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Save Ruskin College

Jon Clark | 23.10.2002 16:17

Ruskin Defence Committee campaigning for the defence of Ruskin College.

Calling on all ex-students and sympathisers; Ruskin College has for over 100 years played and important role in the education of trade union and labour activists, offering residential education to working class people, with no prior education. A recent decision by the management will mean that the college will move to a new site, developed with an anti-union building firm under a PFI scheme, this new site will offer 1/3 less educational places. While at the moment crèche facilities do exist, the new site will not cater for such needs. In a recent meeting held in Oxford, two hundred people packed the local town hall; overwhelming support was pledged to a group of ex students and members of the trade union community who have come together to form the Ruskin Defence Committee, this campaign group has the support of the Lecturers AUT branch, Oxford Trades Union Council, Ruskin Anarchist Faction, RMT South East region and many other groups. The Ruskin Defence Committee asks for the support and affiliation of as many groups and individuals as possible for more information a campaign pack, or to send letters of support, please email us, at. ruskindefencecommittee@yahoo.co.uk

Jon Clark
- e-mail: ruskindefencecommittee@yahoo.co.uk

Comments

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NO !

25.10.2002 13:07

These colleges, of which Ruskin is the head (note its location in Oxford, posing as a real part of the University) are appalling places, designed to confuse the workers, pretentious little outposts of Labourite edu- snobbery. Thug Prescott did a stint at Ruskin, and he is precisely the kind of character they wanted to generate, which should be warning enough.
There are others, most stuck out in wayward, windswept places like Wales and Yorkshire; they are rather like open prisons; close them down !

THYGRES


Ironic turn of events

26.10.2002 13:06

My experience of these colleges is that they attracted a pretty venal, aquistive, duplicitous gang of characters. Anyone suspected of harbouring genuinely radical views (Maoist, Trotskyist, Anarchist etc) was ostracised and sometimes attacked. Labour party above all, they were howling and wailing to get back into power, (in the hope of their own careers) and their wish was granted. Now, the strange alliance that is 'New Labour' has decided the stalwart faithful of these anachronistic colleges are no longer required, and are to be sold off. Ironic indeed...

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