HITS HYDE Fifty LSE students travel to Manchester in support of the Artti-Nazi League. Victory (?) Signs as the coach sets off for Manchester. Union sketch ANYONE who was a first-time attender at the Union Meeting last Friday could have been forgiven for sympathising with the latest brilliant idea of the Bored Left, that Union Meetings should in future be held bicentenially. The objection to the plan—that one would need a long memory, not to say life, in order to remember what was debated at the previous meeting, 200 years ago—can be met by the argument that if there were no "Minutes of last meeting" and therefore no "matters arising", we might actually be able to discuss the vital issues of the day. On this occasion, as so often, almost the entire meeting was devoted to a familiar mixture of obscure procedural points and rows. Will Richardson was chairman, providing a breath of fresh air with down-to-earth phrases like "For f——'s sake will you lot shut up ?" which at least made a change from whining pleas for "Order". Why, you may wonder, do people attend meetings ? Well, they can be amusing and fun. The spectacle, for instance, of poor Daud Khan, General Secretary of the Union, making a speech, is something not to be missed. For Daud's speaking style is so incredibly dull, monotonous and generally soporific that if he were to announce the imminent invasion of Earth by hordes of little green men from Mars, he would not be able to divert Tory Richard Shackleton's attention from the pages of that admirable organ, "Socialist Worker". Waking up from Daud my attention was captured by the familiar tones of Roger Galloway talking about "ultra vires payments". But what are these mysterious things ? "Ultra vires" sounds like one of those whiter than white new toothpastes; or is it an as yet incurable form of venereal disease ? Or yet another breakaway extreme Left group ?' "Mysteriouser and mysteriouser". Mind you, it is not just the speakers who provide the entertainment. There is a large and growing Silly Party in the ranks of the audience which is unofficially led by Bruce Fell who has fallen out with the Tories on the grounds that they're "a bunch of Lefties". This faction has the habit of interjecting various phrases, which tend to be (the phrases, that is, not the faction—well, both perhaps) of a comical irrelevant and (to clean-minded social democrats like myself) distressingly reactionary nature. And the sight of Bruce leaping around the Old Theatre like Tarzan without the ropes is not one to be missed ; though if you wish to preserve your hearing you'd be well FIFTY students from LSE responded to the call by the Anti-Nazi League for a picket of Hyde Town Hall, scene of a National Front meeting on Thursday. The group was in high spirits as the coach left Lincoln's »nn Fields for the long journey to Manchester. Sectarian differences were rife, but there was a curious unity of purpose, the National Front must be stopped. Despite circling Manchester several times in an effort to find the way to Hyde (no-one had thought to look out a map) the coach arrived on time. A police road block which had earlier stopped the coach to search for "offensive weapons" and which had confiscated all flag-poles did nothing to dampen enthusiasm. Workers from , the Hall, members of NUPE. had already expressed their disgust at the Tory Council's decision to give the National Front meeting the go-ahead. Flexi-time had been abandoned for the evening and the only remaining worker, the .Caretaker, had locked himself into the building. Every side street in the area had been sealed off by the police. It was, therefore impossible to get near the Hall. The bulk of the crowd was hemmed into the town square across the road, where it was the focus of attention for the many cameramen perched in the top windows of the surrounding buildings. The Front arrived over an hour .late, the usual mixture of football hooligans and reactionary drop-outs. They weie ceremoniously let into the building by a member of the Council as a hail of smoke bombs were thrown across the road. There were scuffles but the 30-odd members of the Front were amply-protected by the enormous number of policemen. There were few arrests and the policemen were, for the most part, cheerful Northerners with a sense of humoui. The one girl who got hurt by the police in the scuffles was taken away by a senior policeman to give her story. . Members of NUPE who work at Hyde Town Hall are now on strike. CAROL SAUNDERS. % Strange bedfellows: Julian sees the funny side. advised to bring a pair of ear-muffs, for the sound of Bruce cheering on working-class heroes like Roger Galloway— a kind of primitive tribal war-cry—can be painful. If you are not one of the 150-odd— and some of them are very odd indeed —people who attend union meetings regularly, you're missing something. Not a lot, I agree ; but connoisseurs of this strange custom are all agreed that there is a peculiar—some would say perverted—pleasure to be derived from the habit. For some it has become almost an addiction. JAMES GAUSSEN Mr Gaussen's "Union Sketch" will tee a regular feature in future issues. Time editors take no responsibility for its content. (Neither does Mr Gaussen.) ( NEWSPAPER OF THE LSE 1st FEBRUARY, 1978 ISSUE NO. 167 PAGE 2 0 ENTERTAINMENTS Mol< Mo7^.lS,^ K#XT f55tf£ DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Wed., 1st Feb.