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To the ironic background of the plush Grosvenor Centre Hotel, Edinburgh, delegates representing 60,000 students met last month for the Scottish NUS conference. No new policy was passed on any of the major issues facing students.
The only signiticant deyclopments. (apart from a widening split in the Broad- Left over devolution) were the initiatives on overscas students and the steps towards left unity launched by the far left and, in particular, by SLP students.
OVERSEAS STUDENTS Overseas students are at present being singled out for particularly harsh treatment under Labour's cuts policy. Enormous increases in ices threaten to put higher cducation completely out of the reach of all sell-financine students 1 category which includes the bulk of bverscas students.
Already in England activists in local colleges have been forced to bypass the "inspiring" leadership of the NUS. Activists conferences recently held in Sheffield and Middiesex themseives brunched a campaign of direct action which has arcady led to the occupation of 20 colleges.
The main demands of those occupying 1) NO FEES INCREASE for overseas and self-financing students as a first step towards the abolition of all fees. 2) No racist quota restrictions on overscas students numbers. 3) Repeal all immigration laws. 4) No platform for racists and fascists.
At the Scottish conference the SIP comrades, together with the Edinburgh Overseas Student Action Group (OSAG) invited delegates to a mecting aimed it extending this campaign to Scotland. Now, with the sponsorship of the Edinburgh. Herriot-Watt and Paisley Tech. OSAGs, the Grock Students Union and several other student organisations, a Scottish Activists Conterence has been called for Saturday. April 30th in Struthclyde University Union.
NUS DEVOLUTION The issue of NUS devolution provoked
the most intense debate at conference. Last October at a special Scottish Conference, the Broad Left successfully committed NUS Scotland to "full autonomy" and "policy making powers on all matters:
In explaining the need for this drastic tum to "NUS devolution' an NUS Scotland internal maiting sent to Student Unions claimed that "the Scottish Students wanted change so NUS responded". In reality. the only group which has ever demanded NUS devolution is the red-buiting I-ederation of Student Nationalists, It was in the hope and aligning with this rather irrelevant puppet of the SNP that the Broad Left, in the blind panic which followed the collapse of its trading empire, catapulted the whole of NUS Scotland in the direction of a break-up of the national union.
At the Edinburgh Conference there were cicar sens that sections of the Broad Left had realised their mistake. Stuart MacKintosh. in a very significant summing-up speech said that the whole matter had got out of hand and that it was necessiry to re assess the whole devolution debate.
The Broad Left however, is by no means united, (MacKintosh's own position was in fact defcated at the Special Conference in October). It seems that the fall autonomy position is still being championed by the Communist Party and the Nationalists, with opportunistic support from the Tories.
It is vital that all socialists fight against the Broad Left's cynical sell-out to the SNP. The call must be raised at SRCs and General Meetings, for a fighting NUS Scotland, linked In action with the mass organisations of the Scottish Working class but as an integral part of NUS. NUS Scotland enjoys de facto autonomy anyway, and any further devolution would just undermine the fighting unity of the national umon.
ELECTIONS The conference also voted in the Scottish Executive for next session. Apart from the usual mixtore of Labour Party, CP. and Nationalists, conference for the first time clected a far-left candidate Huch Stewart of the SLP onto the exec. Stewart, and the other SIP candidates. Bill Ford and Jim Dickson, stood on the platform of a new grouping in student politics - the Socialist Students Alliance.
As a broad grouping open to all Socialist Students and based on a fighting programme, the SSA provides an opportunity to group together all militants prepared to take real action. Scottish Socialist supporters should attempt to build the widest possible support for the SSA, making it a priority to collaborate with the sectarians of the NOISS, whose refusal to participate in joint slates at conferences contrasts starkly with the open manner of many rank and file members who readily participate locally in joint campaigns.
HUGH STEWART (Scottish NUS exec, Treasurer Paisley Tech.
SRO