The NUS conference at Margate last weekend was the last chane for students to discuss and organise themselves on a national level before the major struggles against the Tores in the new year.
The turning point of the conference was the passing of an amendment to the wishy-washy policy of the Execu tive. This called for national rent strikes next term and direct action in support of the demands of the Gracts Campalgn and the grievances of students against coliege authorities. Unfortunately the passing of this policy was the result of pencral discontent with the Execulive's running of the Grants Campaign ruther than with the politics of that campaign This was revealed by a motion of censure which heavily condemned the Executive, but did not offer any alternative. An a result students are continues to talk with the Tories over how much students are to lose out of the settlement with the Depart ment of Education and Science. The speech made at the end of the conference by Randall, the opportunist President of the NUS, was a sharp change from the one he made at the beginning, which turned on the necessity to avoid adventurist actions and confrontation.
Randallis isolated on the NUS Executive, which is dominated by the Communist Party and their "broad left" allies. Randall is trying to jump on the left bandwagon, in an attempt to gain a base for re-clection at the next conference. For this reason his closing speech centred on the necessity of recognising who our allies in the fight for higher grunts really were, Coming out strongly against the Vice-Chancellors and the Press-prestill represented by a leadership which cisely the people stated by the CP to the ine of the law and victimsation by the college muthorities pledping full support from the NUS, on a national basis, for all mobilisations in defence of the Grants Campaign Many delegates realised that Randall and the NUS Executive cannot be relied on to carry out these promises, and that they need to organise themscives independenty from the NUS Executive. However the policy that was passed does enable militants to go back to their colleges to prepare for national direct action next term. with the mandate of the conference, The conference also accepted an ING proposed emergency motion on Phase Three which advocated that support commitlees should be set up in the colleges to participate in joint pickofing poois, collection of money, and to fight for the resources of both student wions and college buildings to be put at the disposal of workers in struggle.