—Charlie Gillet's Oval Exiles and support. Three Tuns. Free. 8 pm. Fri., 3rd Feb.—The Tourists. 2 pm. Old Theatre. Free. "Complete Nutters !" Fri., 3rd Feb.—New Wave night featuring Outsiders and Visitors. Three Tuns. Free. Fri., 18th Feb.—Private Eye : a funk band and disco to dance the night away. Thurs., 16th Feb.—JUNE TA30R. Sole London appearance. £1 advance. £1.20 on door. Fri., 24th Feb.—National Health returning to LSE after a two-year absence. Fri., 3rd Mar.—Son Seals Blues Band—supported B B King on his last tour. Sat., 4th Mar.—An old cricketer returns to the crease — ROY HARPER. Only £1.50. All the tracks are cleverly crafted and well produced by Martin Gordon, with sparse but effective piano highlighting some of them. Best songs, tending to be infuriatingly catchy> are Nervous Wreck, Arthur is Dead Boring (Let's Rot), Eric, and the best track on the album, Don't Waste My Time. A fine album;"buy it. steal it, hear it etc. Naf Eddie and the Hot Rods : Life on the line THE Rods' latest album comes on a wave of deserved chart success, with the single "Da Anything You Wanna Do" having sold well, and the new • single "Quit This Town'.' (both on the album) looking set to repeat the honours. A popular accusation will be that the Rods have "sold out" to mass appeal, but on reflection, the old Rods' guts are still to the fore on this-album. It's just classier, that's all. Album reviews JUNE IF you believe all you read in Melody Maker, June Tabor is the current "Queen of the folk scene". June's folksinging pedigree began with the Heritage Society while at Oxford, and after leaving college to take up a career as a librarian (!) she made unscheduled appearances at clubs and folk festivals, singing unaccompanied but always with power and control. June's recording debut came as a result of a chance meeting with Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span, when they made impromptu appearances together in London folk clubs in mid '75. The ideas formulated here reached fulfilment on the "Silly Sisters" album, and on the concert tour which accompanied its release. An enormous demand arose for June to release a solo TABOR album and in fact "Airs and Graces", released in late '76 was met with much acclaim. The current album, "Ashes and Diamonds", was recorded with the excellent assistance of Jon Gillaspie on piano and synthesiser and Nic Jones on guitar, as well as various members of Steeleye Span helping out at odd moments. The album received favourable reviews in Sounds Sounds ? !) and Melody Maker, and it must be no exaggeration to say that June Tabor is probably the finest singer that the British folk scene has produced. See her on the stage of the Old Theatre on Thursday evening, February 16th with Jon Gillaspie and Martin Simpson. Naf. ODDS N SODS HEARD the one about the vicar from Southend who got busted and yet since he is a regular smoker ain't gonna hide the fact . . . more hot news from Release (that admirable legal aid organisation whose budget is 50 per cent Government financed !) confirms the recent dope shortage but attributes it to an expected seasonal dearth. ZAPPY has two extra dates at the Hammersmith Odeon on February 28th and March 1st. Do you like shivers down your spine at live gigs ? Then I hope you saw Millie Jackson in concert last weekend! AC. WHAT has happened to Ents ? Everywhere you look there's a new regime running everything. So let's use up a little space for obituaries for outgoing stars. Whatever happened to Funky Genghis ? (the man and the coat). This stalwart of the dials has made discos at LSE the entertainment of the masses, rather than the luxury of the few (that isj if you can stand all the Free Devon propaganda). Word has it he got rich and famous in the process. Let's hope the upstart Mr Noisy can approach this admirable record (was that a very poor purr?). And, of course, the departing maestro, Andy Cornwell! There is only one accolade good enough for this man . . . Altogether now . . SIR ! ! (N.B. : There is a world copy shortage and that's why you're reading rubbish like this). Radio Stars : Songs for Swinging Lovers THIS must be one of the finest debut albums from any band that I've heard for a long time. The songs, mostly by bassist Martin Gordon (formerly with Sparks) are cleverly constructed and contain a good portion of tongue-in-cheek humour and witty observation on life. Andy Ellisons vocals suit the unusual lyrics perfectly. If, as devout Sounds readers have been told, 1978 is to be the year of "Power Pop", here is a band who should emerge as one of its leading exponents. The new single, "Nervous Wreck" (as seen on Top of the Dross), appears on the album, and the last (now sadly deleted) single, "No Russians m Russia", is