Left should not celebrate

The Lisbon Treaty has hit the buffers after rejection by the Irish electorate. CS member James Turley outlines an internationalist approach to the European Union

The European bourgeoisie is reeling after the decisive rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon, a putative replacement for the scuppered EU constitution, by the Irish electorate. And, of course, the left is celebrating. As if a defeat for the Eurocracy is a victory for the working class.

Socialise, not criminalise youth

Communist Students member Carey Davies examines state proscription and media demonising:

The recent period has seen the rights and freedoms of young people further threatened under the auspices of combating ‘youth drinking’.

Last week a new plan to tackle the supposed problem was unveiled by the government. Predictably this struck a chord with the media, which went into scaremongering mode, sparking an animated public discussion over the issue. This was accompanied by much brow-furrowing generally over related matters like the rights and responsibilities of parents, the problem of tearaway youth and the rise of the urban underclass.

The hotchpotch of measures comprising this ‘youth alcohol action plan’ include cracking down on off-licences which sell alcohol to under-18s, forcing people to attend parenting courses if they refuse to curb their children’s drinking, making teenagers sign ‘acceptable behaviour’ contracts and granting the police more powers to break up groups of young people. The laws will also criminalise under-18s who are found with alcohol on the street through a new offence of ‘persistent drinking in public’. In other words, a host of non-solutions ranging from the pointless to the oppressive.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Sheffield rebels punished

by Laurie McCauley, Communist Students

The five rebel delegates from Sheffield University who broke a mandate to vote for the NUS governance review were called to a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday 14^th. We were found guilty of breaking the mandate imposed by SRC (Student Representative Council) and have been banned from delegate elections for a year.

At NUS conference the right’s governance review was narrowly defeated, in part thanks to delegates who broke mandates from their Unions forcing them to vote in favour. Even by the petty, bureaucratic constitution of NUS these mandates were illegal; delegates are elected by popular student vote, not by SRC, and can vote however they like. Most of the right-controlled Student Councils who mandated delegates have grudgingly accepted this defeat, and started planning for another attempt. But at Sheffield, where the left as a whole is weak, a clique of rightist officers and SRC members have pursued a campaign to punish us. In the student paper they have been beating us with the stick of ‘democracy’, as the mandate was voted on by SRC. But while it chafes to describe the 10% turnout we Sheffield delegates were elected on as ‘democratic’, it far exceeds any mandate of Student ‘Representative’ Council, most of whom received only a handful of votes, or were elected unopposed!

The governance review is mostly the project of Labour Students, but the dominant grouping at Sheffield is, bizarrely, constituted by members of the Christian Union, who last year went political -though not overtly, of course- and won most of the posts for the year’s executive. These officers had been vociferously attacking the anti-review, left candidates from the off, but did not dare impose a mandate during campaigning lest the review become even more of an issue. Hence the mandate was imposed after the left had been elected on explicitly anti-review platforms! A cowardly and shamelessly anti-democratic farce, in other words. At least the ensuing wrath of some of the Christian officers, after we broke the mandate and defeated the review, has been an amusing contradiction to watch. Does the Bible not enjoin us to ‘Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice’? (Ephesians 4:31).

Our punishment -a year’s ban on delegate elections- is partly aimed at preventing us doing the same next year if the review is put to conference again. It is likely, though, that an extraordinary conference will be called before the year is out. In that case, the procedure is for Sheffield SRC to appoint its own delegates- so our punishment has the definite appearance of politically motivated spite rather than a serious move to shut us up. One officer told me it was intended to show that SRC ‘had teeth’; i.e. as a warning to future left candidates. The small size of the left at Sheffield University has made it hard to build support for us against the rightist Student Council, but the five of us will be going through the bureaucratic motions and trying to overturn this decision. More news on our attempt as it progresses.

Also see the report by Gemma Short, one of the other rebels, on the ENS website

Communist Students’ proposals for ‘Reclaim the Campus’ conference

The following are a letter and proposals that we have submitted to ‘Reclaim the Campus‘:

Comrades,

We feel that, as this conference is being billed as a discussion of “the need for a political, campaigning student movement which integrates and focuses this activism, which fights to transform our education system as part of the fight to transform society” then the main focus of the event, reflected in the time allocated to it, should allow for a long discussion on what sort of political alternative we require, its politics, structures objectives etc. We are of the opinion that this discussion, voting on a programme, election of a leadership etc should be, given its importance, the first item on the agenda, with ample time allocated to it. Then, the proposed sessions on NUS democracy, imperialism, climate change etc can be given a certain shape. Obviously, we would have raised this at the planning meetings for the conference, but as far as we are aware, these did not take place.

We look forward to your thoughts. Enclosed are our proposals .

With communist greetings

Communist Students National Executive

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PROPOSALS:

Constitution:1.ENS is governed by a conference which will be convened by the ENS steering committee at least once a year with at least five weeks notice of date and location. Voting at the conference is open to everyone who self-defines as an ENS supporter and has paid membership for that year. Payment can be in the form of a conference registration fee on the day.
2. Only a conference can amend or replace this constitution or ENS’s basic statement of aims (though all this requires is a simple majority vote).
3. A conference can also be called by one-third of ENS members signing a petition requesting one and submitting it to the steering committee.
4. Quorum for the conference is thirty people. (DELETE)
5. The steering committee will be elected by the conference and consist of
- A block of ten members, elected together.
Two convenors, elected together (DELETE)