Membership move rouses interest

Mr. Niel Wright's and Gerard Guthrie's motion that students should have free membership of and elective rights in the Students' Association has evoked much interest during the past fortnight.

This will be moved at the Students' Association A.G.M. tonight.

Mr. Wright said a system of direct democracy aimed to put day-to-day policy-making in the hands of all students.

The present system with a representational exectuive did not do this.

The new system would work efficiently. Students with common interests would elect agents at weekly meetings to carry out necessary action.

Agents would be answerable directly to the student body.

Students' interest would be increased, as they would be administering their own affairs. They would be able to take extreme steps which the present Executive could not do.

Mr. Wright envisages keeping an Executive with about 15 members for purely administrative purposes, "as trustees for the students".

Other students have said students would not be interested in serving on a purely administrative Executive, even though this Executive would have a veto on financial matters.

This veto would prevent a club from packing a meeting to gain a grant.