included as a nice little giveaway. Though for my money its B side, "Dirty Pictures'', is the better song of th? two. As a whole, this album should serve to further enhance th? Rods' reputation as one of the best young bands around. DYLAN: Not coming to LSE The songwriting of Graeme Douglas (whose face does not appear on the sleeve due to legal wrangles with CBS) is especially good, and let it be "a testimony to the album the chart - topping "Do Anything You Wanna Do" is probably the least inspiring track on the album. The bass playing is inventive throughout, although as it is mixed down, it is occasionally difficult to pick out the best of the bass lines (the only rest criticism of the album). FOLLOWING LSE Ents dramatic coup in failing to secure the talents of such diverse artists as Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, Toots and the Maytals and Joni Mitchell we are proud to announce in the coming weeks further non-appearances of such stars of stage, screen and television, Angela Rippon, Harold Laski, and Legs O'Hare who, will be playing his electric toothbrush. If you missed SHAM 69 then hard luck because with their single at number one in the Sounds New Wave charts, if you did not get an advance ticket you didn't stand much chance of getting in on the door. The excitement and the energy of their set could only be equalled by the mass acclaim given to the Queen on Jubilee Day. Plenty more NewWave coming up at the LSE this term and with this in mind we can announce several dates : Fri Feb 3rd — The Visitors and the Outsiders in the 3 Tuns If you don't think the Strang-lers are punk enough for you then try out the Visitors in the Tuns this Friday. Although the band themselves try to avoid comparisons with the Strang-lers, the unmistakable keyboard sound they possess makes it difficult not to classify the band as such. Any way so much for the blurb, just come down and check 'em out, you won't regret it. Support band the Outsiders play the 100 Club regularly and with their new EP out, they look all set to break —they go into the studios to record their second album next month. PiAli? TASiS. lav arcs MO T£ti. ....MP arV^LS.,., Naff., NLfi National Union of Students Union autonomy under attack HOW would you react if the government insisted that, in re-{urn for giving you a grant, it should be able to dictate how you spend it ? Yet such controls may be imposed on stu-ieht unions. The change in NUS policy on ultra-vires payments has posed a threat to union autonomy and thus opened student unions to attacks on all fronts. The issue first arose in 1972 when Margaret Thatcher, then Minister for Education, argued that since- unions get their income from public funds, they should be subject to public (i.e. state) control. NUS determined to fight this policy in 1972, but now that the Labour government is toying with the idea, the Broad Left is not quite so hostile. Conference declared in December that it was not prepared to fight the issue. If government manages to restrict unions' spending to strictly educational concerns ("education" being subject to the government's definition), this will, in effect, enable political control of student activities. For example, unions would not be able to pay fines for people arrested at demos. Furthermore, organisations largely dependent on student support, such as N.A.C. and C.A.C.T.L. would be threatened. However, although NUS is under the thumb of the capitu-lative Broad Left and Tories, this has not dampened the initiative of students who consider such issues worth fighting for. Two delegate conferences have been organised, one at NLP (organised by NOISS) and one at Manchester Poly (organised by SSA). Jim Gee, Roger Galloway and Julian Ingram were elected as LSE's delegates to the NLP conference which will be held on 4 Feb. This conference will also discuss the "no platform for fascists and racists" policy, rejected by NUS but overwhelmingly endorsed by LSE SU; and the attack on small colleges. NUS is attempting to change the subscription structure so that small colleges have to fork out disproportionately large sums, as a safeguard for NUS finances in case a large college should decide to disaffiliate. This means clobbering colleges most in need of help. It is heartening to see students organising in areas where NUS is deserting them. These are delegate based conferences so that students can be mandated — which lends greater credibility to any conclusions reached. ED WALKER Mad about NUS A LOT of clap-trap has been written and said about that august body which purports to be a national union of students. Arguments put forward in favour of it by both trots and tories, marxists and moderates, seem to exalt it as pushing forward the fight for students' rights and interests, whether this be in pressing for increases in the level of student grants or in better facilities in housing or whatever. We are also told that we get a wealth of services from it :— reduced rates of travel, reductions at various shops, theati~es'. etc., insurance and all the rest. Others