ed980312.qxd 21/04/98 15:55 Page 1 (1,1) Issue 932 - Weekly Thursday 12th March 1998 Exposed: Labours year-old lie over fees Money for University tuition to come from public purse said spokesman Exclusive media-managers teamed up port. We believe there is a twenty soundbite-filled min- with the Labour student balance to be struck in the utes answering two ques- movement to bring in as contribution to the cost of tions, then left shortly after- Matt Pannell many student papers as pos- higher education, between wards, leaving spokesmen sible, only a few weeks the individual and the public to give answers on more Editor before the May general elec- purse. The public purse specific education issues. tion. At the time, debate on should support tuition fees, Bare Facts raised questions year ago, almost to higher education funding and the individual - in a fair about division within the the day, senior centred on the issue of and much more progressive party, and the lack of spon- ALabour party maintainence grants, and fashion - should repay their taneous questioning in the spokesmen misled students Labour’s manifesto made maintainence costs.” election campaign. Party across the country by lying vague promises about managers ironically offered to student newspaper ‘reform’ in this area. On the Labour has since insisted to respond to this last ques- Editors over plans for the subject of tuition fees, that no such promise was tion by fax. reform of Higher Education though, the education ever made, as the election Funding. spokesman - well aware of manifesto made no refer- At least one aspect of his audience - went further ence to tuition fees. It labour’s policy on higher Editors and news writers than the manifesto line, stat- appeared yesterday that no education does appear to be from University papers were ing that the party believed other paper had approached clear, though. Peter invited to a pre-election tuition should be funded the party at the end of the Mandelson said at the brief- press conference on March “from the public purse.” conference for copies of the ing that “the existing 11th last year, given by When pushed on exactly taped records, currently held sysetem of maintainence Peter Mandelson, Labour’s how - if elected - Labour by Bare Facts, of every- support is a muddle.” There election campaign manager, would be reacting to propos- thing that had been said. was confusion at the time at the party’s Millbank als made by the Dearing about what the headquarters. Committee of enquiry into Journalists had already been Conservatives wished to do Higher Education, he disappointed to find them- with student grants, having In a bid to corner the student replied selves confronted with cut them by 10% for three vote, as well as to try and brochures and promotional years running. Labour has increase turnout among “On Dearing and Tuition literature, rather than since clarified the situation The aftermath: tapes and manifestos contradict one another a year after young (and mostly Labour- Fees? Our proposals only answers to hard questions. by abolishing them Labour’s Student News Conference. voting) students, the party’s relate to maintainence sup- Mr Mandelson spent nearly altogether. International Exhibition goes down a treat Each society presented their Secretary on all the hard Justin Beavis country, with information, work that they put in and pictures, artefacts and ulti- agreed that it had to be the It’s March 1998, and once mately, wonderful cultural best ever. again we are in the middle cuisine. A superb evening was had of the famous Surrey There was a spectacular by all, especially delegates International Week. On attendance of people to view from the International Tuesday evening numerous the flamboyant displays and Office, who seemed to par- festivities occupied the main President Nevin ‘Bob’ ticularly enjoy the special Union with displays from all Moledina commended the Greek Ouzo on display. the Overseas’ societies. Visitors at Tuesday night’s International exhibition risk the special Norwegian alcohol samples. Photo: Mary Elizabeth Phillips societies and Overseas News 1 n Features 3 n Letters 4 n Music 6 n Entertainments Guide 7 . Cinema and Arts 8 n Union News 9 n Notices & Personals 9 n Sport 12 . ed980312.qxd 21/04/98 15:55 Page 2 (1,1) 2 News Thursday 12th March 1998 n News in Brief Duke visits James Buller’s Murder victims memorial vandalised Students Union for the The memorial for Stephen Lawrence, the and covered in white paint by vandals, 18yr old black teenager murdered in a racist police said. The murder remains unsolved. first time in a attack, has been defaced. The plaque at the while Eltham bus stop where he died was chipped MPs to vote on Minimum Wage HRH