Students must detend rights

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At this week's NUS conference, the union executive plans to produce the punch to knock out its opponents.

After dealing a series of crippling blows to students' vital interests, the Stalinist dominated Broad Left leadership has now moved in to attack the shreds of organisational and political independence within the union.

Stripped of their fancy dress, the Executive's proposals on 'autonomy' are revealed as a call for "All power to the executive!"

This core demand is tricked out with deceptive suggestions of strengthening unionisation in small colleges, and increasing the financial resources of individual unions.

But these apparently progressive aspects are in reality essential to the general aims of - the Stalinists and reformists, which they refer to as the revision of 'priorities"

What this means is a full-scale campaign to stifle any opposition from students to the attacks launched against them from the Labour leaders in their coalition for the defence of capitalism.

In past years they have consistently displayed their refusal to give any direction to students' militant hostility to falling grants, increased fees, deteriorating standards and every move to restrict access to higher education.

Where silence and passivity have failed to defuse struggles NUS President Sue Slipman and crew have resorted to Stage, ; ag teacl Parod Now they hope to dispense with these rough-and -ready methods by their grotesque parody of autonomy, which would give the Executive enormous bureaucratic power.

In this scheme, the area organisations of NUS would be built-up-not to strengthen the ability of students to fight for their interests, but to provide the means of firmer bureaucratic control over opposition and militancy in any area.

The Broad Left's refusal to defend those students unions which are attacked by the direct sabr with the the occupation ¡ai the closure of ler traming ing colleges. PHOTO: John Sturrock Report Last years NUS Conference state and the bourgeois media for giving funds to strikes or campaigns against government policy would be enshrined as national policy.

The Stalinists and reformists are confident of their ability to push through these attacks with the willing support of the Tories.

Such confidence does not seem mis-placed at a conference where the most vocal opposition will be voiced by supporters of the SWP-hellbent on apolitical fightbacks' -and those elements wallowing in the opportunist mire of the Socialist Students Alliance along with the IMG.

In contrast to all this organised confusion, we call for students to take the vital step of rejecting the BroadLeft's proposals and replacing these persistent traitors by a principled leadership that will defend the rights and interests of students.