The following post is an opinion article by a Merseyside Network Activist. We endeavor to publish a a wide range of views from the student movement. If you want to have something published on the blog, then get in touch!
On Wednesday education activists attempted organise a rally outside the guild of students in opposition to privatisation, as called by the NUS nationally. A relatively high profile for the event was built on campus through lecture shoutouts, student media, thousands of leaflets and ring-rounds of known activists.
However the action itself was an unmitigated flop. Very few students turned up, apart from election candidates and student activists. Even most of the ‘usual suspects’ at demonstrations were conspicuous by their absence. In lieu of the rally, signatures were collected on the VC pledge petition, and a planned panel discussion afterwards became more of an open meeting about how to build the movement, with around 20 in attendance.
While some of the blame for this can be laid at the door of the NUS for failing to raise much national profile for the event or on the low number of activists involved in building the action, the event clearly calls for a reassessment of tactics and strategy in education activism on campus.
The strength of the week of action was the exercise of communicating with students via lecture shout outs, leaflets and petitions, the politics of which were widely very well received. The weakness was the attempt force street action into existence, when plainly the political climate was not suitable for such action.
The day demonstrates the need for a radical strategy to combat the government’s vision of education, instead of reproducing the “day of action” or occupation tactics repeatedly in hope that something can grow from that. The effectiveness of these tactics, when executed in isolation, decreases with each reproduction, and students know this.
Student action has a history of rapid escalation, followed just as quickly by collapse of that action. The struggles around fees and cuts have been no exception.
The key moving forward is organisation. The free education / anti-cuts /anti-privatisation group on campus needs to be invigorated and plan its tactics to suit the political context. The current government attacks require a more nuanced response than just telling students that x is bad and they need to come stand outside the guild to oppose x.
In discussion after the aborted rally, two main action points were brought up. The first is that the campaign must be as accessible as possible. Leaflets, facebook events and posters must be openly worded, to bring in the widest layers of students. It must be remembered that coming up to a meeting in the guild on your own can be daunting, and that people may feel they need some prior knowledge of the subject if the meeting flyer is poorly worded.
The group can should aim to enter a dialogue with students on the situation with government policy, and build political consciousness. One suggestion was lunchtime meetings/talks on government policy, in a similar manner to other societies on campus.
Secondly, the complex and sprawling nature of government reforms need to kept tabs on. Activists must be able to get a firm handle on the exact details of government and university level policy, which is changing every month seemingly. It has been suggested a reading group of student activists and journalists be formed to look over policy documents and university financial reports, to avoid ‘flying blind’.
A final consideration is that activism around the politics of higher education has been increasingly divided into the top-down ‘come clean’ action of NUS activists on the one hand, and increasingly isolated and self contained bands of the radicalised left on the other. Both camps struggle to attain even the most basic grass roots engagement with broader layers of students, despite the political messages of both receiving high levels of sympathy with students. Part of this is due to the wider political context we find ourselves in, but I contend there is no reason why the student left cannot organise with Labour students, NUS activists and liberal students hostile to the government reforms.
If some of the above action points can be carried out by activists to some extent, it will mean next time there is a call to action, the organisation is in place for that action to be as broad, radical and effective as it can be. This is particularly pertinent given that the NUS has just voted for another national demonstration in London against the government’s policy in HE. The London march will be futile and poorly attended unless we can dramatically improve campus organisation. In my judgement, this should be started with a big presence of campus during freshers week and an open well planned event at the beginning of the year that opens a dialogue with students, as opposed to subjecting attendees to speeches from a panel.
The next semester is a critical point. Either we reinvigorate the struggle for free education open to all and improve participation, or we may as well not bother with the 5 hour coach ride down to London.
- James Margeson, 3rd year Geology Student
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