of a more left-wing persuasion see it as just another aspect of the revolutionary struggle against the monopoly capitalists and bourgeois reactionaries who run the country—the world even ? Do we need an NUS to fight for our rights vis-a-vis grants, etc. ? Well, the majority of students come from the middle and upper-middle classes ; just look around, LSE reeks of them. The people who run the country come from the same background. They see universities as training grounds for future civil servants, politicians, administrators, etc., so by no great stretch of the imagination, they are going to make sure that university life is. at least tolerable. Consequently grants are going to be keeping pace with inflation (almost) NUS or no NUS. As for services, well, that's a laugh. NUS travel has collapsed and anyway British Railways offer half-fare travel, and for those wishing to leave this sceptred isle, many companies offer at least half-rate travel to students (no NUS Card needed). The same applies to the few theatres and clubs operating student reduced-rate schemes. As not many shops partake in the NUS scheme (who uses it. anyway) that mark of a lady or gentleman, the NUS card, is superfluous. I cannot argue against the left's view ol NUS as a, potential revolutionary movement. They want a revolution, I don't. (Or do they really, middle-class trendies from Chelsea, sorry, Jim!).. . . NUS is bureaucratic, unrepresentative, time and money-wasting and of no use to the vast majority of students. Why do students need molly-coddling over every aspect of their lives ? They are probably one of the most privileged groups in society, wrapped in cotton wool all the way to a detached in Esher. NUS exists solely for the self-gratification of certain students who see life as one long ego trip—a single-minded drive for power and more power. {an Callow Sue Stipman goose-stepping across picket line. I-editorial blues- '-carol sounders-' This is the only editorial you will see in Beaver while Martin and Carol are editors. TO the uninitiated, being editor of Beaver seems to be the ideal starting-place for control and influence. Far be it from me to contradict the opinions of the convinced; nevertheless, I would like to make some general points about what being editor really means. Unlike holding a position on the Executive, being editor of Beaver actually means a great deal of hard work. Being editor means first of all arriving at LSE at just after ten every day to spend a very boring hour sorting out the bookings books, writing up the Beaver Daily News, running it off on the Banda. machine and distributing it around the School. Being editor of Beaver means spending a great deal of time every day in the office just talking to people, encouraging potential writers, and going through a considerable amount of mail. Being editor of Beaver means spending all day Tuesday and Wednesday and right through till midnight on Thursday, sorting out copy, negotiating with people who refuse to realise that a two-page article on racism and fascism i again) is not good copy, laying out pages, and helping the less experienced to lay out pages—every fortnight. Being editor of Beaver means being prepared to spend a whole afternoon every fortnight. helping to sort out the student paper distribution scheme. Being editor of Beaver means coming in to LSE every other Saturday morning to read the proofs. Being editor of Beaver means having to co-ordinate advertising and having to work out Beaver's finances. Obviously if you take on the editorship you enjoy working on Beaver, just as those people who work so hard for Ents enjoy doing so. Unlike us, however, Ents can do no wrong; when people remember that they exist it is always to thank them for their efforts—and so they should. But Beaver? Whatever you do on Beaver someone complains. I have been told that we have turned Beaver into an anarchist rag. It is futile to deny what is so self-evidently not true. I suggest to this school of opinion that they look at the Beaver of 1968t69. When has Beaver to your knowledge published half-page boxes containing quotes by Bakunin? If there there is more anarchist content this year—then this is because this is the copy we receive. It's up to you. We have been accused of deliberate sabotage of copy by the SWP, the WRP, the Broad Left, the Tories . . . want any more? We have, on occasion, narrowly missed personal attack (and I'm not joking). In short, we arc perhaps the most unpopular people in the Union. We can only work within the limits that you set for us. We welcome copy at any time and we welcome your help and constructive suggestions. We do not welcome frustrated politicos who think they have a God-given right to treat Beaver like a party rag. We do not welcome those people who do not appreciate the difficulties of our job. Finally, not only Ents suffers its academic casualties. Double Dickers Trouble Mr Wolfgang Deckers please note:— (1) Persecution of Jews living in Arab lands preceded political Zionism by centuries and even into the 20th century the Jews in most of North Africa and the Middle East were still obliged to live in isolated areas or special quarters and to wear distinctive clothing. (NB: The Arabs were the first to design the infamous yellow star.) Does Deckers call "living in ghettoes" living peacefully? (2) Israel is the only democratic, free state in the Middle East. No Arab state is secular, let alone free or democratic. Islam is the only state religion. (3) Article 50, article 6 of the PLO covenant. According to Yasser Arafat's interpretation of Article 6, this secular democratic state is to be for Jews over the age of 96 and who were born in Israel. (4) Article II of the covenant which talks of "National Unity, Mobilisation, and Liberation" of the Palestinians. 