Like us the majority of students want to get our troops out of the Middle East, believe in free and fair education, and are against the sell-off of our universities and services. But the NUS leadership flies in the face of the majority on every one of these most important issues.
Student Respect is once again gearing up to contest the elections for the leadership of the National Union of Students (NUS). We will be standing for all three Vice Presidents, and the part-time executive.
Rob Owen, currently on the NUS executive, will be standing for Vice President Education, and re-standing for the “block of 12” part-time executive.
Hind Hassan, Equalities and Diversity Officer at Leeds University SU, will be standing for Vice President Welfare, and for the part-time executive.
Simon Byrne, a student at Kingston College, will be standing for Vice President Further Education.
The NUS remains an organisation dominated by an unrepresentative right-wing Labour clique. Student Respect represents a breath of fresh fair, of radical student politics, and of the voice of the majority – over issues like war, education and privatisation.
This year, more than ever, a radical left is needed. The New Labour minions want to scrap the notion of NUS being a democratic, campaigning national force. The “governance review” would effectively mean the end of our national union, an end to annual conference as a democratic institution and will ensure the unchallenged domination by the “apolitical” rightwing.
Over the past few weeks we have been discussing with two other organisations on the left in the NUS, the Student Broad Left and Education Not for Sale. It is regrettable that negotiations around forming an electoral slate with these organisations have broken down. However, we still hope that agreement can be reached between us to ensure the maximum possible degree of unity.
Needless to say, on the issue of saving NUS democracy, we will stand side by side with these organisations, and any others who oppose the governance review, and stand for a democratic, campaigning national union.
The NUS conference will take place on the 1 -3 April in Blackpool. To find out more about being a delegate or about our election campaign, email students@respectcoalition.org.
