FORA BALANCED VIEW GET ALBERT IRVIN Paintings 1959-1989 ~~le~~~ Tues-Sat 10 am-5 pm Admission Free ~.. w ----~ · Subsidised by the Scottish Arts Council DAILY Glasgow Herald Student -~ N 25p guitar~*C~ * oops, +Rihen-a t tt:r a turkey page1S page22 IS' by Mark Campanile, Kirsty Clark As NUS-Scotland President and Susan Stephen Donna McKinnon appealed for calm, clashes occurred between students and police, and the TWO students were charged arrests followed. and ten others detained after The speakers from the Labour scuffles broke out at the anti­ Party, the SNP and the EIS were loans' rally outside the Scot­ drowned out by the shouts of the tish Office in Edinburgh last demonstrators, while NUS rep­ Thursday. resentatives handed over a peti­ tion to Scottish Office officials One of the demonstrators was charged with vandalism, the other containing "thousands" of signa­ tures. with breach of the peace, and reports are being sent- to the Pro­ These scenes provided the curator Fiscal. climax to a four-thousand strong Amidst angry scenes, around march by students from all over one hundred protestors scaled the Scotland - including 700 from fence surrounding the Scottish Edinburgh University- protest­ Office, dashed across the ing about the introduction of top­ forecourt, and sat down on the up loans. steps. The centre of Edinburgh was The jubilant demonstrators, briefly paralysed as students chanting "Students united will staged a five-minute sit-down pro­ never be divided", remained test stretching the length of there for about five minutes Hanover Street and blocking the before police took action. traffic on Princes Street. This pro­ Meanwhile, other students test was focused upon the TSB, surged forward to the entrance to which is one of the banks cur­ the Scottish Office car park, find­ rently negotiating with the gov­ Photo: Toby Scou ing their path blocked by a cordon ernment on the implementation A third year Law student who Peter Vandome, told Student: "It of the loans scheme. Donna McKinnon did not wish of police. · to comment on whether the sit­ does not himself receive a grant, is a strong AUT policy to support down had been planned, but she said: "I oppose· the student loans student grants and oppose the conceded that "we knew there scheme on principle. It is totally loans system. We've investigated would be a lot of student anger the unjust and it will make it difficult the way loans systems work in minute we arrived at one of the for people to go to university." other countries and are convinced banks involved with student A number of mature students they are quite unsatisfactory." loans". were also on the march: "Parents Another AUT representative, Similarly, as the march progres­ who are students won't be able... to politics lecturer Paul Smart, sed down towards Queen Street, afford to give their children a added: "I don't think demonstra­ demonstrators jeered as they pas­ proper education and they tions like this will play a major sed a branch of the Midland Bank. wouldn't be students themselves role in stopping the loans scheme. But the Clydesdale Bank, one of without the help of grants - it's The Tories are more likely to lis­ the financial institutions not yet difficult enough being a student ten to the banks than committed to the system of top-up and a parent already," one of demonstrators because they tend loans, wa.s met with loud support. them commented. to listen more to the vested Condemnation of all aspects of · Donna M<:Kinnon urged stu­ interests that they rely on for their the government's proposals was dents to register their protest to own authority." universal amongst the marchers. student loans by closing bank NALGO also expressed sol­ accounts in those banks that are idarity with the students' cause: Edinburgh University second proposing to implement the gov­ "We attack any governmentprop­ year Arts st_!ldent Jennifer Colgan ernment plans. In response, a osaJs which attack free access to expressed concern about the loss number of students destroyed education: Loans will affect stu­ of housing benefit involved in the their cash cards. dents of all ages, and they will scheme: "I'm opposed to loans The student demonstrators have a knock-on effect for our because I live in a flat and when were joined by representatives of members working at the Univer­ they take away my .housing the Edinburgh Association of sity. Students will be forced to benefit and they eventually get my University Teachers and poll tax, I'll have to camp out NALGO. TheheadoftheAUTat under the Potterrow dome!" Edinburgh University, Professor continued on page 2 Photo: Tiddy Mait/and- nuerton