Being a socialist at a tory university isn’t easy

Exeter is really right wing. I mean REALLY right wing. We’re one of the few universities in the country where the student population is tory, and we’ve got a tidy amount of UKIP voters too. As you can imagine this makes being a left winger more than a wee bit difficult.

First of all, there’s a lot of hate directed at you if you’re a known socialist. Socialist themed insults shouted at me on the street when I walked back to halls was when I knew I’d made it. But there seems to be this running theme where tories take “the nasty party” as something as a challenge.

I’ve personally been told told that the poor should be sterilised. After a debate one time I was told that “disabled people who kill themselves if their benefits are cut are just selfish”. But that’s sadly standard fare, I know if there’s a cross party debate or social that within seconds of me walking inside (or sometimes before) someone on the right will personally attack me or my society members.

(Your angry comments just give me fresh profile pic ideas)

There’s also a massive difficulty in organising anything. With so many tories on campus a lot of people are put off getting involved in politics. Either through fear of harassment, or the idea that with so many tories on campus an extra left wing activist wont even make a dent. There’s a sense of futility that comes from everyone around you being right wing. Not to mention a sense of isolation, which causes some to hide their socialist nature away for fear of mockery. It happens so often, you just become “that socialist dude”.

People tend to assume you’re an idiot as well. “Loony leftie” seems to be the stereotype, “oh you just don’t understand how the world works”. But what’s really bizarre about this stereotype is that it gets worse if you fight it. Reference a few books or philosophers in an argument and the idea that you know nothing doesn’t go away. It increases. You become “that weird dude who knows a lot of obscure philosopher but talks shit”. You can sure imagine this makes campaigning a massive issue; “here’s a list of sources about how tory policy has lead to vulnerable people dying” “Sure mate, of course they do”.

(We’re well ‘ard)

Freedom of speech at Exeter seems also just to apply to the right wing. Quilliam tried to start a society here at Exeter. For those not familiar they’re a right wing counter-terrorism think tank that has been accused of being massively racist and islamophobic. Huzzah! As a national org they were partly the reason for the changing of the definition of extremism. A change that implies socialists and anarchists are extremists by default. When I tried to protest their coming to Exeter I was hounded for several days to the point where I felt uncomfortable protesting. At their event the speaker openly joked about “shelling communists”.  Lovely.

Flash forwards a few months and we and a few fellow societies decided to hold the Students Not Suspects campaign meeting that almost every student union in the country has been holding. It should have been a routine talk. Until Quilliam decided to picket it and constantly asked to put their own speaker on the panel (y’know the very thing they tried to stop us doing?). Off the back of that they tried to push in Right2Debate into guild policy. A measure which gives the right for people to force speakers into talks they don’t like, and maybe even cancel them. This policy is currently being debated but when I pointed out issues with it a Quilliam employee told me he’d change it. Y’know as in someone not even at the uni.

So long and short of it: constant harassment, people feeling disheartened on campus, condescension, and people trying to restrict your rights to protest and organise events.  Sounds like it’s impossible to do anything if you’re left wing right? Wrong.

That’s what’s surprising about Exeter.  It’s a tory university, with a lot of animosity towards socialists but somehow Socialist Students is the second largest political society. We’ve got a history of winning debates, and holding successful actions.  I mean heck we’ve been influential in the council changing it’s anti-homeless policy, our members started up the street café Exeter Food Fight, and our talks  have a high attendance (sometimes over 200). Despite all the hostility and starting off at a disadvantage somehow Socstu is one of the best societies in the country, never mind on campus. Why? Because me and my comrades work our arses off. It’s an uphill struggle but we’re constantly fighting for the things we believe in.