| From February into March |
| 19/04/2006 |
|
The run-up to Annual Conference was a predictably busy time. I think to our credit (and sometimes to our detriment) those of us on the NEC who were also preparing our candidacies for various positions put our current responsibilities before the elections! In this blog:
Aldwych Group Meeting, Newcastle – 24th February On Friday I joined Julian and Veronica at a meeting of the Aldwych Group (students’ unions to the Russell Group) to take part in discussions about their work on PGCE top-up fees, the AUT/NATFHE boycott action and planning for a fees campaign they’re planning for next term. I enjoyed the discussions and we came up with some great ideas for the fees campaign, which I’m sure we’ll all hear about soon from Kat Stark. At the time of writing this blog, I’m about to start talking to some 94 Group unions who are interested in organising together to take on the 94 Group’s potential plans to get rid of the cap. While I am firmly committed to a united student movement, I can only think that unions organising together to take on elite groups such as the Russell and 94 groups can be a good thing that will raise our game in the fight against fees. West Midlands Day of Action, Birmingham – 28th February On 28th February I was pleased to take part in and speak at a demo in the West Midlands organised by Andy Wilford and Joe Rooney from WMANUS with Richard Angell from BUGS. The day involved a march through the centre of Birmingham followed by a rally in the centre, where I spoke on the platform with Kat, Julian, some trade unionists and an MEP. While numbers were smaller than we’ll need to effectively win the battle to keep the cap, the fact that WMANUS had organised a successful protest in a year of inaction is to be congratulated. Joe and Andy have done a great job this year as WMANUS convenors and I am sure Joe will be an asset to the NEC. Later that day, I went along to the NUS presidential hustings in the region. It struck me that it was the first time I had seen any of the ‘Big Three’ (Gemma, Pav and Sian) set out their stall for the big job. All were impressive and played to their respective strengths. I must say though that while we don’t always agree, I found Daniel Randall the most engaging, thought-provoking and inspiring of the bunch. It has frustrated me this year that while he has come under attack for his politics by officers, many have failed to recognise at the same time that his hard work and passion for defending students’ rights have made him one of the most hardworking members of the Block of 12. As I watched him hust, I could only think that his likely defeat and departure from the NEC leaves us all the poorer. Thought I doubt (and hope) that we have not seen the last of Dan. NUS Lobby of Parliament – 1st March The day after it was off to Parliament for the NUS Lobby. I must say I was rather surprised by the numbers present. I had expected less, given the level of engagement with the priority campaigns this year. Two things frustrate me about those of the left who criticised the Lobby. Firstly, they failed to acknowledge that getting the three HE spokepeople on the platform was an unprecedented event and that if we want to win votes in Parliament on student issues, we must engage with parliamentarians. Secondly, is that while they have bleated on all year about a lack of effective protest by NUS (and I’m inclined to agree) they had the cheek to attack me for being a ‘right wing Tory’ for voting to cancel the national demo, when their own piss-poor effort at a protest outside Parliament was cancelled before it even began. It’s probably the worst attempt at revolution-by-photocopier I have ever seen. So all in all, I thought the lobby was a worthwhile exercise, people seemed to enjoy it and I certainly left more motivated than ever to ensure that people like blundering Boris Johnson are never in power again! NUS Scotland Conference – 4th/5th March I was pleased to attend NUS Scotland Conference this year for the first time to take part in a workshop in immigration regulations and international students and the NUS UK report back session. I did enjoy the conference and offer my congratulations to James Alexander and Jill Little, the new President and Depute respectively, as well as all those elected onto the SEC. I enjoyed the karaoke in the evening even more however. A particular highlight was a spectacular performance by Steven Findlay and Ben Rogers of Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer, an NEC rendition of Kylie and Jason’s Especially for You and rabble rousing performance of the Way to Amarillo by Pav, who claimed not to know the words but gave a remarkably assured performance! Leaving speeches were also emotional. Mel and Jenny leave their successors with large shoes to fill! Compositing – 12th March What can I say about compositing. I like to call the event cutting and stitching, though this year there wasn’t much stitching at all in my zone (Education), just a lot of heated exchanges! I left with a headache and a sore throat! Dignity, Period! Meeting Thabitha Kumalo – 17th March One of my highlights of the month of March was meeting a woman called Thabitha Kumalo, truly one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. Thabitha is women’s secretary of the Zimbabwan Congress of Trade Unions. At an event organised by NUS Scotland in conjunction with ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa) and my trade union, Amicus, Thabitha gave us a harrowing account of her battle for human rights in Zimbabwe. That this woman continues her struggle, in spite of the unspeakable things that have happened to her as a result, is nothing short of inspiring. She is also told us of her Dignity, Period! Campaign. In the UK women buy more than three billion disposable sanitary products every year. It’s something we take for granted. But millions of women in Zimbabwe go without these basic products. As a result many are suffering from infection, depression and, in some serious cases, infertility. There have also been examples of women being beaten by their husbands who wrongly attribute their infection to infidelity. As Robert Mugabe’s leadership plunges Zimbabwe deeper into crisis – basic goods like sanitary products are becoming a luxury item only available to the rich. Thabitha Khumalo from the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions is angry about the lack of sanitary wear for women, which she says not only threatens women’s health but also their dignity. “Ordinary women cannot afford sanitary wear. We are inserting old pieces of cloth or newspapers, but the ink from the newspaper is causing infections, and there is no medication to cure this. It’s immoral for the leadership to deny us our biological rights.”she says. Working in solidarity with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Action for Southern Africa has launched a campaign to raise funds to ensure that they can buy large quantities of sanitary products in South Africa, and distribute them free of charge to Zimbabwean Women. Thabitha and her colleagues are asking you to help the women of her country take back their dignity. Please do your part to help. It takes very little time and is the least we could do to help this woman with her struggle. For more info, please visit here I’d also encourage you to join ACTSA. Find out more at www.actsa.org Melanie Ward has been leading on this campaign from an NUS perspective, leading Thabitha on speaker tours at various institutions. If you’d like to find out more about what your union could do to help, I’m sure Mel would love to hear from you on melanie.ward@nus-scotland.org.uk
Wes 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/wesstreeting/272204.aspx |