15) Nobody—Jewish nationalists or Palestinian nationalists—wants a "free, democratic, secular" state like Deckers' model. So why this double standard—one lor Jews, a free democratic state—and one for Palestinians, their own state? * DEBORAH COHEN It is interesting to note that Wolfgang Deckers (Beaver. January 17th < 1978) has a connection with the International Relations Department. I assume that the field of international relations deals mainly with (surprise, surprise!) the relations between nations. Having penetrated this far into the intricacies of the subject, it becomes evident to me that people actually studying international relations are probably quite concerned with the analysis of how such relations come about," improve, get strained, break down, etc. However, Deckers' proposed solution to international conflict will probably make this future graduate of international relations jobless.: If there is a conflict between two nations, liquidate one of them. It is especially surprising to be briefed on this approach by someone who, having "International Relations Department" as part of his signature, would seem trained to suggest more sophisticated solutions to conflicts than just the elimination of one of the conflicting parties. With the Middle East problem at least, such an approach would come to grief, mainly because Israel is not willing to dissolve itself for the sake of such a superficial model of conflict-management as Wolfgang Deckers is suggesting. MICHAEL SZPERO, International History Department!) PAGE Fascionable and racey 'debate' "STOP THE NAZI NATIONAL FRONT" shout thousands of posters produced and distributed by the Anti-Nazi League. This slogan succinctly sums up the aims of an organisation established last November to combat the impending emergence of the National Front as a mainstream, respectable political force at the next General Election, when they aim to field 318 candidates (the number re-Quired to form a government). Last year the NF got nearly i million votes in the local elections. TV and the press helped them achieve this due to the deplorable lack of information on the part of the interviewers allowing Nazis like "Fuhrers" Webster and Tyndall to appear as respectable politicians with apparently plausible solutions to Britain's problems. Lewisham gave confidence and the impetus needed by anti-racists to launch a massive campaign exposing the NF and its fellow travellers as racist, neo-nazi organisations. The Anti Nazi League is a result of this. It is a broad based organisation uniting anti-racists of differing political perspectives, including members of the SWP, Communist Party, Labour Party (and even a few Liberals!) and has support from such diverse groups as actors, writers, football managers, barristers, trade union leaders, academics, immigrant leaders and MPs ! The Anti-Nazi League aims : NATIONAL FRONT •miail' (1) To inform as many people as possible of the Nazi nature of the NF and its racialist propaganda; (2) To draw as many people as possible into active opposition to the Nazis. Already the Anti Nazi League has organised against the Waf-fen SS men staying with Tory MP, Jonathan Guiness, distributed 22,000 leaflets at the Bournemouth by-election resulting in a significant decline in the NF's vote, protested against Mckinnon's summing-up in the Kingsley Read case, exposing the ineffectiveness of legal reform in curtailing the spread of racist ideology, and have mobilised for CARF's picket of Hyde Town Hall where the NF were meeting on Thursday. Beside this they have insti- gated a massive educational programme to counter the infiltration of racist ideas into schools, workplaces, higher education and on housing estates. There is an all-out drive to prevent the Front terrorising and conquering areas with a high proportion of immigrants like Southall and Lewisham; and the formation of specific anti-Nazi campaigns in the professions, Trade Unions etc, e.g. "Students against the Nazis", "Doctors against the NF". They intend to mount an enormous propaganda drive via adverts in all types of newspapers . . . all this and much more. Within LSE, despite insidious Tory attacks, we maintain our "No platform for racists and fascists'', and have an Action Committee Against Racism. Why, you may wonder, do we also need to join the Anti-Nazi League! The