NUS report

I know it's hideously delayed. It's been on my facebook notes for a while and I figured I should put it up here:

Sc-sc-scandalous

OK, home and somewhat rested. So here goes...

Last year I wrote this little doozy about my experiences as a first time delegate. Wow, I feel naive in retrospect... and I usually feel quite naive anyway but that's another matter. There's a lot to talk about this year, Governance, Antisemitism, the air of cynicsm and the measure of change.

This year's conference is in danger of being lost under its own reputation. It's easy to look back and say 'that's the conference where they lost the governance review'. I won't. This is the conference where we created a clear approach for the 2009 fees review, where we demanded adequate pastoral care for religious students, where we finally passed policy to support students campaigning to stop genocide in Darfur, where we decided to fight against the HMO lobby, take a stand for student parents, look at how we campaign on sexual heath, get serious about FE.... the list goes on. If that's a failure then well done us.

Governance is evidently not the be all and end all. I was proud to vote as my Guild had mandated and I am (wait for it) shocked and appalled by those who broke mandates, ignoring their unions as 'right wing bodies' and putting their own interests above those whom they represent. Foul, foul, foul. That's what representations means sometimes, anyone who has been a student officer knows that sometimes the decisions we have to make aren't the decisions we personally would have wanted but you deal with it. If you fail to deliver on a mandate on something as simple as a vote, you lose legitimcacy in as long a time as it takes for your hand to hit sky.

Antisemitism was back this year in force. After the tense debate at conference 2007 for Jewish students to define antisemitism based on a European wide definition that would protect them, abuse was hurled as they left conference floor successful. A policy that was tested within seconds of its own creation. This year was no exception with some hideous literature distributed at the event and when the peddlars of it ignored the ban placed upon them and returned the police had to be invited to remove them. As Daniel Rosenstone said, I am proud to be a member of a NUS that can and will defend my rights as a student. I hope that we can continue to do this, students deserve no less. I also felt touched that our national president spoke out on this in her leaving speech. This is serious, the changing tone that abuse on the basis of faith is second-class discrimination needs to be stopped.

I was also proud to support some amazing candidates for elections. Wes will doubtless be an amazing president and Joel, Ed, Elizabeth and Yemi can inspire some amazing activists as block members. I want to make a little shout out for Hollie Williams. I first met Hollie on the WMANUS funbus last year on the way up to Blackpool and her enthusiasm was infectious. She's an amazing girl and I'm chuffed to see her get on the block, she was so worried about it and how she would be percieved. I hope her victory means she now has the confidence to be the voice for campaigning in FE institutions that she has been and will continue to be. Much love also to Sarah, I know you didn't win but you put your heart and soul into it and that demands respect.

Something this year about conference felt a little bit hurt, shadowy even. It wasn't as accessible as last year in more ways than the ones that many disabled students kept being forced to state. The tone of the collonade was forceful and weird and certain students and groups are massively responsible for this. I won't name names but several in my delegation and many who I spoke to felt similarly. Debate is as debate does and the second it is turned nasty, everyone suffers. An ability to not sneer at the efforts of others goes a long way. As I've said before, mocking those who dare to try is just unecessary.

As the single LGBTQ delegate from one of the biggest universities in the country (hmm, one to work on Birmingham?) I attended the LGBT fring, T-time, looking at issues Trans students face on campus. One speaker spoke of his fear of using toilets and the abuse he had suffered simply by daring to go for a slash. This made me so glad that Birmingham LGBTQ has fought for, and won on this issue, passing policy to create Gender Neutral toilets. Next academic year, when the building work is done, we'll be rightfully proud of our development towards becoming a trans inclusive union.

I'm about to keel over but on an end note, I saw the best and the worst of our movement the past few days. I'm sure Wes will continue to push for change and a union that can truly respond to its members, it'll just take a little more time but I have every faith. Good things come to those who...