NUS conference 2016: My experience

This years conference made me lose faith in student politics


When I entered conference for the first time to register on the first day, I saw an array of coloured t-shirts for all the different candidates. Orange was for Malia, and blue for Megan. This was symbolic of what was to come. Conference floor was an example of identity politics, where personnel rather than policy dominated the week.

Policy was argued and fought for around 11 hours a day, but it seemed the elections were where the real change occurred.

The highly politicised factions in the NUS meant that elections were decided by the 10 per cent in the middle who were yet to make their mind up. NUS conference was full of petty squabbles and impulsive acts of political correctness that completely undermined any serious policy.

The Holocaust seems to be one of the only topics that could not divide or be opposed by a union of students hell-bent on justice and fairness. Or at least it ‘seemed’ to be. On Wednesday I lost faith in an institution that applauded the opposition to an amendment that called for the commemoration of the Holocaust.

 

I experienced a lot of interesting phenomena for the first time; having to ask for someone’s preferred gender pronoun, the concept of a safe space and the range of factions on the broad left. But the one thing I never believed I would experience was the opposition to something so widely accepted. In the lead up to conference there has been huge accusations of Antisemitism on the left of the political spectrum, and NUS conference has shown that this is true.

The election of a President who has been condemned by every single JSOC in the country, and the opposition to an amendment to commemorate the Holocaust proves that not only does the left have an anti-Semitism problem – they are also in denial about it.

When I took my speech for the amendment of the anti-Semitism motion, to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, I wanted to unite the attendance of conference. But on the contrary it seemed that the need to express the remembrance of other genocides was more important than to allow the commemoration of the Holocaust.

The argument of the opposition was flawed too, and the research into it was clearly minimal. The Holocaust Memorial Day website clearly and blatantly lists other genocides it dedicates this day to.

This is a time for students to unite in the NUS and do our best to mitigate the events of the past week. Disaffiliation may seem like a sensible step, but right now it is better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. I plead with students around the United Kingdom who feel too alienated by the NUS and the events of the past week to run for delegate next year, because you can make a change and bring this organisation to a point where it once again represents all students. Regarding disaffiliation it is not about ideology but pragmatism. If you leave you have no influence.