 1.25 ecutive dominated by the pro-Kinnock faction trolled NUS through the National Organisation means necessary to contain opposition. Con- without doing too much damage; campaigns of letter-writing to MPk, und a conscious plan to of the "Democtatic Left' (DL), who have con- of Labour Students (NOLS) - resorting to any cretely, this has meant negotiations with None of this is surprising from an NUS ex leadership's policy of "passive protest'. Con- million members of NUS. Page 8
Trevor Wongsam What is needed in NUS is a formation of ness and political perception, and to develop the gle politics, and consistent with the struggles Took of the sort that Socialist Organiser have so Socialist Outlook supporters in the colleges ure engaged in a project with such an aim around the new left student bulletin Direction 89. Whatever the rest of the academic year brings, 1989 is sure to be a stormy year of SSiN's claim to represent the Labour left in NOLS has declining credibility, and its future 1s as yet uncicar: hut its decline certainly merits discusson by socialists as part of the general debate on the way forward for the student movement. SSiN will have to stand on their "Consistent socialists" with sufficient infuence to bring ahout a major shake-up in conscious- necessary alliances, consistent with class strug- This implies an internationalist political out- dehale and activity for all socialist students. political record in such a debate. of the oppressed. clearly lacked. dents - the significance of which they have at al opposition to the Democratic Left and the political problems in NUS, and their "theory" of have, on occasion, when it seemed to their ad- vantage, resorted to some of the bureaucratic tunist meanderings are relatied to Socialist Organiser's "programmatic review", or a simple capitulation to cloctoralism. One of the year with the pro-zionist Union of Jewish Stu- of SSiN's part icadership of various important debale with feminists in NUS. Worse, SSIN It is unclear whether SSiN's recent oppor- worst examples of this was their alliance last defends itself purely by alleging 'sexism" This latter is important because the Socialist campaigns around welfare issues, and their sep- that a whole burcaucratic caste of women Students in NOLS (SSIN) grouping, dominated by Socialist Organiser, has been the tradition- present DL/CP block in NUS. This is by virtue However SiN has failed to confront the key femocracy has avoided or blacked any real LES against all men who politically oppose them. resentation on the NUS executive. methods used by the DL/CP. EATU tempted to downplay. m LL ganiser theory of 'femocracy" which asserts All these episodes say something about the the pro-Kinnock DL/CP block as champions of the oppressed. This big lie" has been used with tunist politics of Martiam Today - a direct counterposition between the struggles of the This type of political block can only be huilt on the weakness of the left on such questions, us seen in Militant's line that liberation cam- the SWP view thar only working class women are oppressed', and the crude Socialist Or- Later there was a leshian and gay statement dents ended his speech by insisting that left factions will not tell us what to think or do. Finally a special round of applause for Presi- dent Maeve Sherlock from the women at the conference was proposed by a Communist stooges and patronage, and designed to project ing possibly the clearest rellection of the oppor- against the homophobia" of "left factions'; and a delegate who spoke on behalf of overseas stu- great effect as a weapon against the left, show- paigns are a diversion from the class struggle" leadership's political alliances. oppressed and the class struggle. party member on the executive.
natthe THE LOGOES NOM HARINGEY ESBIANS + GAYS /Report Andrew Wiard; Not in front children?