The second part of November involved two trips to Parliament, STADIA Conference and supporting a Union with their AGM, where the students showed the NEC how it should be done (!!)

22nd – Pro Choice and Proud Lobby, and Students at Work Campaign Meeting

I was pleased to go and lobby my MP on Pro Choice in support of the Women’s Campaign, even though his answer was less than desirable and he refused to move on the issues. Well done to Kat Stark and her team for the work that went into it.

The Students at Work meeting allowed us to work out our plan of action and how to take this campaign forwards, a small group of NEC are working on taking the campaign to the membership and look out in the next few weeks for information coming your way.

23rd – Meeting with Vic Langer, London Regional Organising Manager, followed by NEC Meeting

I won’t go into huge depth about the NEC meeting, most votes were recorded so you can see how I voted. I will just pick up on a point.

The NEC decided our motions that we will be taking to conference and I voted against both of the Strong and Active Unions motions for various reasons. The first motion from ENS was okay in places regarding organising on campus and us getting more active with our membership but was let down by sweeping statements and I felt I could not vote for the motion in the form that it took. The second motion was about NUS Extra and whilst balanced and fair I again felt I could not vote for it. At a time where we are moving from a servicing culture to an organising one I could not back a motion that speaks about service. Now I understand Extra is there to help with the organising strategy but it seems that yet again we send out mixed messages about where the organisation is at this current stage and I for one did not want to be discussing Extra all over again!! There has been a lack of policy for us to work with this year within the Strong and Active Unions zone and it is disappointing, in my opinion, the NEC are not submitting something for us as an NEC to really get our teeth into as a campaign next year.

26th – Travel to STADIA

27th and 28th – STADIA Conference, Southport

I ran sessions at STADIA on Initiation Ceremonies, Sport in the Community, and Organising your Freshers, and these were well attended and lots of ideas were discussed about how Unions can take these issues and make them their own, as well as how they can feedback into the NUS agenda.

29th – WMANUS ‘Sentenced to Debt’ Lobby of Parliament

I attended the WMANUS lobby of Parliament to support the work that the Area were doing and join their cause, taking Admission: Impossible and making it their own. There were excellent speeches on the day by Sabrina Francis of BUGS, Brian Duggan of Warwick, Laura Sadler of BUGS, Gus Brown of UCE, Anil ‘Joshua’ Sachdeo of Sandwell College and Ryan Slaughter of UCE, that left MP’s from all parties in agreement with what they were saying, that Student Debt is spiralling out of control and it is affecting everyone of us in FE and HE. They have an EDM that has been put forward EDM 281, so get onto your MP to sign it.

30th – Kingston Students’ Union AGM

I went along to Kingston to support the Sabb team and Exec in their AGM which had the capacity to turn very heated. NUS conference motions as well as Palestine was on the agenda and Nestle. So I felt quite a sense of déjà vu as if it was time for another NEC Conference.

The AGM was quorate for the first time in several years and turned out to be very informative with students leading nearly all of the discussion. The sabbs were very well held to account and able to answer those difficult questions that always arise at these types of events.

The motions were well debated, with policy passed to continue to ban Nestle from the Union shops, to support students on satellite campuses and also to send a motion on tampons and sanitary towels to conference, so as these are not treated like luxury items.

The AGM did not discuss Palestine and any of the motions that were put forward on the issue. Procedural motions were called before each motion; speeches were heard, as was a debate and then a vote taken. Each time students voted not to discuss the issue because as they stated they wanted a “united KUSU not a divided one”. Some will disagree with not hearing the debate but Kingston students made their voice clear, they did not want to alienate parts of their membership.

Some would call it a step forward, others a step back, but I believe that on this day the students who turned up made their voices clear and the decision was taken. That is Union democracy, whatever your opinion on the issue and it was great to see it in full flow down at Kingston.

So an action packed month was capped off in a Students’ Union listening to students’ debate. November was an interesting month for myself with some highs, and some very lows.

Oh well it will be time for a break soon…surely lol

Again all comments and questions are welcome,

Cheers

Richard ‘Bubble’ Budden

PS: My next blog will be an update as to the BUSA responsibility and events that have recently taken place within this

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