NUS Annual Conference 2009

This past week Manchester Labour Students attended NUS annual conference - with members going as elected delegates from both UMSU and MMUnion. Several of our activists who weren't delegates also went along to volunteer for the many different candidates Labour Students were standing for the NUS National Executive Council.

I am pleased to be able to report that the conference brought huge successes for Labour Students and other progressive political voices within the national union. Firstly, Wes Streeting
was re-elected as NUS President. Wes is a member of Labour Students and has lead the NUS through one of the biggest periods of change in its history during his first term office. He was elected with a huge mandate (81% of votes were cast in his favour) and we wish him well in his drive to make positive change for students.

In another important election for Labour Students, Susan Nash was elected to be the first ever Vice President Society & Citizenship. Susan has been an incredibly hard working member of the national executive this year and has proven herself more than ready to lead the union on important issues such as defeating the BNP in the June European elections. This election was also important as it meant for the first time in 10 years Labour Students had 2 members elected to full time positions.

We were also successful in electing our candidates for the "Block of 15", which is a block of non portfolio, part time members who sit on the national executive. Ed Marsh was re-elected to the block after a hugely successful year, where he is joined by Tobin Webb. These elections mean that Labour Students will once again be leading from the front in the national union, ensuring that progressive voices are heard and students are not let down.

At conference, we also debated and voted on a wide range of policy, which will be used to set the direction of the NUS for the forthcoming year. In perhaps the most important debate, students voted by a wide margin to adopt NUS' "Broke and Broken" policy, which means there will be a key focus on winning the fight for a fairer funding model for students, when the current model of top up fees is reviewed this year. This was a big victory for those of us who did not want to see a return to the NUS of old, where our voices were rarely listened to by politicians and other key decision makers. The decision to pass this policy is welcomed by Manchester Labour Students.

My personal highlight of annual conference this year was the fringe event hosted by the Union of Jewish Students, which featured Ray Hill, a former leading figure in the British far right movement, who subsequently went on to work for Searchlight and infiltrated the BNP - revealing himself in a channel 4 documentary. Ray was one of the most captivating speakers I have ever heard and I urge anyone who get the chance to hear him to take the opportunity to do so.

Manchester Labour Students would like to congratulate all elected candidates, as well as wishing those leaving the student movement this year the best of luck for the future.