328/9 suffered two by-election reversals in a row.
next General Election.
a party of middle-class radicalism.
Militant grouping inside the Labour Party. spectrum af Scottish nationalist ideology.
Times. arguing forimport contrels.
among the with the political traditions of their parents.
Margo Macdonald and others complacent. For the war is fur from over.
Upper streot. Londan N1.
Distribution and Advertising 01 After Hamilton HAS THE Scottish Nutionalist babble burst? The SNP has now with the Labour Government retaining both Garscadden and Hamilton. On current trends, the party stands to lose four or five of its MPs at the Although it would be rush and premature to start writing political obituaries, the party clearly faces a politicul impasse. Ten years ago in that same Hamilton constituency it was a different story, with the spectacular victory of Winnie Ewing. Since then the party has grown and developed, but in a distinet political direction:
The point was neatly demonstruled during the debate ont economic policy at the recent SNP conference. Present were the two authors of the economic resolation: Gavin Kennedy, and David Simpson. Kennedy is prospective parliamentary candidate and is best known in England for collaborating with Nors Beloff of The Observer to witch-hunt the He is defence spokesperson for the NP and a strong supporter of NATO. Yet be also made one of the most controversial speeches of the conference tbis year. During the debate on law and order he provoked the anger of delegates by drawing attention to the plight of Irish Republican prisoners on the bianket in H Block. For Kennedy there is no contradiction in this stance. He is deeply contemptuous of British liberalism and consistentiy argues for a populism which vacillates between the right and left of the hazy David Simpson, an economist at Stratelyde University, shows a very different face of the SP. A reticent individeal, Simpson is neither a candidate for the SP, nor is he on its leading bodies. A totally unknown public figure, he is one of Scotland's most Infoential economists, whose writings on post-independence monetary policy earned a fulsome review in the pages of The Kennedy and Simpsen, the aggressive radical and the conservative middle class academic, sum up the dynamism of tbe SNP, but also indicate the very reat limits of its development. The specific compromise arrived ut to biend both strands was seen in the colourless arguments of the party's economic revolution. li contained much of every thing inside capitalist economics.
More interesting was the debuie which dida't take place. The annual conference is preceded by purty delegate meetings held regularly during the year at Stirling. Much of the real debate takes place here — far from the TV cameras and the press. At Stirling this spring there was an attempt to amend the economics resolution bs delegates from the West of Scutland. They wanted two Inserts: the finit insisting on workers" participation, and the second Although these were defeated and are only pale shadows of Tribunite rhetoric, the fuet that they emerged is interesting. The last few by-elections are indicative of the SN's limitations. Neither result was the disaster portrayed by the Scottish press. The SNP sill managed to pick up over 30 per cent of the vote. But the fuilure to win either seat is the failure to win decisive support working, population in the West of Instead the SN Jooks set to stabilise Itself with around 25-30 per cent of the nutional vote. Its support will continue to come from the new towns, the rural areas and from younger voters dissatisfied In the immediate future the SP will see a shift away from interested in working 'rodicalism" towards more staid and traditional figures. For the Tabour Party In Scotland, this appears an almast unbelievable situation. But despite their successes they should nor get over COLIN TALBOT, attack is to be fought.
Financing of Student Unions in Universities and other Institetoas of Higher and Further Education three practical consequences. First they entail a virtual treese on student union income ut current real levels. here is a proposai to draw up: concordat" between the van our education powers and the NUS on what unions can and cannot do with their money. Third, and most importantiy, 8 whole new system of financing is put forward so that some Targer unions will lose control over up to 60 per cent of their income.
In addition the DES. proposing a recommended minimum union fee of E1.25 -not binding on local authorWhile the headlines sported by the Fleet Street press made clear that the Covernment is out to clamp down on student unions. the articles showed a remarkable misudnerstanding sbout details proposals, This wasn't due 10 the Incompetence of the Fleet Street hacks. If's because the Scotland. DES has deliberately been us complex und ambiguous a possible.
MYSTIFIED class Even student militants completely msstified as to what the "powers that be are up to.
This confusion has been made NUS leadership. Sue Slipmar Tirst welcomed the DES Pa The Guardian she was The *delighted that students would remain in control of their unpublished discussion paper put the logically and rationnily we are stronger than ever before.
Thi sums
proposals in a nutshell establish a don't activate it — ver Sccond lees uninterupted around BUSHES and the oppresseu CURBS WaVe radicalism student launched These measures are NUS was time worse by the antics of thi details of an out by the •uP the DES -they TECHIES -TOI controlling student unions, but Over the seven years between 1970 and 1977 student union local authorities Increased from t3m to Li3m Students launched a virtualls wave of cuts, grants, uneraployment and in solidar. ity with struggles of workers The state wantsto control this militancy and curb this level of nance, But it does not want to do so at the expense of sparking of student As far back as last summer it becume clear that the Govern- conference ment was considering ways to "agreed in control the level and use of union finances.
Union That's Development* Campaign (sic) aimed at booting finances for small unions. It also maved to drop previous NUS policy on ultra-vires payments and union finance, rammed through tbe December NUS Conference.
were sup posed to 'head off' the DEs and others who wanted more interests. swerping changes. At the sabe negotiations with the DES. The around scope of these dealings remains the Easter *Tg NUS Conference the Socialis SenAlliance announced startled delegates the details of the DES proposals - a month were officially released. The 55A was attacked Slipman and in an NUS moniling after it, for trying to and "stampede' Even when the proposals were published, she was still saying they were unexceptionai, a view was endorsed by the the Despite the 'unexceptional' I the RES!
nature of the proposals the national executive has already: *issued two emergency mail•Called an emergency briefing Principle to an emergency NUS conference in an awful lot of messares for some thing which supposedly repre sents no major threat The alternative to the NUS collaboration with the DES is to fight to make the NUS a campaigning union, democratically controlled by its members and fighting for their idea 'Autonomy Charter' - passed at the last NUS conference. This kind of Charter must have reject the DES proposal. It will also call for the NUS to start a campaign around Charter.
DEBATES students and the SWP on wha response should he made to these proposals Dissident students iD Broad Left, who substantially amended the position of the Executive Faster conference, have not yet cem agalast the DES proposals. Are tbey prepared to with the far left in a campaign to proposals and establish once and for all the principle of student union autonomy?
Similaris, the comrades of NOISS have an importunt tole to play in explaining this attack to the mass of students and in helping biass campnign against them. Are ther now ready to join with che SSA in a united, non-sectarian campaign to defeat this attack?
The Student movement is facing its most crucial rest in many years. There is a danger that the defeats over fees and other issues will he transformed into a permanent crippling of student That PILS demands the hroadest, most active and conunitted response from cbe entire left to 101 OT Hands Our Unions!
----- pull-quotes -----
AT THE Easter conference of National Union of Students, militants in Socialist Students" Alliance revealed to surprised delegates the
Department of Education and Science. NUS executive member and Socialist Students' Alliance activist, explains what is behind this subtle attempt by the Government to erode student union autonomy, and to place their finances under stricter control by college authorities. And he outlines steps students should be considering if the
policies for complete financial RANT