the Tories' attacks on their living standards will be made this weekend at the Margate conference of the National Union of Students. In particular, militants will be urging closer Involvement with the struggles of the millions of working people also under attack, with a perspective of centralising the struggle towards a general strike to kick out the Tories: UNPRECEDENTED This term has already seen a wave of student occupations unprecedented for the time of ycar-Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Sussex have been among those colleges fighting for more and better accommodation, while at Oxford and North London Poly action has centred around the need for strong student unions to organise the struggle, Postgraduates, too, have taken strike action for the first time at Edinburgh Univensity, demanding an end to their use as cheap teaching labour. The Executive of the National Union of Students, however, have remained up to their eycbrows in the mock confrontation with tions and "mock weddings" lo shew the Tones that they have the support of students in the negotiations.
"WASTE OF TIME' Several Area Commitlees of the NUS notably Reading and Oxford have recognised that these are a substitute lor a real fight, and have refused to mobilise for what they consider to be a 'waste of time". Another sign of discontent came at u repent NUS delegate rally, when a third of the 750 delegates walked out as the NUS President, John Randall, stood up to speak.
Another Gop, though officially described as a success, was the joint mecting of students and trade unionists sponsored by the NUS and the Communist Party dominated London Federation of Trades Councils and held at Congress House. Those who attended were greeted with the sight of an empty hall, which was eventually filled with a few dozen trade union bureaucrats after a hurried search round the building. This contrasts with the real solidarity and links built up between students and workers in many arcas - the activity around the trial of the Shrews bury building workers and the Footprints struggle in Sheffield, the various mobilisations against the National Front, and the 150 raised Moves by students to step up the fight against by Cowley workers for the Oxford student occupation are all examples of such solidarity WEARING THIN The Communist Party will doubtiess attempt once more to persuade delegates to endorse the Executive's Ine of 'Focus on the Triennial Review' (the name given to the talks with the Tories). Any criticism will be denounced as an 'attempt to split the student movement'. Such rhetoric, however, is beginning to wear a litte thin. The Executive's line completely failed to defend last ycar's rent strikes from the vicious attacks of the college authorities, and now all they can urge is an alliance with the very same people on the grounds that the real fight is against the Government. Perhaps the miners should go for an alliance with the Coal Board instead of an overlime ban and strike!
The point is, of course, that while even such hodies as the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals are propared to give nominal support to stadent demands on grants, they are basically and fundamentally united with the Tories on one, key question: the need to run higher edwcation as cheaply and smoothly as possible, That is why their support goes hand in hand with price and rent increases, a Failure to provide sufficient accommodation to match the increase in student numbers, and finally a vicious crackdown on militants ranging from threats of expulsion to summonses and injunctions in the courts.
NATIONAL BASIS It is already clear that many college delegations al the conference will be opposing the Execu tive's handling of the grants campaign. Some ane demanding that all actions should be carned out on a national basis. in contrast to the fragmented way in which it has so far been conducted