Guardian coverage of the demo

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/feb/25/tuition-fees-students-protest

Students defy union and march against tuition fees

Central London protest for abolition of tuition fees goes against policy of National Union of Students

* Anthea Lipsett
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 February 2009 11.43 GMT
* Article history

Buoyed by their recent action on Gaza, thousands of students are set to march through central London today demanding the abolition of tuition fees for university and college education.

The organisers have split with the leadership of the National Union of Students, which believes abolishing tuition fees is “unfeasible”.

A wave of university sit-ins against the Israeli attack on Gaza resulted in several student demands being met.

Now students from universities, colleges and schools across Britain are joining to protest against tuition fees of more than £3,000 a year.

They hope to prevent, at least, any increase in fees that could come as the result of the review promised by the government this year.

It is led by a coalition of campaigners and renegade student unions at diverse institutions across the country and is the first such national demonstration organised by students in ten years.

Student unions from 20 universities including Bradford, Cambridge and Goldsmiths, as well as Dunstable college, are supporting the campaign.

Rosie Isaac, a fourth-year medical student at Southampton University and one of the march organisers, said: “Tuition fees rule out the possibility of seriously expanding access to universities, force most students who do get to university into debt and push many into exploitative low-paid work.”

Tom Wills, a second-year international relations student at Sussex University and one of the leaders of the campaign, said: “This is a grass roots student movement that we hope will be the start of a bigger campaign.

“As an immediate aim we would be happy if we prevent the raising of the cap.

“The NUS’s policy is flawed logic – you don’t win concessions by trying to appease the government, you need to put pressure on them.

“With the march, we want to put this on the agenda and make sure free education is talked about on every campus, especially next term as the review raises the temperature on the debate around tuition fees. We need to make fees an election issue.”

He said the fact that several student demands were met after the sit-in protests on campus was “inspiring”.

“With the economic crisis the future is already uncertain and students want to feel part of shaping that future,” he added.

Ed Maltby, a final year student from Cambridge University and national secretary of the education not for sale campaign, said: “For as long as you’ve got fees, the logic of the system is to move to a market. Merely asking government to keep the cap isn’t a solution.

“Higher education is a social good. A degree is not a matter of an individual ticket to a better-paid job. Society should pay through progressive taxation on the rich and big business not ordinary working class people.

“The NUS has abdicated its responsibility to members by giving up on mass campaigning.”

Wes Streeting, the president of the NUS, has faced criticism from campaigners over his refusal to back the campaign and his condemnation of the recent Gaza protests.

He said: “The NUS is standing alongside several other trade unions today to protest against 1.5 million cuts in adult education places.

“If the student movement gets campaigning tactics (over fees) wrong in 2009 there will be no chance of stopping the lifting of the cap.

“Some people say we have small ambitions but a fundamental overhauling of the way the system is funded isn’t small.

“We’ve made a bold and brave decision to focus on how graduates contribute and eliminating the market rather than getting rid of fees, which is unfeasible.”

The economic climate would make it unrealistic to argue for the abolition of fees, he said.

“It looks like cloud cuckoo land. The fight has got to be to ensure the market in fees doesn’t go further and to defend investment in universities and colleges. That’s a campaign we can win.”

The march was due to assemble at midday outside the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Demonstration Tomorrow

With the Demonstration tomorrow we hope to see you at SOAS. The details for transport and where the demo will be is on contacts and transport.

MEET at SOAS (Malet Street) at 12(NOON).

We will march to the Vice Chancellors organisation (Universities UK) and then onwards to the head of Universities UK at Kings College.

If you are arriving with a coach please put down at Malet Street and pick up at the Embankment (near Temple tube station).

View Larger Map

For further infomation please contact Lloyd Russell-Moyle on 07795153927  or Rob Owen on 07930953265.