arguments 'for affiliation are important: the Anti-Nazi League is a national organisation ; it has very specific aims —to prevent the NF gaining electoral respectability and to stem the flow of their racist propaganda. Although these aims also come within the scope of ACAR, we feel that they can best be achieved by working with a national organisation. ACAR can deal with much broader issues — the exploitation of minority workers, the racist nature of NAFF and the Monday Club. ACAR provides a valuable forum for debate leading to action, besides obtaining Union money whereas the Anti-Nazi League emphasises action rather than discussion. We hope to leaflet local workplaces, schools and other colleges ; to contact academic and non-academic staff; to support anti-Nazi demonstrations and pickets; to mobilise as many anti-racists as possible to squash effectively the Nazi movement in Britain. JOIN THE ANTI-NAZI LEAGUE AND STOP THE NAZIS NOW! MEMBERSHIP costs £1 . . . cards are available from Liz Baltesz through the SU, or at any Anti-Nazi League or ACAR meeting. On Wednesday, 25 January fifty-one LSE students joined the Anti-Nazi League. LIZ BALTESZ LSE IS SOCIETY White propaganda 'Pson of Pseuds' corner THOSE of you who have delighted in the prosaic efforts of our own Jonathan Rich mond might be interested to know tha both of his illustrious parents (journalist Theo Richmond, and playwright, Lee Langley) have appeared in Private Eye' 'Pseuds' Corner.' Obviously runs in the family . . . THE Union meeting of January 20th saw this Union at its intolerant worst. There was supposed to be a debate on a "platform" for "racist" and "fascist" speakers. However, the speeches of myself and Richard Shackleton and Kay Forrester were drowned in a torrent of abuse and a hail of screwed up agendas (still they use bricks fo"r the NF) I think that setting down a few points in retrospect may be of value. The National Front will only be defeated by argument, counter propaganda and an improvement in the conditions of the deprived areas that are their breeding grounds. Attempting, and it can only be an attempt, to abrogate their rights to meet is hypocritical and counter-productive. There is a middle way—counter meetings, counter leafletting and the limitation of provocative marches through sensitive areas. Do not forget the law. It aims to protect all—impartially. I was utterly amazed to hear one speaker say : "We (presumably the immigrant population) are in the front line. We are not only fighting the NF, we are fighting the police and the judiciary." The police are there to enforce the law. I do not doubt that they are attempting to do so, but they will strike a balance that their discretion permits. Private prosecution can be used in glaring cases of police inadequacy. Assault, robbery and causing damage are the same wherever they occur and should be met with the full penalties available. And in court don't forget the noted "bias" of the judges against fascists. The best way to fight the NF is within "the system". To take on the system at the same time is impossible. Now is not the time to advocate an increasing role for the state—it paves the way for the National Socialist regimentation that the NF stands for. Everybody's freedom within the law should be respected, this includes the vile NF and the SWP. It is healthy to have freedom, but never forget the maxim "your freedom to swing your fist ends where my nose begins''. This is where the law steps in to protect all from the worst excesses of the NF. Campaign to get the law enforced —do not constantly criticise. NICK WHITE I To the right, quick march I WOULD hardly describe myself as an ardent admirer, or even fellow traveller of the extreme Left wing, but I would have to admit that it is only extremist Left wing political groups who have shown any real opposition to the recent insidious growth of the National Front. It is indeed a fair argument that these groups are attacking the problem the wrong way through street riots and public stonings which give publicity to the fair "middle class" National Front members and show its opponents as "rent - a - mob thugs". However such criticism must be set off against the apparent inactions of the other more established political groups. Inactions, which indeed occasionally border on passive support, as was recently demonstrated by Thameside Council in allowing the National Front to incite racial hatred in Hyde Town Hall. Do not think that I am an undercover recruitment man for the International Socialists who has been hiding his light under a bushel for the past three years, or that I have seen the Red light on the road to Damascus. The International Socialists want confrontation for its own sake and shout down comment that the root cause of National Front support lies not in the charisma of .Martin Webster, but in bad housing, unemployment and the search for an easy alternative. Many argue that the National Front could never get mass support in this country because of the British sense of fair play and memories of Auschwitz. However