Comrades,

We feel that, as this conference is being billed as a discussion of “the need for a political, campaigning student movement which integrates and focuses this activism, which fights to transform our education system as part of the fight to transform society” then the main focus of the event, reflected in the time allocated to it, should allow for a long discussion on what sort of political alternative we require, its politics, structures objectives etc. We are of the opinion that this discussion, voting on a programme, election of a leadership etc should be, given its importance, the first item on the agenda, with ample time allocated to it. Then, the proposed sessions on NUS democracy, imperialism, climate change etc can be given a certain shape. Obviously, we would have raised this at the planning meetings for the conference, but as far as we are aware, these did not take place.

We look forward to your thoughts. Enclosed are our proposals .

With communist greetings

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Constitution:1.ENS is governed by a conference which will be convened by the ENS steering committee at least once a year with at least five weeks notice of date and location. Voting at the conference is open to everyone who self-defines as an ENS supporter and has paid membership for that year. Payment can be in the form of a conference registration fee on the day.
2. Only a conference can amend or replace this constitution or ENS’s basic statement of aims (though all this requires is a simple majority vote).
3. A conference can also be called by one-third of ENS members signing a petition requesting one and submitting it to the steering committee.
4. Quorum for the conference is thirty people. (DELETE)
5. The steering committee will be elected by the conference and consist of
– A block of ten members, elected together.
Two convenors, elected together (DELETE)
6. The steering committee will elect officers from its own number as it sees fit. These officers can be recalled and replaced at any time.
7. Quorum for the steering committee is seven members. (DELETE)
8. Steering must meet at least six times a year, and should aim to meet at least once every six weeks. (ADD): All ENS supporters must be informed of the details of steering committee meetings at least ten days in advance. Meetings will be open to all self-defining ENS supporters to speak, make proposals etc (though only steering committee members will be able to vote) and minutes of its meetings will be made available on the ENS website within a week of the meeting.
9. Those holding minority positions with ENS – whichever body the majority position was decided by – have a right to make their disagreements public and fight for their point of view. Minority positions will be given space on the ENS website, in publications etc.
10. Groups of ENS supporters have the right to propose alternative platforms, organise themselves into factions and so on, though it is not necessary to do so in order to enjoy minority rights.

The new constitution would then thus read as follows:

1.ENS is governed by a conference which will be convened by the ENS steering committee at least once a year with at least five weeks notice of date and location. Voting at the conference is open to everyone who self-defines as an ENS supporter and has paid membership for that year. Payment can be in the form of a conference registration fee on the day.
2. Only a conference can amend or replace this constitution or ENS’s basic statement of aims (though all this requires is a simple majority vote).
3. A conference can also be called by one-third of ENS members signing a petition requesting one and submitting it to the steering committee.
4. The steering committee will be elected by the conference and consist of
– A block of ten members, elected together.
5. The steering committee will elect officers from its own number as it sees fit. These officers can be recalled and replaced at any time.
6. Steering must meet at least six times a year, and should aim to meet at least once every six weeks. All ENS supporters must be informed of the details of steering committee meetings at least ten days in advance. Meetings will be open to all self-defining ENS supporters to speak, make proposals etc (though only steering committee members will be able to vote) and minutes of its meetings will be made available on the ENS website within a week of the meeting.
7. Those holding minority positions with ENS – whichever body the majority position was decided by – have a right to make their disagreements public and fight for their point of view. Minority positions will be given space on the ENS website, in publications etc.
8. Groups of ENS supporters have the right to propose alternative platforms, organise themselves into factions and so on, though it is not necessary to do so in order to enjoy minority rights.

Name:

“Education Not For Sale” is, in our opinion, far too narrow and lacks sufficient ambition for a genuinely radical student organisation. We think Communist Students is a pretty good name in terms of summing up what we should be about, but we do recognise that this organisation does already exist and won’t be putting the name forward. What is more important though is not the name itself, but the politics that the group is based on. This is what should be focused on:

Programme:

1. We are an autonomous organisation that exists to promote the ideas of Marxism, campaign for democracy in all spheres of life and fight to replace capitalism with a free, stateless society of general human freedom – communism.
2. We have no interest apart from the working class as a whole. This class consists not only of those in employment, but everyone who does not own or control the means of production. The majority of students in a country like Britain are therefore part of the working class.
3. The education system, the fight for women’s equality, against racism, fascism, homophobia and chauvinism, and the struggle against war and for ecological sustainability are just as much working class questions as pay and trade union rights. We fight for free abortion on demand, free 24-hour childcare, an end to the discrimination against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people.
4. We oppose the commodification of education and the turning of schools and universities into teaching factories. The entire education system needs to be radically transformed.
5. The NUS – currently not much more than a training ground for careerist politicians and a stronghold of the labour bureaucracy – must be transformed from the bottom up through the fight for radical democratic control and accountability. The NUS does not merely need a new ‘left’ leadership, but a mass movement to transform the NUS from a bureaucratic brake on mass participation into a voice of mass participation.
6. Education must be democratised, free and aimed at developing fully rounded human beings, not exploitable office dolts. The situation where students are burdened with massive debts and forced to take paid work to get themselves through college must be ended. Students need time to think, argue, experiment and enjoy the experience of full time education. Grants must be set at a level that allow students to live a decent life.
7. We recognise the importance of Marxism as a guide to practice. Marxist theory is no dogma, but must be constantly developed and enriched.
8. There are many so-called ‘parties’ on the left. In reality, most are confessional sects. We stand for openness of debate and reject that members of left parties who disagree with the prescribed ‘line’ often have to gag themselves in public to avoid being expelled. We reject all such practices as anti-democratic and alien to the method of Marxism and believe that they have produced divisions and fragmentation on the left.
9. Capitalism in its endless search for profit puts the future of humanity at risk. Capitalism is synonymous with war, pollution, exploitation and crisis.
10. The capitalist class will never willingly allow their wealth and power to be taken away by a parliamentary vote. They will resist using every means at their disposal. We advocate entering parliament to win the biggest possible working class representation in elections on all levels. We are in favour of revolutionary socialists standing in elections on a revolutionary platform. We also seek to mobilise working class self-activity independent of the state, the bosses, and the labour bureaucracy. The working class must prepare itself to make revolution – peacefully if we can, forcibly if we must.
11. Socialism is the first stage of the worldwide transition to communism – a system that would consign wars, exploitation, money, classes, states and nations to the history books and bring about general freedom. Socialism requires the active support of the mass of the population and represents victory in the battle for democracy. It is the rule of the working class. Socialism is either democratic or, as with the abomination that was Stalin’s Soviet Union, it turns into its opposite.
12. We are internationalists. Everywhere we strive for the closest unity and agreement of working class parties and student organisations. We oppose every manifestation of national sectionalism and chauvinism and fight to abolish all borders without exception. We oppose all immigration controls, believe that no one is illegal and fight for full citizenship rights for all immigrant workers.
At the core of any anti-fascist fight must be the mobilisation of the working class movement. We do not call on the state to ban fascist organisations. This would only give the state more repressive powers to be used against the left.
13. We oppose all forms of imperialist aggression and bullying and demand the immediate withdrawal of all imperialist troops from the occupied territories. US/UK imperialism is the greatest enemy of the world’s peoples and has no progressive role to play anywhere in the world. We express active solidarity with the working class progressive, democratic and secular forces fighting not only the presence of imperialism, but also their own ‘national’ oppressors.
14. As a global system capitalism can only be superseded globally.
15. All students who accept these aims and principles are urged to join us.