Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 44 No. 5. March 30 1981

Guest Editorial

Guest Editorial

Well, joke it bloody was too. A'Court skives off up-country and last report I heard 'ed decided the sweet life's for 'im. Thinkin' about stayin' even! But it's gonna take more than a dainty pair of painted scars on his knees to stop me from hauling 'im out of is hand-made four-poster with the natty little curtains. And if 'es got any funny ideas about glun' 'imself down, i'll take a six-ton railways crane and bring the friggin' lot! So 'ere I am again on a Wednesd'y night with an editorial to write. Curse this bloody responsibility!

Well there's three issues I think need to be discussed this week. Firstly something close to us up here on the Hill - namely the healthiness of the student body.

If you've been down to Student Health lately you may have noticed the poor staff down there running around like chickens with their heads cut off. It's not surprising considering they have lost one doctor from the staff. And that doctor, Margaret Sparrow, resigned from overwork.

Last Wednesday the Appointments Committee met to appoint another doctor, or was it half a doctor. They are replacing one doctor with half a doctor. This person will only be employed for 57% of a full-time week to cut costs - what will this mean for the health of students. You pay a Welfare Levy for the first time and the service is reduced. This situation is certainly no fault of the Health Centre staff but rather the blame lies with the funding system. Next week in Salient we shall make an expose of Student Health to explain this issue more fully.

Now for the second issue for discussion - the Springbok Tour. If someone every says to you that this is not a big issue then they're talking through a hole in their hat. All sorts of groups, from the Unions to the Church, have discussed it, the majority coming out against the Tour.

But is this enough. Evidence that this is not enough is shown by the recent Post-Primary Teachers Association discussions on the matter. The PPTA recently spent much time and energy to conduct a survey of their members which showed that the majority were against the Tour. But what happens then. They bury their bloody heads in the sand and say they won't take a stance as an organisation.

The only way the tour will be stopped is by Mobilisation of the public feeling against it. This means that people who do oppose the tour have to be prepared to show it and actively work to spread information and harness public opinion into a strong political force. If we are serious about striking a blow for the black people of Azania then it's the time to act now!

Image of a boy

Last on the list of issues, and least, is the visit of our dear Prince Charles, to wave the flag amongst all his colonial plebs from down-under - that's us. Well "Fight for an Independent Republic of New Zealand" I say and get those bloodsucking inbred excuses for wax model hand-wavers off our backs.

Actually, we're more under the control of the "Crown" than one might at first think. The Govenor General, the Queen's Representative, must sign all acts of Parliament before they can become law. He has powers reaching as far as the power to dissolve parliament or declare a state of emergency.

Mr Kerr, Govenor General of Australia, exercised these powers a couple of years back when he dissolved the Parliament of Gough Whitlam. So in a state of crisis, like a general strike or something, our darling Royalty across the oceans can exert direct influence over us, and who exerts influence over them? Besides all this Prince Charles is about the biggest state beneficiary there is. Talk about living off the fat of the land. (Not much fat for the unemployed though).

Geoff Adams

Comic drawing of a couple-checking into a medical facility

"I take it all the rooms are [ unclear: equipped] with water-beds?"