Students met to discuss top-up fees, anti-racism and making poverty history at the NUS annual conference in Blackpool last week.
While the leadership managed to defeat calls for a first term national demonstration against fees there were solid victories for the left.
We won defence of abortion rights, the concept of the universal non-means tested grant and a boycott of Coca Cola after the murder of trade unionists in Colombia.
Conference also adopted new policies in opposition to the government’s top-up fees and course closures.
Fringe meetings supporting Make Poverty History, the Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign were packed.
This was partly due to the presence of many first time further education delegates.
Kat Fletcher was re-elected NUS President with 536 votes.
The Socialist Worker Student Society’s candidate Suzie Wylie came second with 103 votes.
A staffing crisis in the NHS
Health workers set to strike across four Manchester hospitals
Bus workers rejected an offer and came back out
