I can’t say that this was the bit of NEC work that I was most looking forward to, but if it really helps to open up our union and ignite a little accountability, then it can only be a good thing.

I think I’m going to use my blog less to reel off all the things that I’ve done and how wonderful I am for visiting X amount of Unions and attending X amount of events but more to discuss particular issues of the day, both within and without NUS, how I feel they impact upon students and what NUS should be doing to tackle them.

London Bombings

Obviously the biggest issue this month has been the London bombings. These were attacks upon all of us, our way of life and our freedom. I am proud of the way we have responded to these attacks in a calm and measured way and of all our leading politicians for not attempting to fan the flames of Islamophobia or the immigration debate.

I was stuck in central London, trying to make my way to the East Anglia regional training, when the bombs went off and what struck me was how very British our response was! None of the hysteria or commotion that you might expect, just ordinary people looking rather stunned but trying their best to get on with their lives.

So I have to admit that I was a bit dismayed that within hours of these attacks some people, across the political spectrum, were insinuating that perhaps we deserved this, that perhaps our response was so measured because we knew it was coming. Nobody deserves to be terrorised, no matter where you are, no matter what you do, no matter what your views in life. Some people despise the fact that we are a free country, some people hate us for our country’s role in the Iraq war, but this is never a reason to murder innocents. Ken Livingstone put it perfectly when he said that (para) “this was not an attack on politicians, it was an attack on innocent people”. These attackers wanted to maim innocent people, to cause as much destruction as possible and to terrorise and divide a nation. They may have killed and destroyed, but they have failed to create a climate of fear and they have made our communities stronger in a joint determination to defeat those who will use these illegitimate means to achieve their ends. It was a real pleasure to attend the vigil in Trafalgar square and see thousands of people from all communities and cultures stand together to condemn these murderers and congratulate our emergency services. There were speakers from all the different faith groups and representative from many different walks of life, all making the same point. “By attacking us you only make us more determined to defeat you and your extreme ideas”

Many students will have been affected by this and NUS has been swift and effective in its response. Most of the student union officers from the London region were at ‘Manifesto to Action’ training when the attacks happened, and they were able to join together to make a sensible proposal to the NEC, that met the following Monday (11 July). Thankfully we were able to unanimously approve this motion and start working to offer support to every community in our midst and those students within them.

London 2012

The bombings overshadowed the news that London would be hosting the 2012 Olympics. I was absolutely delighted at hearing this news because I am convinced that it will create loads of excellent opportunities for London and the whole of the country. Anyone who has been to the parts of the East End where the Olympics will be held will know that the area is in desperate need of regeneration and the investment that these games will bring will be great. You only have to look at Canary Wharf to see what a little imagination and some sprinkling of investment can do.

Of course it’s not just about the regeneration! There are going to be some great opportunities here for developing and focussing on sports provision. With the country now focussing on the greatest sporting even in the world we might actually see a renewed interest in sport at schools, colleges and universities. Successive governments have ignored the importance of sport for young people and hopefully we’ll now see more commitment and pressure to do more. I hope that NUS will be at the forefront of that campaign with our new ‘Student Activities’ priority campaign.

The Year Ahead

I’m sure that the NEC induction will have been reported in many other blogs and on other websites. But I’d like to say how successful I thought the event was, I think it was a great opportunity for all members of the NEC to talk about what they’d like to achieve over the coming year and also to get to know each other in a less formal setting. Hopefully this might help us all realise that behind the political debates and smokescreens we’re all human beings with different experiences and viewpoints that deserve as much respect as any other person.

There is a lot of work to be done within NUS, both in the short term to clamp down on our spending priorities to make sure that we remain solvent and in the medium to long term working to ensure that we tackle the wider problem of disengagement and perceptions that we are hopelessly out of touch with our 5.2 million members. I think we are making some moves in the right direction but I fear that we have a long way to go if we’re ever going to break down the negative perception of the NUS leadership. A good example of the problem was a decision the NEC made at the training event when we were discussing summer training and how we should respond to different circumstances as they arose.

The age old issue of drinking games came up and after a lengthy, one sided, discussion about how we should respond in a situation where there are drinking games taking place. It was agreed that we shouldn’t try to stop them taking place, but should not participate ourselves.

I was in a minority arguing on this point that individual NEC members should use their judgement on different occasions based on the circumstances. I was concerned, and still am, about the way these sorts of decisions will be perceived. I listened to the comments people made and I know that the decision was made with every good intention help prevent people from feeling excluded and not promoting binge drinking. I worry that as an Executive Committee we are in danger of reinforcing a perception that we do not approve of the way many students and student officers live their lives. Drinking games are a means of forming friendships for many students, whether in their own unions or at NUS events. I have never come across a group of students playing drinking games who deliberately want to exclude other people, so I do not think they deserve to be singled out for NEC disapproval.

By creating a situation where we ignore these students we are in danger of excluding them. Turning on its head the original intention of the decision. We have to remember that we represent all students, and we must be careful not to feed the perception that we do not approve of and do not want to involve ourselves in the way they live their lives.

If you ever want to contact me about anything NUS related or not please email me at derfel.owen@nus.org.uk or give me a call on 07734 816307.

The Blogs on this site represent the individual views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of the National Union of Students.

All links in blogs will open in a new browser window.

The permanent URL for this specific blog entry is: http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/derfelowen/271097.aspx