Thursday, 19 March 2009

Link the struggles! National coordination of student occupations

We have just recieved a message from student activists that have been involved in actions across the country - we post this here and encourage others to read it too.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=57528489493

After the wave of occupations and the national demonstration against fees; as Vice Chancellors and the government declare their intention to double fees; as cuts and redundancies rip through our campuses; and as the NUS fails to relate to any of these issues or give leadership to students - it's clear that the student movement is at a turning point.

The thousands of students who are being drawn into campaigns need to co-ordinate our actions nationally: we need a national, fighting student movement!

A group of activists from the university occupations, student union officers and activists from Education Not for Sale have called a national meeting on the 18th of April to discuss the way forward and co-ordinate our actions.

We will hear speakers from the student movements in Europe and a speaker from the UK workers' movement - but this meeting won't be about listening to endless top table speakers: we want an open discussion from the floor, between student activists, to decide on what to do next and hopefully create a permanent co-ordination, network or federation of fighting student unions and activists.

We want the organising process to be open and transparent - all are welcome to take part! Get in touch at studentcoordination@gmail.com studentcoordination@googlegroups.com, or education.not.for.sale@gmail.com

Watch this space for updates; and check the blog: http://studentcoordination.wordpress.com/

24 comments:

  1. "and as the NUS fails to relate to any of these issues or give leadership to students"

    Sign up for Student Broad Left now and secure "effective," "democratic," leadership as prescribed by Fiona Edwards!

    Special offer for today only: The First 10 people to sign up will be guaranteed a slot at SBLs next nonsensical protest!

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  2. Fuck SBL
    it's all about ENS =p

    http://www.free-education.org.uk/

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  3. just goes to show the people behind this protest have a much wider agenda. In fact looking at their free-education website it is clear they want nothing less than to subvert our whole system of society in Britain.

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  4. You people make me absolutely sick.

    Using the cause of the Palestinians, at a time when they have just suffered a barbaric Israeli assault, to build support for your own narrow agendas and groups.

    If you want to achieve something for the Palestinians then sit down with the university and get negotiating about the demands.

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  5. "If you want to achieve something for the Palestinians then sit down with the university and get negotiating about the demands."

    exactly what we intend on doing =D

    ...fucktard

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  6. play nice, no need to swear.

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  7. Well, given that the Uni offered to negotiate with you, and you're imposing some new demand about the precise nature of the negotiations, one could be forgiven for thinking you're not too keen on negotiating at all.

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  8. We work in an extrmeley democratic manner, we don't want to elect representtives who may or may not make haphazard, off-the-cuff decisions about the negotiation procress, we'd much rather management spoke to all of us. It's the bets way to ensure all our voices are heard.

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  9. "We work in an extrmeley democratic manner"

    Except when that democratic manner doesn't end the way you want - as the SU decision shows.

    You don't represent me, you don't represent the student body, you don't represent the university staff or management. In fact you don't represent anyone but two dozen students and a handful of champagne socialists scrounged from Facebook.

    Get off your hipocritical arses and let the student body get on with what they - not you - want; to get back to learning.

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  10. "You don't represent me, you don't represent the student body, you don't represent the university staff or management. In fact you don't represent anyone but two dozen students and a handful of champagne socialists scrounged from Facebook."

    Whoever you are, well put.

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  11. Might wanna check their petition and how many supporters they have form right accross the country

    Also might want to check in with the staff in and aroudn the occupation who have given them their full support, including several lecturers

    Also might want to actually go visit the occupationa nd you'll see many more than two dozen.

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  12. "you'll see more than two dozen"

    Yup, predominantly aggrieved students looking for their relocated lectures and wishing the protestors would grow up and piss off

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  13. "Also might want to check in with the staff in and aroudn the occupation who have given them their full support, including several lecturers"

    I work in Hicks and not one colleague I have spoken too supports what you are doing.

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  14. "Also might want to check in with the staff in and aroudn (sic) the occupation who have given them their full support, including several lecturers"

    Maybe "several" lecturers have given you their support but believe me there are many many tens of lecturers and students who do not support what you are doing. Just go and and talk to a few people on the Hicks building corridors and learn the truth. FACT: the Students' Union does not support what you are doing. You claim that the management is disrupting lectures but it is you who, in your blogs, use words like "occupation" and "militia". It is you who organise a "Timetable for the day" in those lecture theatres at exactly the same times that students should be in lectures in those theatres.

    You are attention seekers and nothing you are doing is helping the cause you claim to represent.

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  15. On what level is the Student Union an accurate guage of student democratic will? What's the turnout for SU elections? How many non-civically minded yet passionate students just can't be bothered to get around the Unions weighty bureaucratic apparatus when they actually just want to get out and do something to make the world a better place?

    I don't WANT to 'speak for you' - I want to speak for ME, in a movement which actually represents my position, and over which I actually have a democratic say. If you can't see the democracy in that, you need to seriously reassess your sad perceptions on life. Any full-blooded human being should demand nothing less than their full say, and wouldn't give an inch to the SUs oppressively monolithic structure.

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  16. "What's the turnout for SU elections?"


    The highest in the country apparently. What's the turnout for your union-wide referendum on the action you've taken?


    Oh wait...

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  17. LOL! That you think the highest turnout for an SU election in the country being under 30% is some kind of argument IN YOUR FAVOUR is fucking hilarious you brain-dead pillock!

    Well done for shooting yourself in the foot.

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  18. "I don't WANT to 'speak for you' - I want to speak for ME, in a movement which actually represents my position, and over which I actually have a democratic say."

    You could stand in elections? You know, the ones which were a ubiquitos presence on campus 2 weeks ago? Perhaps you missed them to attend the meeting consisting of Fiona Edwards and associated sycophants which decided not to put up a candidate to represent your views and instead take over a lecture theatre, over a month after the majority of other universities engaging in a similar protest did so.

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  19. "LOL! That you think the highest turnout for an SU election in the country being under 30% is some kind of argument IN YOUR FAVOUR is fucking hilarious you brain-dead pillock!

    Well done for shooting yourself in the foot."


    Again, where was your union wide referendum? Or the candidate you put up for election? You've never given them the chance to vote for you, but that doesn't matter-any result wouldn't have been democratic unless it backed you 100%. You're aware that North Korea isn't a particularly sterling example of democracy in action?

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  20. Sorry, forgot to add


    LOL!

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  21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYZf-ekaC8U&feature=related
    Some more blue mink.

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  22. This has to be THE song for the occupying party:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW0APjXRckw

    Play it loud and play it proud

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  23. Another request:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31esOvVNnQU

    Sham 69 - if the kids

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