The demo may be unofficial, but there is no doubting the determination of the thousands of students who turned out on a cold November afternoon to register their opposition to New Labour's new fees.
IN A LIVELY demonstration EDUCATION EF FRE to the scrapping of student EDUCATION 1) ARA EDUCATE SAN TAN FORN GRI TAL Stutts Sartho are GR ducamun nust be reel action to defend members' interests, preferring instead to focus their attention on their "enemy within" - left-wing activists.
The conference received a reminder of how viciously the bureaucracy is prepared to attack political opponents from Huw Lloyd, a leading left-winger in CPSA for twelve years.
Lloyd's consistent defence of union democracy and support for workers in struggle have made his all-Wales branch a thorn in their side. Periodic attempts to obstruct or silence him have been stepped up over the last year.
In a concerted campaign of harassment, national officials, and their servants at regional or departmental level have * used stooges at branch level to manufacture complaints against him * attempted to interfere in branch elections, intimidate activists and take over branch committee meetings * prevented Lloyd's branch from voting in section elections or submitting conference motions * quietly cancelled his membership subscriptions and ignored his repeated attempts to continue payments.
This last ploy seems likely to be used to deny that he had been a member for the last year, and to suggest that he has therefore been using facility time under false pretences.
This together with the "mysterious complaints", will apparently be used to encourage management to take disciplinary action against him - the penalty for which could be the loss of his job. This is clearly intended as a warning to others that they too can be picked off.
It underlines the need for a Left Unity organisation strong enough to organise collective resistance to the leadership's attacks on individuals- one which provides a permanent rallying point for all those who are prepared to challenge management and, if necessary their own officials.
It is to be hoped that the recent conference is a step towards such an organisation.