Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 2. March 5 1979

[Introduction]

[ unclear: ast] year the Progressive Student [ unclear: liance] was formed in an attempt [ unclear: o] build up left-wing political [ unclear: actity] on campus. Why was it necessary [ unclear: nd] what should it do for 1979...

During the last Election campaign you [ unclear: uy] have been surprised to hear of [ unclear: luldoon's] vociferous attacks on the "self- [ unclear: Hifessed] intelligensia" at Victoria University Even more unexpectedly these attacks [ unclear: ere] addressed not at students but at staff.

Though Muldoon's ravings obviously [ unclear: ad] an ulterior motive, this is not the first [ unclear: ime] that the left, whether staff or students, [ unclear: aj] been subject to verbal or physical [ unclear: ssaults]. At the height of the left's strength [ unclear: n] the late 40's it was considered such a hreat by the government that the drama [ unclear: eviewi] were banned because of their [ unclear: subersive] nature and progressive thought.

The "Left" has had a varied and [ unclear: turbusnt] history at Victoria. With the cold war [ unclear: he] "right" gained more strength on campus [ unclear: nd] defeated the "left" in the organised [ unclear: tudent] movement. By the early 50's, [ unclear: vith] the demise of the Student Labour [ unclear: deration] and the Socialist clubs, political [ unclear: rpnintions] on campuses were largely [ unclear: onfined] to student clubs associated with [ unclear: he] political parties.— National and [ unclear: Labour].

The late nineteen sixties saw a revival of "left" organisations on campuses such as the Socialist Club at Victoria University, which feel apart in the early seventies [ unclear: argely] as a result of the sharpening of [ unclear: onflict] in the anti-war movement. In 1972 [ unclear: he] Socialist Action League established the [ unclear: foung] Socialists clubs on campuses and [ unclear: he] YS started to carry out organised [ unclear: Mlitical] work among students e.g. it [ unclear: started] to run YS tickets in the students' associ [ unclear: elections].

Largely as a result of the intense [ unclear: politici struggle] within the anti-war movement (which was fundamentally a struggle between the Marxist-Leninist line of supporting the political demands of the National Front for Liberation of Vietnam and the [ unclear: Trotskytte] line of opposing these demands), a number of progressive students began to unite politically, very often on the simple platform of combating the Trotskyites. These progressive" students were essentially drawn from the ranks of the Labour Club (which was nearly purgedhy the Labour Party leadership) and the Student Christian Movement. However, reflecting their ideological confusion these "left" groupings tended to concentrate on political work in the Association particularly after it largely won the elections for the 1973 executive. Consequently no independent left student organisation was built on campus which would initiate activity, draw new people in, and develop mass student contact.

The Students' Association by-election in 1974 saw the emergence of a challenge from the right for the position of student president. Associated with National Party and pro-apartheid elements, the right-wing candidate campaigned never-the less on a platform of representing the students, and accused the left of failing to do this. The programme adopted by the right-wing candidate was a crude reflection of its political bankruptcy, but in a [ unclear: relativly] low poll, he won a convincing victory. He resigned not long after being elected. In 1977 a right-wing candidate stood for and won the presidential elections in a significantly low turn out, only to resign 3 days later. Though there was no real left-wing opposition, the positive vote, albeit low for that candidate showed a significant weakening of progressive forces.

In the elections for the 1978 President, the "left" candidate won convincingly against right-wing opposition. However this was reversed in the subsequent election for the 1979 Presidency, where a per- [ unclear: person] standing on a so-called" moderate anti-left" platform won in a significantly low turn out.

Photo of a Bursary march from 1978

Last year's Bursaries March storming the gates of Parliament.