the Duke of Kent, the University Chancellor, vis- The National Minimum Wage Bill will have part of a range of policies which aim to ited the Students’ Union it third reading this week in the House of achieve high and stable levels of growth and last Friday, for the first time Commons this week. Next the House of employment. Together with tax and benefit in years. Some estimates Lords will have its say, but it seems the bill reform, it can promote work incentives and suggested that his last visit will soon become law. Trade Minister Ian form part of a strategy to ‘make work pay’.” was in 1976. He enjoyed a McCartney said: “The minimum wage is display put on by student clubs and societies, and Titanic the movie in 3D even inspected the arma- ments of the Paintball A 14 minute, 3D film showing the wreck of new grey 3D glasses, to create the effect of Society (right). the Titanic has been made by submariner protruding girders and stalactites of rust. Emory Kristof. He said “I wanted the audi- Kristof also helped director James Cameron Fears for his security were ence to experience the Titanic like I have, make his movie, “Titanic” which has high, and his guard dou- without having cold water drip down their become the biggest grossing film of all bled, amid concerns that the backs.” The film uses polarised light and time. authors of the ‘Naked Truth’ were going to attack HRH the Duke of Kent during his visit to the Students’ Union on Friday Photo: Matt Pannell Hackers get in by the Windows him. Hundreds of US computer networks crashed defence networks were all affected although last week after a “bug” was released via the no data was lost or stolen. Microsoft has Sordid goings-on in Students internet. Computers using Windows NT provided a patch to protect computers from received bogus data from the net and the vindictive hacker in future. crashed trying to process it. NASA and US Union Drag Strip Crime never pays who can’t remember, here is what you Steven Alexander staff on the welfare stand at the exhibition noticed last November’s use-by date on the looked like. set up for the Duke of Kent’s historic visit packets. Student Affairs Officer Sam Friday Night Out’s are world renowned for to the Student’s Union on Friday found that Birmingham said “it just shows that crime their audacity and perversity. But last about 140 condoms had been stolen from doesn’t pay”. Friday, the students surpassed themselves in the display. The fast-acting thief had not a never before seen display of lechery. If you missed Chancellor’s Bar because you were busy plucking up the courage to put your fake breasts and beards on, then you missed a treat. A lovely young lady and a Guernsey boy cavorted about like pixies on the jive. If you were there, the chances are you were with Union Security, whose pres- ence was appreciated, even if there were quite a lot of them. Drag Night was also a terrifying success, where a vast array of ‘incorrectly’ dressed students danced the night away in true FNO fashion. For those ed980312.qxd 21/04/98 15:56 Page 3 (1,1) n Thursday 12th March 1998 News 3 Where was Surrey Serbs continue on Wednesday? strikes against What has to be looked at is did the shut Albanians Marcus Mayers down around the country have any effect on Students’ Union the powers that be? What else could we do was over, journalists who traveled to Prekaz External Affairs Officer which would generate more publicity to our James Buller cause? And do the general body of students tell of marksmen still concealed in the care? I look forward to your replies. undergrowth. It is also believed that four The Serb village of Prekaz lies eerily desert- Apparently last week saw the shut down of other villages nearby are still under siege. ed after three days of “anti terrorist” oper- Universities around the country with stu- Representatives of the countries involved in tions by Serbian police. Hundreds of spent dents boycotting lectures. This momentous the UN peace keeping force met this week cartridge cases litter the road. Their spent occasion made at least page six of the to discuss the situation. German foreign AK 47 bullets buried in the walls of numer- Independent. The occasion also caused the minister Klaus Kinkel said they were deter- ous burnt out houses, already blasted by usual problems of millions of commuters mined to prevent “another awful conflagra- artillery shells. being stranded at home for the day and all tion in Europe.” Madeleine Albright the US those normal strike related problems. Or did Secretary of state lobbied for the 6 countries The targets of this onslaught, were the mili- it? On reflection what exactly did happen on to commit more troops to stop the situation tant Albanian Jashari family.