An alliance of anti-capitalists has captured four of the eight full-time positions on the Executive of the University of Manchester Union. Activists from Workers Power, SWP, SLP and the SP, as well as independent anti-capitalists, pooled their funds and their labour. We worked on each others campaign materials, and provided morale-boosting hot food and refreshments for the candidates campaigning from dawn till dusk on the three long days of polling. The ‘Socialist Kitchen’ set up outside the Union became quite an attraction!
Elected by a clear majority were: Kate Byron (independent anti-capitalist), Robin Burrett (SWP), and Carlos Orjuela (SLP). Rob Owen (SWP) came second to Benson Osawe for Academic Affairs Officer; however Osawe is expected to go to NUS as a national officer, vacating the post for Owen. Our biggest disappointment was the defeat of ISM veteran Chris West. Chris’s experience, patience and good humour played no small part in the success of the team as a whole; sadly he himself was defeated, although by a mere 35 votes (from a turnout of some three thousand). Also elected were Mamoon Yusaf and Tamanna Rahman, both of the Islamic Society, and Amelia Lee (a member of the Co-operative Party) to posts which we did not contest.
‘March separately, strike together’: working together on the elections proved to be a fine opportunity to deepening our understanding of each other, both politically and personally. Even better, the united left put the Labour and Tory students to rout. Not one of their candidates was elected, despite their having formed an unholy alliance, with a coordinated campaign against our ‘lunatic fringe’. Unfortunately for them, students preferred our strongly anti-fees, anti-war, anti-racist platform, and the tactics with which we proposed to implement it. Look forward to seeing a bolder Manchester Union when the new Executive take office in June.