Minutes from SOAS

National Student Demo 25h February 2009

Planning Meeting Minutes – Saturday 31^st January @ SOAS

Key points:

The speaker at the rally at the start of the day will be:

Mark Bergfeld (Another Education Is Possible/German SWP)
Laura Fitzgerald (CDF Ireland, Socialist Students)
Ed Maltby (ENS, AWL)
Becky Crocker (RMT, AWL)
Sasha Callaghan (UCU, SWP)
Speaker from UK YP
Speaker from NUT
Compere: Rosie Isaac

Police have been very slow in liasing with our contacts. We are still unsure as to what they will agree to. The meeting’s preference was for the march to end near Parliament Square. We would not be allowed a an amplified PA there, so could not have a rally. Instead we would do some sort of visual stunt.

Our second preference will be to end with a general meeting at LSE. If this is the case, then there will be 5 speakers and then a general meeting with everyone who was on the demo who can fit into the room, with the aim of encouraging participation from everyone.

CLOSING RALLY
Speakers

Rosie Isaac (introduction), Michael Deas, Marika Moola

There is also a facebook group for this demo.

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=41870918296

The rest of the conversation can be seen below. There are also some announcements at the very end.

Full notes from SOAS meeting

DETAILED MINUTES

Report from the last meeting

Agreed that we would advertise an assembly point at 12noon.

March sets off at 2pm.

Demo to Parliament via Universities UK.

Not sure if we can have a rally, cos of SOCPA rules on Parliament.

Publicity – Heather to produce a national text.

Speakers and final rally to be decided now.

No minutes sent out after / minutes were not received by some – this should not happen again.

Rob Owen: suggests using the FB group. Siobhan, Robbie and Jo to be added as admin on FB group.

Mobilisation so far

Ed Maltby – has done ringrounds to a load of Unis involved so far. General picture is about 12 to 16 coaches.

Most places are producing their own publicity.

Rob Owen: Situation with Universities has changed since we last met.

Biggest wave of Student Occupations for a number of decades. And demands are being won too.

Question being asked is WHY do we have to occupy our Unis – lack of participation in decision making structures.

Opens up space for this demo – which could be the next stage in the movement.

Places are looking at tactics much more than previously. Would be good to link up the victories won through these recent occupations with new causes.

Southampton: Campaign for Free fees have been battling with the SU to support the demo. Gonna organise a regional meeting to coordinate.

Weekly stalls, weekly meetings, flyering to raise the profile of this demo.

3 buses requested – 2 for them and 1 bus to go to other Unions to offer support.

Sheffield:

Trying to get 1 hopefully 2 coaches.

Fallback option is to have the Bradford coach stop in sheffield.

Or Shefield an Leeds joint coaches.

Sheffield Hallam SU officers have been suspended from Office because of what happened at NUS extraordinary conference and opposing the governance review.

Edinburgh – not doing massively well. SU refusing to provide any cash.

Ed: Yes – big up the Occupations but need to be wary of the effect of burn out from long occupations.

Cambridge – one coach.

UCL – petitioning and stalls – 200 to 300 signatures.

Held a meeting with John McDonnell.

Another meeting with Alex Calinocos and Wes Streeting. These were good mobilising tools.

Bradford: 2 coaches booked already.

harging very small fee (£1.50p)

Good to focus on VCs that have a soft line on the Cap and get them to be vocal against lifting the cap.

Danger that Gaza squeezes out the Free Educaion issue on campus. Need to be aware of this.

London (Matt):

Socialist Students have out motions to SUs but they’re not meeting soon enough.

Going to the Keep the Metro Public campaign to provide some cash for coaches.

Go to FE colleges. Minibus coming from Bangor.

London could provide a lot of people - need to mobilise there.

Aston –

Guild gonna provide a coach but will be filled with Birmingham students as well. Birmingham SU exec very reactionary.

UCU supporting it there.

One UCU lecturer to propose something to their NEC.

Sasha – had a meeting wth international links in France

Need a London coordination plan for going round FE colleges.

Lloyd: Some colleges are jut disconnected rather than disinterested. Willing to be for postage if necessary.

Sussex:

One to three coaches. Trying to promote through UCU. Try and go to FE colleges and talk in assemblies. FE execs are very small, and concerned with more day to day issues. Good to go outside and do stalls.

Gaza, NUS affiliation and Military Kick Off Campus issues are sucking energy.

Cath: Is it worth creating a pool of funds for those who aren’t getting funds?

