THE WEEKEND of 30-31 May at Newcastle University sees the first NUS women's Campaign Conference with the right to elect a women's officer as a full voting member of the NUS executive.
This right was created by a large majority at the last two NUS conferences.
But the timing of conference in the middle of exams has meant a very low and unrepresentative submission of motions — 64 per cent of motions come from Manchester University where the 'Democratic Left-supported candidate, Julie Grant, comes from. On v six colleges have put in motions and the contesi for women's officer looks set to be decided on a low poll. The conference is further undermined by the fact that it is not even standard practice for delegates to be elected.
Concrete proposals for discussion include: atfiliation to the Stop the Strip-Searches Campaign and support for the anti-strip-searches demonstration in Durham on 13 June; affiliation to the AAM in recognition of the struggle of womein South Africa; support for the campaign for abortion rights in Britain and the north backward motions call for NUS women's campaign instead to onioritise campaiens for tampon machines and work on 'bread and butter' issues. chauvinistic stance ignores the life-and-death issues of women being psychologically tortured in British jais in Ireland, women who are raped or deported, and the many other issues central to real women's lives. • Campaign Student fringe meeting, 9pm Saturday 30 May, speakers from Stop the Strip-Searches Campaign and Labour Women's Action Committee. Ireland. Some very This deeply pay mere lip service to progressive policies the Tories, desolle Svetal ali tempts, have been unable to oust them trom control London's education. Tories know, however, that jority, can always change the rules. Thus they have already, before the election, piloted the practice of 'financial devolThis system means the given fixed budget. It can nave a sel number of teachers or have larger classes so as lo pulchase necessary equipment. In the Cambridgeshire experiment, serving teachers pick headteachers up from On this system, school needs extra funding, It coula opt for ine cly Technology College model ¡wnere It is alrecty spollsored by, and therefore accountable enterprises such as Dixon's orine nason use.
It is also worth noting these proposals are designed to split teachers and smash the solidarity of the now teachers have attempted to resist local authority threats to move teachers. This was seen recently in ILEA. But if a teacher in a particular school felt that maintaining a full staff cut into their own wage she or he might be less likely to resist their colleagues being