Well that last blog was a bit rubbish wasn't it? Well it was the first one, and it's now out of the way. How often do I have to do this again?

Anyway, I'm just settling down to spend some 'quality time' with my keyboard and try and get back on top of the desk work after being out and about. I'm amazed I've managed to get myself asome time where I can sit down and catch up before the whirlwind picks up again. That's something that is suppose I didn't appreciate when I got elected onto the NEC, the sheer volume of travel and events that are entailed, just in going to the events that you are required to go to, before you even look and doing extra visits. At the moment I have a Friday and a Sunday between the 1st & 16th of November when I don't have to be somewhere else on official business. It definately makes you appreciate the time you have to sit and work a whole lot more.

I'm sitting here still somewhat in a state of shock. A very perculiar thing happened to me the other week. The NEC actually passed a motion I put in. Well that's never happened before. Anyway, as it is something 'big', and it's not been universally welcomed, I'll try and sell it to you, if you are not already sold.

It's having the National Demonstration in Cardiff. There had been heavy discussion at the NEC a couple of times about whether we should have a first term National Demo or not. The idea came to committee twice, and went through (just) both times. There were several problems though, mostly stemming from the assumption that a national demo had to be in London. First of all was who would do all the work from a staff side, bearing in mind we were waiting to recruit a new director of campaigns and the staff in post are overstretched? Also, a London demo is an expensive thing and why have one when there isn't that much of a point? Besides it being away from the predicted May election, what would we say if we were to go to the streets of London? With the numbers of demos, how will just a demo be noticed? What would be the message we would send out to the public, media and politicians? After all, in London, we have already lost.

On the other side, NUS Wales already had a demo booked, for the 2nd December, the staff resources and unions ready to help and the only good reason for having a demonstration, a fight still in progress. Tony Blair got top-up fees through in Engalnd with his obscene majority coming down to just five. In Wales the majority is just one. There is not only a battle still to fight, but there is a win there just sitting and waiting to happen.

Both Scotland and Wales still have to approve top-up fees, and in Northern Ireland it is, to say the least, uncertain what will happen with the province still under direct rule and the Stormont Assembly suspended. The NI Grand Committee will debate top-up fees in Westminster in early December. It is our duty as the National Union of Students to fight for our students, wherever that fight is. Millions of students and their families can still be saved, depsite what has happened at Westminster, and of course if that we end up with a system where only universities in England charge, it will make the future fight to get top-up fees overturned there easier.

The other thing is logistically, a big demo in Cardiff makes more sense. In London even 20,000 people can seem a bit lost, in Cardiff half that many would stop everything. From the media point of view, there is no point having a demo for a demos sake. For it to get noticed, there has to be an issue. 'We will stop top-up fees being implemented in Wales' is a bigger pull than 'Top-up fees are coming in England so come and watch us walk'.

So I hope you are sold. We have to do this. The battle is lost, but the war still goes on. We were so close to winning last time, now we need to covert that into an actual win. We can do it, but we need you. So come to the demo on the 2nd of December. If you are a union officer, start organising yesterday. Get the yellow pages out and get your transport sorted, get your publicity done. Even if you haven't set a ticket price, get you publicity done without full details making sure there are contact details. If you use posters, make sure they are up all over your campus, not just in your union. Use every means you have to publicise the demonstration, and why it is important. If you can't afford your own transport, get in touch with other institutions in your area and see what you can sort out.

As for my other 'big idea', Pontins, well I'm sorry but we won't be going there for NUS Conference 2005. At the first NEC meeting of the year, I brought forward the fact we had a slight problem. We had policy to cut a day off conference, and we had policy to hold it at Pontins. Well Pontins wouldn't cut the day. It would leave them a day they couldn't sell. They also decided to try and jack the price up. It also turned out that although they had about 50 wheelchair users on site when we were there, they only had 10 fully accessible bathrooms. On the plus side though, the mere idea that we might pull out provided a nice bit of leverage in cutting the prices of the Blackpool Guest Houses.

Just found out I'd been given duff info on the subject of mature students and BUSA. I had been told that there was an age bar and that mature students can't compete. I just rang them up about it, and well it is a myth. It you want to represent Great Britain Students, well that is different, but that comes down from the international body. So at least that makes working with them to promote sport to mature and postgradute students a bit more worthwhile!

Could go on more, but I think there are other things I need to get on with. Time is Passing.

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