Letters
I must Protest
Responding to your article by Simon Davis, ‘March if you must’, I am appalled to find that you endorse Davis’s polemic against student liberties.
His conservative tendencies single handily shoot down the protester, making their task seem futile and provide a helping hand in eliminating the next generation of protesters. To follow his arguments to their natural conclusion would have the effect of implying that the great suffragette protests had no effect, or that the ‘Stop the War’ campaign is completely impotent. He forgets how many hundreds of thousands marched, and he fails to acknowledge that thanks to movements like these Blair is about to fall off his pedestal. As a matter close to my heart and hopefully one to your readers, I encourage them to protest against the unfair. Indeed, how else can we truly make public opinion count, as unfortunately we don’t live in Davis’s utopia and his dated solutions are dead in today’s world.
James, Goodricke College
Campus Politics or Monkey Circus
Last edition James Doughty described the SU as “chimps”. I would go so far as describing the whole of campus politics as a monkey circus. We need to encourage up and coming first years to get involved, to take part and stand for elections, through placing the welfare of students above self motivation, and calling a truce to political hackery, infighting and subterfuge.
There are so many opportunities for students to get involved in campus politics; through political parties, pressure groups or campaigns, through the campus media, JCRCs or the SU and its array of committees. However, is campus politics healthy? Is it constructive? On the most part I would say yes to both these questions. The SU has policy against tuition fees, the JCRCs compete to give ever better events and the campus media acts as a successful criticism of the SU, JCRCs and/or societies while providing a professionally brilliant service. In general, this all collectively promotes debate, discourse, participation and a loose sense of liberal democracy over what affects the everyday York student.
But the UGM needs to be reformed so that it is encouraging to students to participate and have a voice. Taking campus politics too seriously and individuals thinking of themselves, and what they say as so important, is what has generated the inherent problem of hackery, which propagates apathy.
I wish the hackery would stop! I wish the monkey circus would stop! Some of us wish to simply help students, contribute and wish to leave university saying “I did something, something that will outlast my time at uni, and it meant something… to someone”. Is this so much to ask for?
James Alexander
YUSU Treasurer
Welfare Politics
In response to your article “Mayor snubs student fund”
I too share feelings of shock and disgust on the issue of the Rod Hull memorial fund, and view this situation as characteristic of the government’s hypocritical approach to politics. On the one hand, the Lord Mayor wants to be seen to be a moral man, and so not endorsing the fund. On the other, he will back the fund when the moral issue is off the agenda, thus appearing to stand up for student welfare. However, in his subservience to popular opinion, he is discarding today’s students and leaving them out in the cold. Though it may be true that the money is linked to drug abuse, which endorses a problem that causes a great deal of harm, at least now this lecturer’s money can be put to a positive use. So in light of the ubiquitous evidence of student poverty and financial worries across York, I find myself asking why politics must stand in the way of welfare.
Lizzie, Derwent College
Minor Complaint
Just thought we would let you know of rather amusing point that has come up since your recent editorial elections. One of your bar and restraunt editors is only 17 thus below the legal drinking age. We find it quite ironic that she is bar rep. Does this mean that you activly promote underage drinking?
A group of amused students
Editorial Response
Of course we could not condone underage drinking. However, nouse belives that going to bars, pubs and clubs does not necessarily mean getting drunk. Most readers have at some time been to Ziggy’s nightclub when sober – an event vital to the York student experience. Consequently we think that Danusia’s position gives her a unique insight into bars and clubs in York.
Top-Up Battle
It is of great importance that we combat the introduction of top up fees at the highest level. The serious under funding that will occur for universities not introducing the fees means that for many there will be little option but to adopt them, and for this reason we must work to prevent the governments proposals being introduced in the first place and ensure that universities continue to be funded by means other than increased student contributions. I genuinely believe we have every chance of defeating the government – the disent within the Labour party gives the opposition parties something to jump on – the issue has become such a political football lately and such an emotive and principled topic that we really can have a massive impact and take advantage of the political mayhem that surrounds it. Students will win. Having already sent the most number of students in our region to the national demo, I would now urge students to lobby their MP’s and make sure they know why top up fees would deter thousands of able students from attending a university which their abilities should allow them to attend. NUS has organised a mass lobby of MP’s on Wednesday 3rd at the House of Commons, this is the day that the first debate on the governments proposals gets heard. Just make sure you contact your MP’s and tell them what you think because this is the level at which York students are going to have an impact.
Chris Jones
SU President
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