I’m proud to be here on behalf of NUS, an organisation founded on the premise of peace, in 1922 following World War One, in the hope that by students coming together and using their collective voice our world could be a peaceful one.

I’m proud to her today representing the 5.2 million students in further and higher education in the UK, many of whom are not only strongly opposed to the war in Iraq, but have also mobilised themselves and made their voices and opposition to the war heard loud and clear.

In a time when we are often told how apathetic young people and students in this country are, we only have to look around now to see that’s just not true. Students and young people have consistently taken action on the issues that matter to them- and in the last few years there is no better example than this than their role in campaigning against the war in Iraq.

We should also look to the role students played in the campaign to make poverty history, taking action locally and nationally to improve the lives of the worlds poorest. Yet whilst the government continues to pour billions of pounds into the war in Iraq, it is simultaneously falling short of the minimal international aid agreements made in 2005 at the height of the Make Poverty History campaign in Gleneagles, Scotland. Since 2005 aid from the G8 has fallen, yet over £6 billion pounds has been squander on the illegal war in Iraq.

I am confident that whilst the government is failing so grossly on its international spending priorities, students will continue to campaign for justice- both for the people of Iraq, in calling for an end to the war, and the people of the third world who have fallen victim to broken promises. And today, on behalf of students across the country, we say to Gordon Brown- what do you want your legacy as prime minister to be? As your start your premiership, do you too want to be remembered for a war and occupation opposed by the majority of Britain, the US and Iraq, which has claimed over 655,000 Iraqi lives, over 3,500 US/UK soldiers, and which continues to push the country into violent chaos?

Today, we implore Gordon Brown to end the atrocities we are seeing every day in Iraq, by withdrawing British troops from Iraq no later than October 2007. Assuring us the UK will not participate in any attack against Iran, and leading us with a foreign policy independent of the administration of the United States of America.

NUS was founded on the idea of peace. It was also founded on the idea of collectivism, and that is a collectivism that spans the globe. In times of conflict in war, students in the UK must stand in solidarity with their fellow students around the world.

Because of this solidarity, the loud voice of UK students must be listened to, as we call for the troops out now.

The student voice is vitally important, and important on two levels. Not only to show solidarity with students in Iraq whose lives and education has been severely jeopardized by the occupation, not just because our voice should be heard on such an important humanitarian issue, but also because over £6 billion has so far been wasted on the war, whilst we are told there is no money for education.

And so today, we send a message to Gordon Brown- unless you redress your spending priorities, unless you start putting international aid and education funding above the costs of an illegal, unnecessary war in Iraq and nuclear arms, students in this country will continue to make their dissatisfaction known, will continue to protest and will continue to strive for a peaceful world for all

Thank you