This guy is running for NUS delegate, but hates the NUS

A maverick student politician is running for NUS delegate – but he doesn’t actually want the job. 

Second year Ryan Austin is calling for KCL to disaffiliate from the “clipboard waving socialists”, meaning his job would no longer exist.

And if he wins, the cavalier international relations student vows to take us out of the NUS – or at least hold a referendum on it.

Ryan the revolutionary

Renegade Ryan tells The Tab: “I don’t want to go to the conference that costs £150,000, and be surrounded by freedom hating.”

“All you need to do is look at the candidates – its all the same unattainable drivel, such as ending tuition fees, ending global warming and bringing down market price of housing in London.

“They’re all career class politicians that want to win for their own gain, we can see that with past NUS Presidents. We don’t need the elections, we don’t need their press, we don’t need them.

“We can spend that 50k on our university, on our campus and our students. Some people say I’m standing on a negative platform, and I am, but I’m far more realistic, what universities have abolished tuition fees? None. What universities have left the NUS? Imperial, Dundee, have both done it, amongst other universities. Durham was at one point was disaffiliated too – this is an attainable goal.”

Shirt, shorts, and flip flops: Ryan is experienced at standing out

But Ryan, a man of the people, wants to conquer KCL’s own issues. He says: “I want to stand out for representing students. The Israel-Palestine isn’t an ordinary student issue, water bottle companies in the Golan Heights isn’t a student issue.

“Contact hours are, the job we get at the end of uni is, library opening hours are. They are the issues for student politics. The NUS shouldn’t be pretending to be some successor to the UN.

“Unfortunately it’s come to fruition now anyway, there is an NUS london. I would have opposed an NUS London. Most people who were in ULU have migrated across like sparrows to NUS London. Do London students really feel represented by these radicals? No they don’t, the most representative candidates want to get rid of the NUS, they want to get rid of student politics, and move away from an era where only 2% of students vote in the elections.

“The aim isn’t to just get a position – I need to come first so I get a proper mandate. I need to get to the top of the polls, so I can say “this is a motion people will agree with”.

If you agree with Ryan, you can vote for him here. You have until 6pm tonight.