Read all about it! Campus bulletins for the new term
September 11, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
With Autumn Term kicking off, or about to kick off, on college and university campuses across the country, NCAFC activists have written and designed these bulletins with news and explanations about the government’s attacks on education, reports from campus campaigns, and how new and returning students can get involved in the fight for free, funded and democratic education. Why […]
Defend the right to organise and free expression on our campuses
September 1, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
“Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” Rosa Luxemburg, Polish revolutionary socialist As a left-wing movement, our goal is to transform the world – to take power from the few to the many and use it to create a better society. One of the key struggles for us is on […]
The student movement, the left, and no platform
September 1, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
We believe that open discussion and free expression are the lifeblood of left-wing and liberation struggles. We want to change the world for the better, and that means confronting, tackling and defeating a host of bigoted, right-wing and regressive ideas. Parts of the student movement think that one way to do this is through the […]
NSS: NCAFC and FACE back a boycott!
August 14, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
Both NCAFC and Fighting Against Casualisation in Education (FACE) back a boycott of the National Student Survey. NUS is now committed to disrupting the National Student Survey (NSS) thanks to policy passed at National Conference. Sorana Vieru, Vice President Higher Education, has recently launched a consultation on the precise tactic to be taken: full boycott, […]
Agenda for Summer Training 2016
August 7, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
NCAFC’s Summer Training for activists will be on 27-28 August at SUARTS, Holborn, London. We’ve planned a mixture of practical skill-sharing sessions (motion writing, public speaking, press), workshops and plenaries about the challenges facing our movement and how we should respond: from reforms taking place in Higher and Further Education, to the aftermath of the EU […]
Solidarity with the West Papuan struggle
August 7, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
NCAFC expresses solidarity with the people and students of West Papua, who have struggled for liberation, human rights and freedom since their land was invaded by Indonesia in 1962. As the Dutch pulled out of the region, Indonesia’s international allies – Australia, Britain and the US – assisted Indonesia militarily, economically and diplomatically as it […]
Report from July’s NUS National Exec Meeting – Omar Raii
August 7, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
This is Omar Raii’s report from the 18 July meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Union of Students (NUS). Omar is an NCAFC activist elected to the NEC and this report is his view of the meeting. Please see here for the motions that were discussed The first NUS National Executive […]
Call out – Stop Arming Israel Demo
June 26, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
In Lichfield, north of Birmingham, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems manufactures engines for drones which are likely deployed by the IDF in Gaza. For several years, activist groups have targeted the factory demanding its closure and the end of UK complicity in Israel’s crimes in the occupied territories, most prominently at last year’s Block the […]
Vote IN to defend freedom of movement and workers’ rights!
June 19, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
NCAFC is urging a vote to Remain in next week’s referendum on the UK’s European Union membership. We want to defend the rights we have, while fighting for a radically transformed Europe – one of open borders and of genuine democracy and social justice. This is based on the position our members voted for last […]
Mourn the death of Jo Cox, and fight the nationalism that killed her
June 18, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
NCAFC sends its condolences and solidarity to the family, friends, colleagues and comrades of Jo Cox, the Labour MP murdered on Thursday. Cox was known to have spoken out in favour of migrants and refugees, and against leaving the EU. The suspected killer is reported to have shouted “Britain First” as he attacked, and to […]
Final motions document for NCAFC summer conference 2016
June 10, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
The final motions document for NCAFC summer conference has been released. You can view it online here, and download the word document here. There are 5 sections to this summer’s motions: the education sector internationalism anti-racism, anti-fascism and no platform the NUS NCAFC’s internal processes and structures The conference will be taking place in Edinburgh between […]
Motions for Summer Conference – now with amendments!
June 1, 2016 By NCAFC Secretariat Leave a Comment
Across the country, local groups and affiliates have been writing motions to be debated at NCAFC Summer Conference! The documents below contain all the motions that have been received: NCAFC Summer Conference 2016 Motions Submitted (.docx) NCAFC Summer Conference 2016 Motions Submitted (.pdf) Amendments as received are available for download below. A full motions document, […]
Statement: the resignations of Callum Townsend and David McNerlin
May 31, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
Recent joiners of NCAFC and National Committee members Callum Townsend and David McNerlin resigned from NCAFC and the National Committee on Sunday. There was an ongoing investigation into complaints made against Townsend, and more recently and separately there were issues related to the conduct of both McNerlin and Townsend in their capacities as representatives of […]
Statement on Keep The Caterers’ Victories
May 24, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
This is a statement from the Keep The Caterers campaign at the University of Manchester, you can find them on facebook here. In March, the University of Manchester announced plans to restructure its subsidiary company, UMC, making 46 redundancies in catering while moving the remaining staff on to ‘term-time only’ contracts. This latter move would […]
SUMMER CONFERENCE AGENDA ANNOUNCED!
May 20, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
The agenda for our 2016 summer conference has been announced! Check it out below, and don’t forget to register your free place here for what is set to be a fantastic weekend! FRIDAY 18:00-19:30: Scottish Plenary: Education in Scotland, is it really free? 19:30: Social SATURDAY 10:00-10:45: Registration 10:45-11:45: Plenary: The Higher Education Reforms explained […]
I don’t want a free Maccies burger, I want a fighting, political NUS: A response to our Vice President
May 17, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
This piece is by Hannah McCarthy, Campaigns Officer at Manchester Student Union, Free Education MCR activist and NCAFC member in response to NUS Vice President Union Development Richard Brooks’s article in the Telegraph. In what reads as a politically atrocious article from our NUS Vice President of Union Development, let’s first prove his analysis as […]
Press Release: NCAFC’s response to the HE White Paper
May 17, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
Contact: 07895405312, 07905136094 *** Government confirmed that through the TEF measures introduced in the HE White Paper, University fees could be increased from 2017/18 ***Other plans include making it easier for private providers to offer degrees and become universities *** Students to pursue strategy to ‘wreck’ government metrics if they don’t abandon plans in […]
Five initial responses to the HE White Paper
May 16, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
The government’s Higher Education White Paper that was released on Monday 16th May 2016 ‘Success as a Knowledge Economy: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice’ is a clear ideological attack on students, workers and universities as truly public institutions. Here are our initial responses, we will have more for you over the next few […]
Model motion: Sabotage the NSS!
May 16, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
The government’s Higher Education White Paper, Success As A Knowledge Economy, proposes reforms which, if implemented, will pave the way for the end of public higher education as we know it. Higher, variable fees will be introduced; private providers will be given help into the market as public universities are allowed to collapse; and “teaching […]
What Is a Union For?
May 12, 2016 By Admin Leave a Comment
This article by Luke Dukinfield was originally published on Novara Media here. They argue against right-wing disaffiliation narratives and for a political, fighting NUS that stands up for students’ material interests. In workplaces, unions have historically assumed the form of trade unions, and although there isn’t a simple continuity between the subjectivity of worker and […]