student 2 thursday, november 23, 1989 news Euc-APT call for ~NUS urges bank boycott I student support £7.5 million this year and when· by Mark Campanile the , plan is fully operational in and Susan Stephen 1995 it is estimated that the final running cost will be between £10.5 by News Reporter EUCAPT representative Dave first poll tax letter was received". d £14 .11. · H "I · · · bl h AS the Government an nu •on. Donohoe told Student: "The pur- e went on: t IS mev1ta e t at pose of our attendance will be to there will be hundreds of people announced details of bank The student loans company will NEXT Monday, members of exposethebarbaricnatureofboth there, but we need student sup- partiCipatiOn· · · m· t h e settmg· up result,be based thein GlasgowNUS and,national as a Edinburgh University's warrant sales and the poll tax.lt is· port." of a student loans company, demonstration on 28th November Campaign Against the Poll important that as many people Other proposed warrant sales NUS Scotland urged students is being held there. Tax will meet under Potter- · -who are against. this medieval tax in Scotland, like in Aberdeen, to boycott the banks The Royal Bank of Scotland is row dome in a bid to capture turn up to par.tlcipate. " Gl asgow an d D un d ee, h ave involved. t h e onI y Scott1s · h b ank that has so st.udent support against L?~- The warrant sale, a system already been prevented taking Education Secretary John Mac- far associated.it~elf wit_h the_loans h1an RegiOnal Council s 1 where Sheriff Officers from the place by such mass action, he said. Gregor released details of how the company ~nd 1t IS on this bas1s !hat latest poll tax initiative. council come in to take away per- The only article in the house of student loans company will work . the NUS m Scotland h_as adv1sed -The group, who are meeting at sonal goods already priced by the person concerned which has and the names of the co-operating students to t~a?sfer their accounts 10.30 am, hope to go down to an them, has been initiated for non- been priced is a stereo-cassette banks, in a written reply in the to non-participatory banks. In :area of Edinburgh called registration. recorder, worth £42. However, House of Commons last week. Scotland these are the Bank of Muirhouse to disrupt what might This particular case, Donohoe Lothian Regional Council have The banks that intend to form Scotland and the Clydesdale be the first poll tax warrant sale in told Student, "has been going on slapped on the additional £50 fine the student loans company are Bank. Scotland. for the past 11 months since the for non-registration. Barclays Midland NatWest the The NUS themselves have the1r ===--------~~----~-~--~~--------~-~-~R~~~nk~~~~.~B, ~oo~w~~R~~&~~ OXFORD given by Mr Robert Jackson. 120 Girobank Allied Irish Banks Scotland and they are seekmg a Following the huge pro-democ- I students and lecturers attended Bank of I~eland Northern Bank meeting with the bank to clarify racy demonstrations held in the talk given by the Junior Minis- and Ulster Bank': the situation. Oxford last summer concerning ter for E~ucation, but after ten If the top-up loans proposals A spokesman for t~e Royal events in Tianamen Square, the _minutes almost everyone walked reach the statute book the Gov- Bank of Scotland told Student: Chinese Embassy has been keep- out in protest against the govern- emment will sign a co~tract with "_The bank is neutral on the ques- ing a close eye on Oxford's 200 or ment's student loans proposals. the company for the administra- tiOn ~f loans -:-we don't ~ant to so Chinese students. Poor minister. tion of the scheme. The Govern- get mvolved m what might be Embassy officials organised ment will cover administrative termed a political question. official Chinese government video NORWICH costs and pay the banks a £12 "Of course_ we're_worried about . ~~h~~~ d s howmgs last term. This term, stu- Redevelopment plans are also transaction fee for each student stu ents closmg their accounts but dents were present at a meeting SUSSEX underway at the University of East loan application. we hope they will realise that all with the new government Minister Anglia. A proposal has been put The banks' agreement at this we a_ re doing_ is providing ".or Educa t•Ion at wh" IC h ' to quote Saatchi and Saatchi are io move forward for a new'• hall of resi- stages does not commit them to. tee h me1 a expertise for the govern- one student, officials said: "We in soon to promote Sussex as a uni- deuce, to be built on a large area of involvement in the scheme when ment. If the scheme does go ahead want to show you we're here, that versity ofthe '90s.