Alter big wtruggles in the colleges to defend living standards or combat victimisations, student militants came to the Conference looking for a policy which would link and extend their struggles. In response they received from the Communist Partydominated Broad Left executive a bucket-load of the same bankrupt policies.
BROAD LEFT STRATEGY Before the goneral election the Broad Left's strategy in the NUS campaign for higher grants was based on building an alliance of Vice Chancellors, Labour MP s and any other "progrestives to put pressure on the Tory Government, And the mass of students? Well, occasionally we were trotted out to provide lobby fodder for marches to Parliament, the Education Department, or Local Education Autborities.
ment changed the Broad Left's empharis, but the basic strategy has not changed. Now we are to politely request that Labour MPs honour their clection pledges petitions, and rallies continue. But not too much! We might rock the Labour boat, and this would not de.
CONFUSION
The conlusion at the Conference can be seen in the debate on the cuts in education expenditure, An amendment (proposed by an IMG militant from Portsmouth Poly) Jinking this campaign with that for higher grants •was carried. Yet when this selfsame discussion occurred in the grants debate a sumilar strategy was rejecred!
Irrespective of what the NUS student living standards will continue. The fight-back against these cuts must be stepped up. But to be effective it will require a campaign of direct action-demonstrations, canteen boycotts, rent strikes, occupations directed at those implementing the Goverameat's policies.
Likewise, the repression directed against militant student activity will carry on. The attacks on students at Kent, Oxford and Essex are only the foretaste of what's in store whenever students try to fight back Ir the abolity of students to resist these attacks is not defended, then all future student struggles to defend IMG Rally - Sat. 4 May - Conway Hall In the face of mounting attacks on students struggling to defand thair lving standerds, MONY SLIVISS STU OOK nO TOr DOBICT! salutions which the NUS Inadership is failing to provide.
The IMG is orgenising a Rally next month with the aim of bringing together when students return The election of a Labour GovernThe pressure politics of lobbies, CILC otber tendencies.
Exccutive think, do, or say, the cut in be routed.
implementation.
their living standards are in jeopardy.
At the present time, this macans mobilising to build the picket line of Essex University and get as much support as possible by 24 April, STOP FASCISTS The most significant decision of Conference, one that upset the capitalist press no end, came with the vote to stop racist and fascist orginisations trom meeting on campus by whatever mcans necessary . A similar step forwaru was the Jount statement on this matter adopted by the entire left at the conferBut when the IMG initially proposeu suca tert untss to com put tac wowth of the rieht we wanted mor than mere words. We suggested that a joint, open meeting of the left be organised at Conterence to discuss and organise against fascian and racistn. This proposal was rejocted by the The fascists will not be defeated by resolutions or statements alone There are three specific issues which face us immediately: the uctivity of the right in the colleges, the campaign against the reactionary anti-abortion sroup, SPUC, and the fight against racism. The other roups of the left rejocted joint actions around these issues. But it is only by such joint mobilisations, by confronting the right wing head-on, that the fascists and racists will Nevertheless, limited as they are, tubel.
we welcome these tirst stepa towards left unity against the far right, and will fight in the colleges for their Student struggies will not cease, but to be successful they inust be given a national lead, Although the IMG candidate in the Presidentia. election received only 25 notes, and we did not win a position on the Executive, most of our candidates got good votes (Ed Waller, 142 votes for Deputy President; Gordon Gibson, 147 for Vice President, regions; and Val Coultas, 133 for Vice President without Portfolio). tube] The IMG will remain in the forefront of the struggles in the colleges, and will work to build a leadr aship among the rank-and-file that can fill the gap lett by the NUS Executive's The upcoming student rally of the IMG will be a major step HILIE22 forward in the fight to build a revolutionary leadership in the STEVE WEBSTER principies of the Russian Rerolation and Leninism) in 1920 because of a relatively пани agroement over madc union Coc The political criticisms we made of Cook's conduct of trade union affairslis failure to go beyond the buresucratic TACWAA C Te Oa Baue OnOn mowement and use his trensendous infloence and prestige to mobilise the mass of workers in the face of the TUC* treachery-are founded in fact.
tarnished by such treachery, but he wus not aDic to siw tne workioe cias-te even lis own members-a way out of the dead end into which this treachery led them. This wan a direct produci of his lack of revolationary polirical perspecThis dilemma led Cook Into a series of compromises with the TUC right, some of them extrenely lumilating (auch as SWC1. the withdrawal of his own pamphlet on the lessons of the General Strike from It is no use pretending that these things never happened. We can never learn the leseons of the past in this • Left's statement AGAINST FASCISM AND RACISM The following sterement was adopted by the Left at the NUS Conferance Despite the large differences between the Left in the National Union of Students the following orgenisations pledge that they will work to win students to ban fascist and racist activities in colleges, Where direct action is necessary to stop such organisations the Left declares that it will seck to involve the largest possible number of students in this action and will not resort to individual terrorist acts.
We declare our absolute opposition to the aims of the Federation of Conservative Students. The Laft recognises the right of the FCS to politically organise. However we fully support NUS policy which denies that right "by whatever means are necessary" to racists and fascists.
The Left is also united in affirming and defending the sovereignty of general meatings as opposed to raferenda, and in order to secure mass involvement will fight for the NUS position on fascism and racism through these meetings.
SIGNED BY: National Organisation of Labour Students | Labour Party Studentil; Militent: Clause 4; Internatione Marwist Group, International Socieliste: Communist Party: Socialiet Afrernetive: Broad Left.