Hysterical propaganda wins round one at GEC. Here its dupes are seen kissing Powell's arse. permanent workers' authority which need to be estabusned and against employers arbitrary powers of dismissal. The need for a thorough social cost-benefit analysis Merseyside redundancies, sponsored by the unions, is manifest.
We must not throw away the opportunity, created by the brave pioneers on Mersevside. to pursue these issues through the heart of the Labour Movement. Our plain duty is to equip ourselves to take forward the great wave of understanding and solidarity has developed around the GEC issue, so that the environment in which the workers' next action takes place is overwhelmingly favourable. Ken Coates and Tony Topham How many shoes does he make in worth Shut up - he might hear you!
"During a revolution millions and tens of millions of people learn in a week, more than they do in a year of ordinary, somnolent life". - V.l. Lenin.
During the summer vacation, student member of Bingley College and every parent of those students under twenty one, received & letter which said: "the Governors instructed us to inform al students of their resolve that fruitless disruption of college life must be avoided in the future. They hope it is clear that they are anxious to involve students in college government and will pursue all sensible courses in order to bring this about. Though they intend to offer full opportunities to students through the normal methods of discussion and consultation to advance their views, they have no intention of letting a situation arise -in which some SEUGenES unconstitutional attempt to secure what they believe to be rights or privileges may endanger the education and training of all."
Why have the Education Authorities in Wakefield taken the unusual step of threatening the students of Bingley College? Why? Because. last term they saw their college of Education students strike. Because they witnessed the unusual event of hundreds of their students actively and openly disobeying their stictures.
A full analysis of what happened begins by giving some indication of the type of community that exists here at Bingley.
The nature of the relationships that exist between the various groups (students, lecturers, workers, erc.) and how various institutional factors impinge upon the individual personality. In this case, the events tocus round the activities of two students in their early twenties. (The two students involved have still not got jobs. In order to prevent further victimisation based upon the publication of this article all reference their names have been removed. I use the phrase "the would like to rescue their personalities from the inevitable mythology that is building up around them. They were not long-haired yobs terrorising every young lady, on the contrar they were quiet, unassuming and not particularly well known in the college. They were involved in the sort of scrapes that all students are involved in at some time. They were students of sociology, and being capable students taking their study seriously, they The Black Dwart 26th October - I5th November 1969 Page 4 This meeting was another tremendous experience 450 students packed the dining room (so all thi conservative students did turn up) and when the strike MOtIOn Was DUEL wds passed. This seemed unbelievable to us at the time. The debate at thi meeting was extraordinary, speaker after speaker for the motion, the same dozen speaking against In motion. There were speeches made by students at thi meeting which will always be remembered for the intellectual clarity, brilliance and strength.
As soon as the strike became constitutional th Union President and the Executive took full control o the strike. They assumed the roles that the Colleg administration had created for them. A potentiall revolutionary situation had been transformed into nice safe constitutional one. We were all again insid the straight-jacket of bureaucratic administration. Al the tools that serve to stifle democracy were paraded secret files, confidential information, constitutiona and unconstitutional meetings, etc., etc. Our meeting now became waiting sessions. We were waiting for thi Executive Report, or waiting for the President t report, or waiting for the next round of negotiations Half the time we didn't know who was talking to Mr Butcher although we knew that some of our fello members were reporting to Uncle Ernes regularly, keeping him informed of student activity Union But this is the way that burcaucratic organization work, and we should not be surprised. The Unic Constitution is vetted and approved bu the authoritie They would soon scream if it began to subvert thei power. During the period of the strike, it was ther who were deciding the terms of the discussion. Th students were summoned to the Academic Boar when it suited the Academic Board. When th Executive did report they told us that there wa nothing to say. Exactly, there was nothing to sa: because there was nothing to discuss. We had mad very clear demands. Until they were met there wa nothing to discuss. We should have told the Board o Academics what to go and do with their negotiation and treat their pathetic meetings with the contemp that they deserve.
Worse, as soon as the strike became constitutiona Mr. Butcher told us that the matter was out of hi hands, and in the hands of the Board of Governors
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one day? Fifty pounds