a far wider cause for concern is the effect that the new National Front vote will have on established party politics. Already Tory comment on immigration appears to show that the party could be trying to capture a more right wing vote, and because a large part of the new National Front vote is coming from traditionally Labour voters, it would seem inevitable that the party must move further right on certain key issues to retain support in the country. PAUL BROWN PAGE 5 BROAD INTERPRETATION WE should like Beaver to publish these comments about its reporting of the last NUS Conference. One whole page of the last issue was given over to a largely inaccurate account of the proceedings of this important Conference. This was written by one of the editors, who was an observer at the Conference and who frankly admits that she was in the minority on the LSE delegation on most issues. An article putting an alternative view written by Jean Kennedy, who was a delegate at the Conference, was submitted but was refused publication. We feel that students have the right to full and accurate information about the Conference of their National Union, and that Beaver has failed to give a balanced view. LSE BROAD LEFT The pompous indigation of this note, scrawled as it was on a grubby sheet of note-paper, leaves me only one reply : Bullshit. I would be very surprised indeed if the mythical, ordinary, non-political reader of Beaver would have found Jean's article more readable (or more informative) than mine. CAROL SAUNDERS Festschriftl TUTELAGE from Fell IT was with a profound sense of shock that I learnt in the early hours of a cold, stark January morning of the death of Governor Atilla. To those amongst us who were lucky enough to have known him personally and to have benefited from his acute political mind, which was forever offering farsighted and reforming policies for the challenging and tough body politic in which we all struggle to survive, his death was a stag- < gering blow which I am sure has left its sad mark on every home in the land, ex- ; cept, of course, in the homes of the guilty. Unfortunately for those ordinary men and women to whom Governor Atilla dedicated, and eventually gave, his life, his political philosophy was not widely appreciated. As has been said elsewhere, all political careers end in failure and it is to be regretted that Atilla's ended before his message was injected into the hearts and minds of the people. As Streisand said in "Hello Dolly," he stood "for a more perfect union." things are often just matters of personality, eg though one of my class teachers is more right-wing than Ghengis Khan, and some people object to him, he is interesting. But some teachers could not give a damn about their students, like the tutor who told the little ones in his care to come back at the end of the course as their 'A' levels seem O.K.; or the class teachers who don't turn up for it or don't do any work for it beforehand. Now you can pin these moans on any number of students but THEY ARE NOT PAID for doing sod all. My dad (sorry about the sentimentality jokes)—works his guts out and gets neurosis and pays taxes so that a load of bums can have the life of O'Reilly doing F.A. at L.S.E. If he makes a mistake he is out. If the lads at Dagenham tell nice Mr Ford that they can't do their job quite now because they are doing this thesis on Marginal Axiomatisation Theory, nice Mr Ford does not pay them. Not so for the University teacher. There is no accountability for them. In America the college students compile reports on their teachers. These are taken seriously: you don't muck about with a man's livelihood. But they do some good: they keep teachers on their toes, and by useful constructive criticism of course work, lectures and teaching methods they make the college a better place. And that's something those mindless hacks at the Union might think of. JOHN SWEENEY BORED? Boring? Lazy? Self-indulgent? Couldn't give a shit about anybody else? Interested in Durkheim's Theory of Defecation? Why don't you become a university teacher? There's a job for you talking in other people's sleep. Seriously though (snigger, sniggeri this is going to sound like a Daily Fascistgraph editorial — and Hitler did make the gas chambers run on time, don't forget children drone, drone, Wedgewood Benn drone, drone bloody left-wing queers, drone, drone that mindless Callaghan, drone drone, this great part of Europe on which the concrete has never set (thank you B. Crick) has some really excellent teachers, people who really care, not just about their research, but about boring pathetic first-year undergraduates. They work hard to make the snotty - nosed creatures understand things, that Keynes was a geezer who was into demand management, rather than in a new town in Hertfordshire, and that a Fried-manite is not a black and white sort of cow. But some of the teachers at L.S.E. are not paragons of pedagogic perfection — oh no. This is not the boring and predictable grouse that professors, lecturers, and class teachers and tutors are not