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N.U.S

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Is the N.U.S respresentative of its members? what do people think?
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    a.n.u.s more like <IMG SRC="wink.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just wanted to start some debate -

    cheers
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't really care to be honest...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, it should be. NUS policy is decided at the NUS Conference (which I should be going to if my fellow studeents love me enough <IMG SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">) and the four motions discussed are drawn up from motions voted for at all the affiliated unis' AGMs (which all students can attend - IF they can be arsed). However, in practise the NUS is very political and factional, and only a minority of students tend to get actively involved (usually those active in student politics), so it is not quite as representative as it would claim to be. BUT surely a large part of that is the fault of the students themselves - their apathy and can't-be-arsedness. Last week in our union elections, there were even some people who didn't want to vote on principle - what bloody principle?!! These were the people wanting to look after our union next year, not candidates for Westminster <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">

    I think people should get more involved in their union and the NUS. Student politics is a great laugh <IMG SRC="smile.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    We had some elections recently and it was a fucking joke <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">

    Nearly all the categories only had one candidate that you could vote for <IMG SRC="confused.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I didn't get into NUS Conference - only 32 people put me down as number 1, and so I came 3rd from last (16 of 18 candidates!) Bastards. <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon"> Why oh why did I spend so long putting up flyers everywhere?! What a waste of time. Of course, all the current and wannabe sabbs got in...just because people knew the names better. Sorry for whinging, I just feel pissed off. <IMG SRC="frown.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think many students don't vote because they don't care who runs their union. Remember many students only use the union as a place to get a cheap drink, so it doesn't matter to them who is in charge. The task should be to raise awareness of what student unions do.

    Another problem is that student elections are nothing more than a popularity contest. Going back to the original question, I think the NUS can be slightly mis-representative of the student population because the candidates that do stand are the students that are into politics, who are usually quite left wing (why are there so many socialists in student politics?).
    At our elections recently, there was very little difference in the manifestos of the candidates, excluding the joke candidate Peter Taylor, the one-man slate.

    Digressing a bit, If your union doesn't have joke candidates, you should get some because its a brilliant way of raising awareness. This started a few years ago at my union when the Occult and Pagan society put forward some candidates for a laugh. Their policies were more silly than practical, but it certainly raised awareness and voter turnout.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree Slog, all the candidates at my Uni seem to have the same policies.

    These generally seem to involve trying to cancel student debt, get more books in the library, opposing graduate tax etc.

    My question is, can the NUS actually change ANYTHING, the main weapon of a union is a strike, how the fuck to students strike, it would just be a wast of our tuition fees! <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
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