By Andrew Berry and SOCIALIST students arestanding a black candidate NUS president. Patrick Bischop, an overseas student who is a mem ber of the Belgian Trotskyist Jeune Guard Socialiste, is standing on a platfor opposing the destruction of the National Union of Students planned by its executive.
The Socialist Outlook executive slate of four, stands for left unity to tackle the Tory onslaught against students and the madcap plans of the execuThe NUS executive, led by right-wing members of NOLS the Labour student organisa40. 10 0804070 a proposals to depoliticise and scale-down student organisaVoluntary Their consultative paper, due to go the Easter NUS conference, proposes two key changes voluntary membership of the student union by inand that NUS and afiliated unions have charity status.
This changes would have a spectacular Organisaons with charity status are subject to regulation by the Charity Commissioner, and are meant to be non-political. Student unions could only possibly campaign on issues proved to be directly relevant to students; and the interpretation of this would be in the hands of the Charity Commission. New proposals will put an end to NUS campaigning The long tradition of student union campaigning on issues such as radsm would be destroyed at a stroke, and unions reduced to organisations providing entertainment, travel and similar services.
Safeguard positions The proposals are a pre-emptive strike by NUS leadership. in ad vance of what are expected • be wide-ranging proposalby the Tories. he executive hope to safeguard their bureaucratic positions by 'getting their own house in order, at the exJust out! New issue of pense of the mass of students.
Higher education is being radically overhauled. The Tories are boosting student numbers to take people off the dole guene,but providing much worse facilities.
Student poverty is almost universal. As student numbers go up internibie conatmons, students need a vigorous campaig ning union to fight for their interests and link up with other groups fighting the Tories.
This is exactly what the Tories plan to stop, now with the able assistance of the NOLS NUS leadership.
Other planned changes include thé abolition of union general meetings, so that students could only decide policy through elections and referenchanges already made, abolishing the NUS national December conference.
Uncontrollable
The bureaucratic dlique at the top of NUS would be supplemented by uncontrollable little cliques at college level.
The left in NUS is hampered Campaigners protest at abortion ban in the Republic six counties