Rosie: James is having difficulty mobilising FE strudents – cos the demos on Wednesday afternoon. Also fear of losing EMA full not having full attendance for the week. Need to find out if there’s a exemption for this. e.g letter of permission. This should go on FE publicity.

Ed: Communicate with Lloyd from ENS to create the funds pool.

Matt – On FE, approach college branches. Need to get a group of students in FE confident enough to organise themselves.

Rob Owen – need to know a very concrete list of coaches that are actually booked.

On the UCU, they say they have difficulty supporting on a national level unless they make a deal with NUS. But on a local level there are ways of getting a bit of funding help.

On the losing the EMA issue – we need to follow this up and enquire.

On squeezing of activist time – good to link these on account of HOW Unis are run to link Palestine and Free Education.

Southamption - looking at rules, it says 100% attendance is required for EMA except under exceptional circumstances – e.g appealing to a board of directors.

Treasuring update – Lloyd

Bank account set up. Took a month and a half of wrangling.

ENS has donated £300 to the central funds.

Ed has written a ltter to TU execs to provide any cash.

RMT London region YM Committee has said they will support.

How to get cash out of SUs if they won’t cough up:

——————————————————————–

Usually, the trick is to buy lots of materials for inflated prices. But we’re not doing central publicity this time.

Can legally give money to organisations who are campaigning on their behalf.

Or pay speaker fees for people coming to SUs. This money then donated to the demo.

There is ultra Vires info on the ENS website.

Sasha – it’s NOT ultravires to give money for this.

Ed: There is an NUS FE lobbying event on the same day.

Ben S: We’re having a meeting the week before the demo, and we’re trying to get a SOAS-specific organising group to coordinate mobilisation, inc. contacting local FE colleges. If we get less than 50-100 people from SOAS I’ll be disappointed.

Rob: We’ve been pushing the demo issue at Gaza occupations. We’ve also got a speaker tour with our comrade from Greece who’s been involved in education occupations there; we hope to launch mobilisations off the back of these meetings. Cranfield should be able to bring a lot of people. Oxford are having a meeting with Terry Eagleton. Coventry are confident of getting a coach. Probably only 20-30 people from Staffordshire.

Sol: We need another London mobilising committee meeting. Is it worth taking a motion to ULU? We can discuss that within a London-specific meeting.

Dom K: Essex supports the demo. I’ve already booked two coaches; I think we’ll fill them.

Resume meeting

Report from Youth Parliament

James: Own Campaigning. Happy to be involved. Approaching delegates to promote the demo. Issue with it bing on a Wed. Difficult to get leave. Money Avail.

Dan: ‘Citzenship’ approach to Boards of Governers suggested.

James: Agrees. Still concerns regarding the schools opinion of demos. Still confident of turnout. Focusing on London.

Robbie: asked for some background on the Youth Parliament.

James: Set up by Adrea Row. Wanting better representation. 1999 first sit in. 10 yrs old. 500 elected members. 400 dep. Good school council links. Hierarchical structure. Good access to central gov. Meeting with David Lamy HE minster. Good press coverage. Voting 2 million young people.

Ed: asked, Any concrete numbers and organising areas of the country.. Is anything in place..? Mobilising levels..?

James: Leeds.. getting buses booked. Staffordshire 150. 50 friends. London committee being set up.

Sol: there is London meeting after this meeting.

Rob: What is your area..

James: Staffordshire.

Rob: FE issues.

1. governance citzenship pamphlet.

1. NUS FE lobby
2. . SWP members in UCU are supportive. So liase with them.

James: Please pass on info.

Sacha: Is the YP comfortable with the demands of the demo..?

James: As members we are free to say what we like. The youth know the msg.

Lloyd: The regional co-ordinators need to get behind this. Make sure central office/LEA is sending out briefing re: letting the youth out for the demo. For reasons of citizenship. This will hold a lot of weight.

Chair: Move on to solid proposals.

Decision Making methods.

Ed: Please state if your group/uni needs financial support.

Ben: Argues for consensual decision making

Alan S: Difficult to gauge using the scale method..

Rob: Against consensual decision making.

