APRIL'S conference of the National Union of Students will face crucial decisions about whether to liquidate the union into a charitable institution.
Preempting this, leftist students are attempting to prepare an alternative organisation to the NUS.
The poverty of leadership offered by the NUS is shown by its response to the government's 30 per cent cut in the grant. If trade unionists, pensioners or even prisoners faced such a cut there would have been a massive organised response. There has been a response to the grant cut - but it has largely flowed around the NUS leaders.
When an impressive 10,000 students marched in central London last month, they did so under the inexperienced lead of the student left. Socialist Worker students foolishly attempted to break police lines and charge Parliament.
Meanwhile stewards, many either members of Left Unity (which reflects the positions of Socialist Organiser) or Socialist Organiser staff, joined forces with the police to prevent students breaking through to Parliament and aggressively herded
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 59, 26 March 1994, Page 13 Age of the