Conference 08 report by Becca Danes

NUS Conference 08

We arrived in a windswept Blackpool, after leaving sunny warm Bristol at 6.30 am. The first day of conference was the debate on the whether NUS should change its governance structure. This is the most important debate that NUS has held during the past twenty years. The motion was debated on both sides fiercely and then it came down to the vote, which was rejected by a very small majority.

There was much controversy around the vote and it may have been lost due to poor organization form steering by letting out delegates before the second vote had taken place. Perhaps if the debate was on another day the vote may have gone in a different direction.

The rejection of the vote left many people very upset and the mood of conference became as bleak as the weather. Yet we still had business to discuss so we moved on to the first zone, which was Education. We passed some really successful motions in this zone which NUS can use during the rest year of the year including the fundamental debate around the tuition fees in 2009.

With regards to the other Zone Welfare, Citizen 16, Society and Citizenship, Strong and Active Unions. Once again all these zones were debated and some really good policy was passes that gives the new executive a string mandate for there time in office

So who was elected?

Wes Streeting was elected as NUS President

Richard ‘Bubble’ Budden elected National Secretary

Dave Lewis was re elected Nation Treasure

Aaron Porter was voted as Vice President HE Education

Ama Uzuwuru was reelected Vice President FE

Beth Walker was reelected Vice President Welfare

Katy Curtis was elected as Women’s Officer

Adam Hyland was elected as Disabled officer

It was an experience that I will never forget and one that I would urge everyone to put their names forward and get elected to come next year. For the policy which is passed shapes the way NUS nationally debates student issues.

Thank you xxx