Vote on how to make decisions: Flexible approach :12 straight voting: 19

Report from Police

Rob Owen: Bad treatment. Long wait for meeting. Complications. Session order: Map preventing procession that may block M.P’s entry. Massive area covered. Agreed original route. Ending at Old Palace Court. Directly by parliament square. 1.30 on Fri. Next Meeting. 4 people in. Police are considering proposal. Implications: Route goes ahead. OR Police may block our plans. Personal opinion: stop in LSE or Kings. We need a back up plan.

Matt D: Options presented. The liason group need to show up to the meeting with passports. The police mentioned Stewarding. The figure of 1000 people was mentioned. The session order is because parliament is sitting.

Rob: 1. It hasnt been law for 300 yrs. 2. Orgs have broken it with agreement with the police. This can be dependent on numbers.

Alex: Did you ask them about lobbying parliament after the demo..?

Rob: session order applies to processions only. We have applied for a procession. Breaking Socpa is not gonna happen. Especially in current political atmosphere.

Robbie: Police Liason team.. can we have a militant approach..? We dont need their permision. Peaceful but confrontational stance.

Rob: You can leave police neg. But you need a lot of people in attendance.

Sacha: Can we get a meeting booked in parliament.

Rob: Police can stop more than to or three people. The zone ends around Kings. Legal until then Illegal.

Ed: The no. are not enough to force the police. It will mainly have to be legal. We need to accommodate them. Can I be replaced..?

Rob: Too much security.

James YP: The YP cannot break with the authorities.

Rob: Might be true of all SU/Unions.

James YP: I work there. Maybe I can book a room.

Why cant the members of YP support an illegal demo in their personal capacity.

James: It would compromise our position.

Sacha: Booking a room in parliament. Depends on size of room.

Ques: Act on the day. Flexible approach.

Concrete proposal:

4 major lobbies going on on that day.. booking a room unlikely.

The police haven’t said no to procession yet. Back up option should be to stop at LSE Kings.

Revolution: Stay in LSE for a longer time.

Alex: Try the illegal appraoch and lobby of parliament.

Rob: Diff to facilitate a lobby.

Ben: Gather outside rahter than inside at LSE.

Rob: I agree. We would need permission of LSE & Kings. Need permision of relevant bodies where we are stopping. Have a spill over option. I prefer LSE.

Dan: Diff to do a “which way next discussion” outside. Even with spill over we cannot fit into LSE.

Rob: There is enough room. We have a contact for booking. This pre suposses permission from LSE.

Chair: Rally and then organsing meeting.

Alex – How far is Univerities UK from SOAS? Rob – very close.

Proposals

1) Best case – finish at a square near Parl Square

or Assemble at Kings or LSE at the end.

But what if both these are off limits? We have no back up?

What about Trafalgar Square? But it’s very very big.

Some people attending may not be interested in having an organising meeting at the end.

Danger that if we invite people to speak from the floor is tha they chat shit and everyone leaves.

Ed: A rally would be good. Keep it brief. As an alternative to a bit

Speakers ?

Arriving at LSE at a lecture theatre. Police will want to get people off the road.

5 or 6 speakers –

Options for an ending:

Rob Owen’ Proposal: Tariq Ali, John McDonnell, then speakers from the floor.

1. Assembly
2. Rally
3. Mixture Ending – Direct Action

What about a speaker from Athens?

International Speakers can be very important too. Links to the International Week of Action agains the Marketisation of Education (20^th April)

We have agreed: that we have 6 speakers at the beginning.

Ed: student speakers only with a GM plenary.

Ben SOAS: Mixture of a rally and a GM.

Rob Owen – there is no possibility of having a rally at Parl Square cos we’re not allowed amplified PA.

What about a room in Parliament? But we’d need to get everyone through security in twos and threes.

PREFENCE IS PARLIAMENT:

Finish in some sort of visual stunt and then up to whatever happens in the crowd.

If we can only go to LSE:

Options

speakers from outside

Pure general meeting

Speakers from the Student movement

2 speakers then a general assembly No official speakers – just points from the floor.

THIS ONE PASSED.

