The Police and the party

As an enthusiastic connoisseur of all things alcohol related I was pleased to hear about some plucky freshers organising a house party in the village that has already gained semi legendary status.

But then there was some news from the police. It would have been no surprise if Sting and the boys had got wind of this gathering from America and announced they would be rocking up to provide music for the over 1000 strong guest list on Facebook.

Unfortunately the Police in question were the boys in blue who have allegedly decided to contact the party organiser to kindly inform them that should the party go ahead they could incur a fine of up to £10,000 and face being booted out of university.

A few things strike me about this intervention. Firstly, did the university estates bosses just happen to come across this Facebook event or are MI5 not busy enough at the moment.

Secondly and more seriously, what happened to the right of assembly? Last time I checked getting a 1000 people together in a four bedroom house didn’t constitute a crime.



But in all honesty this is far from a human rights tragedy and the police and the University have probably done the organisers a favour putting the breaks on before hand.

Trying to explain your way out of couple of grand’s worth of damage when its all over and everyone’s gone home would be more challenging than a degree in Medicine.

Plus there's always the distinct possibility that nobody turns up, an event from my first year springs to mind, and that's never nice for the organiser - word tends to get around on the quasi automous state of Hendrefoeland Student Village.

Although judging by the Facebook message, which says they have people in Germany now facing a night in watching the Pobl y Cwm omnibus after it was called off, that probably isn't the case here.

All in all though best not to get your house destroyed. But, if or when the university finally sell the village to developers, an impromptu festival to see off the village would surely be the only right thing to do!

Can we make SGM's sexy?

#nusnc10 - 10 best tweets of #swanseaunionontour

In no particular order: my top ten tweets from Swansea Union delegates and stalwarts from NUS UK conference.

- RT@LEJ88 : Row V, seat 17 is a Tory!!! Shhh don't say I told you #nusnc10

- RT@estellehart : i'm a big fan of @tobinwebb in the chair, he said tombola #nusnc10

- RT@simondarvill: in a Irish bar in Newcastle Steven Marshall would love it, and have his passport out! #notirish #nusnc10 #swanseaunionontour

- RT@lukeyoung: Conference I do not see 100 delegates RT @LEJ88: @RaechelMattey is moving a procedural motion to extend the guillotine on her birthday by 24 hours #nusnc10

Twitpic!


- RT@lukeyoung: as if a volcano is threatening my plans #offensive #nusnc10 #swanseaunionontour

- RT@lukeyoung: Ben seems to be talking about Welfare, I was under the assumption that this was VP Warfare... #nusnc10

- RT@lej88: Thought #nusnc10 was a safe space? People keep slagging off career hacks, I am staging a one man walk out on behalf of all #NUJ members!

- RT@lej88: Oh dear, a candidate just accidentally ended on "I'm not the candidate for you." #speechtimingfail

- RT@lleuwilliams: BORE DA is not good afternoon #CymraegFail

- RT@raechelmattey: Is having a Top Gear challenge from Newcastle to Cardiff with @luke young car v train who will win???

National Union of Infighting - NUS UK Conference Report

Excuse me. Are you the Judean Peoples Front?

Fuck off! We’re the Peoples front of Judea.

You don’t need enemies when you’re in the National Union of Students - that is my impression as I arrive back from the NUS UK conference today, which you elected me to attend last year.

Despite spending a full three days in Gateshead, with another 900 delegates representing students’ union from across the UK, the verdict has to be that NUS could do better after a conference stifled by infighting.

Centre left Labour students and the menage a trois of far left revolutionary student movements attacked each other relentlessly over the three days.

The result, no time to discuss motions which could have been crucial to Swansea students such as minimum pricing of alcohol, bilingualism and motions to enable more students to engage in NUS activities.

I voted on the merits of each motion and argument, finding myself siding with both the centre and far left on different issues, each presenting their own battle. I won’t accredit blame, but NUS UK is an inherently party politicised union which in my view is often a diversion to fighting for students.



Despite the constantly ensuing battle of the social justice vs. class war agenda the conference managed to hear reports from national officers and sections who are doing valuable work and discuss motions which will have a positive effect on Swansea students.

Students’ best interests were often lost though, muddled in between political grandstanding.

Many delegates paid all of their attention to fighting the BNP and solidarity with Palestine, whilst I am in solidarity with Palestine and have stood on the frontline against fascists if we don’t give time to developing a strategy on fighting cuts in education and other welfare issues we will be out manoeuvred by the mass of mainly liberal English politicians who want us to pay through the nose for education and are happy to see standards decline.

I believe whilst Westminster sets the UK budget, which effects how much the Welsh government can spend, we should remain a part of NUS UK.

However the interests of Swansea students, I believe, would be better served by a stronger NUS Wales – education is devolved to the Welsh Assembly and therefore we need to concentrate on lobbying the Welsh government to see the greatest gains for our students.

But all your Swansea delegates (Luke Young, Raechel Mattey, Simon Darvill, Paul Cargeeg and myself) worked hard to represent Swansea union and your best interests.

I made a note of my full voting record on motions and candidates for office for the purposes of transparency; just ask if you’re interested in knowing how I voted on any issue.

Money for War

I am, like everyone, currently deep into essay hell. However I just came across a really relevant poem in a copy of Celyn magazine while scouring it for inspiration.

It summarises frustrations about spending priorities pretty well. The fact that in the London governments latest budget defence spending is protected whilst education is not. Even the university have shares in arms companies, which Campaign Against the Arms Trade highlight year after year.

Anyway, im not a massive poetry fan but thought this was pretty fitting so here it goes.

Money for War by Herbert Williams - from Red Poets issue 15.

The patients are lined up on hospital trolleys,
They're waiting for ten hours or more.
But put down Iraq for another six billion,
They always find money for war.

The schools are a shambles, there aren't enough textbooks,
The damp's coming up through the floor.
But stack up the cluster bombs, target the missiles,
There's no end of money for war.

We can't pay the nurses half what they're asking.
They're stroppy? Then show them the door!
Just make sure there's a smile on the face of George Dubya
By giving him money for war.

The dentists go private. Our molars go rotten.
The trains are a joke. It's a bore.
But so long as the profiteers make a good killing
You'll find that there's money for war.

We know what the future holds. Pain and frustration.
No this and no that. It's the law.
And most certain of all is the truth beyond telling-
There'll always be money for war.

Yesterday a pay rise, today more cuts!

Yesterday the Western Mail revealed the University Vice-Chancellor Richard Davies had recieved a 28k bonus (see last blog).

Today the news is MORE CUTS - this time to academic staff in the Arts and Humanities department.

American Studies, Cymraeg, English Literature, Media Studies, Modern Languages, Translation, Classics and Ancient Eygyptology, English Language, History, Medieval Studies, Politics and International Relations and War and Society students, your courses are under attack.

The result for students, less value for your money. You will pay the same money but can expect less contact time, longer waits for feedback and less of the books you need in the library.

The information available says there will be compulsory and optional redundancies to your lecturers and academic staff, with postgraduate students filling in the gaps.

These cuts will have a real impact on your education and experience - we must make students aware they are happening and resist them together.

I am keen for the good relationship between the Students' Union and the University to continue, hopefully we have the same aims, the best education and experience for Swansea students.

However the prospect of cuts just a day after the Vice-Chancellors bonus was revealed is a real slap in the face and an attack on Swansea students best interests!