Speakers at the start

Proposal:

Campaign to Defeat Fees,

AEIP,

ENS,

International Speaker, - e.g Mo Gas? - Part of the campaign in central Germany who actually won free education back.

Someone from the UCU e. Sean Wallace – London convenor. Sean Vernell – Sasha. Gayle from Southampton UCU

Tom Wills from Sussex Not for Sale –

NUT rep – Nick Grant?

Socialist Teachers Alliance –

Independent student activist.

Someone from FE too.

Rulp Rabbe – school student from Hess – part of the fight against fees there.

Becky Crocker – part of the RMT Youth Panel.

Lloyd – we should be wary of any male dominated platform and

Someone from the Youth Parliament, comrade in the room, pr Jo Sullivan

Types

OPENING RALLY

Mark Bergfeld (Another Education Is Possible/German SWP)

Laura Fitzgerald (CDF Ireland, Socialist Students)

Ed Maltby (ENS, AWL)

Becky Crocker (RMT, AWL)

Sasha Callaghan (UCU, SWP)

Speaker from UK YP

Speaker from NUT

Compere: Rosie Isaac

CLOSING RALLY

Rosie Isaac (introduction)

Michael Deas

Marika Moola

Tariq Ali

John McDonnell

Stewards:

ENS – 10

SP – 10

SWP – 10

Supporting SUs – 10

AOB:

UKYP are putting together case studies of young people who’ve been adversely effected by fees. We’re presenting this to Parliament on 1^st April.

Koos from Sussex has called a meeting in London on 7^th March to discuss the way forward for SUs following destruction of NUS democracy.

AIEP is organising a speaker tour with Tony Benn.

There’s an international week of action from April 20-29; coincides with the review on the cap.

NATIONAL STUDENT DEMONSTRATION – SOAS, LONDON, 12 NOON, WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2009

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION FOR FREE EDUCATION – WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2009, LONDON

* SCRAP ALL FEES – FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL
* A LIVING GRANT FOR EVERY STUDENT
* EDUCATION NOT PROFIT

Assembline from 12 noon at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1 (Russell Square or Euston or Goodge Street tube) MAP

Invited speakers at opening rally:
Ed Maltby (secretary, Education Not for Sale)
Mark Bergfeld (German student activist, Another Education is Possible)
Laura Fitzgerald (Irish student activist, Free Education for Everyone)
Becky Crocker (RMT London Transport young members officer)
Sasha Callaghan (UCU executive)
Baljeet Ghale (NUT executive)
James Greenhalgh (Youth Parliament)
(To be introduced by Rosie Isaac, Southampton Campaign to Defeat Fees)

check out the supporting statment

Minutes from Manchester meeting

Strategy:
Building for the Demo
Another Education Is Possible (AEIP):
• Rallies being held around the country
• Smaller meetings at places with less support
• London rally with Tony Benn at SOAS (Feb 5th)
• Big London based push/mobilising in the two or so weeks before the demo.
UCL
• Panel with Alex Callinicos, Wes Streeting and others (Jan 29th)
• Publicity Stunt around the economic crisis (details to be sent on the list)
Southampton
• Organising a debate
Other Strategy Business:
Coordinating coaches regionally through email list.
Draw up a list of uninvolved Unions and put it on the list.
Dan Randall will recirculate the model motions passed at unions on the list.

Money:
The bank account will from now on be handled by: Jennifer (AEIP treasurer), Lloyd (ENS treasurer), Lee (USSU Finance Officer)
Contact them for information on expenditures.
Inform one of these on successful applications to Student Unions.

Publicity:
A word document will be sent around with a list of supporting unions, the demands agreed upon and the directions for the march.
The website that has been set up is – www.studentdemo2009.org.uk
Further Education Colleges and outreach:
EMA is a big issue for those in college. The money is often failing to reach the students. Matt (Socialist Students) and Ed (Education Not For Sale) have agreed to send out information on this.
Discussion on reaching out to Trade Unions (of the teachers and staff) and Youth Workers from colleges.

Other Business:
NEXT MEETING: 31ST JANUARY, LONDON, SOAS. STARTING AT 1PM.