20p The poverty The Smiths preview Student Drama·- • Festival in I I Glasgow ~ 27th Feb- ' 3rd March 2 THE STUDENT Thursday, 23rd February rnM News. • • News • • • News ... News. • • News ... Ne Jenkins calls for fair votes NEWS IN BRIEF The all-party campaign, an The Right Honourable offshoot of the Campaign for University links Roy Jenkins called into Electoral Reform, enjoys a broad THE UNIVERSITY OF ST RATH DHT last Wednesday as base of support. Such notable CLYDE have formed a busines figures as Conservative MP Sir Ian part of a nationwide development partnership wit Gilmore and Labour's Austin Irvine new town. The agreemen speaking tour for the Mitchell have spoken on its behalf, involves university staff from th Campaign for Fair Votes. and Mr Holme assured the Strathclyde Business Schoo audience that Cabinet members About 150 students making an efficiency study of 1 Jim Prior and Peter Walker are Irvine companies, plus a genera turned up to listen, close supporters of PR . appraisal of lrvine's industry. among them Fiona ,: The ultimate aim of the 5 campaign is of course to change Murray who reports on Library in danger .a our electoral system. Meanwhile the meeting. ;:l they are in the process of CONTRARY TO WHAT you mlg Ro y Jenkins , ex- Home ~ collecting one million signatures have thought, the KB Cen Secretary and Chancellor of the o to a petition calling for a Library has not been saved. At t Exchequer, now SDP MP, had U: referendum on PR . very moment Its position Is on come to convince us of the evils of ,s The chances of Mrs Thatcher again being reviewed. There our present electoral system and o granting such a referendum, and also no plans to set up a cent, the vi rtues of Proportion al ,g thus endangering h e r own Science library. Representation (PR). o.. political security, are slim. But the Mr Jenkins proclaimed there Ohl This Is Interesting members of the campaign are was "a powerful and obvious case Alliance". Although he predicted coalition governments. He said certainly not naive enough to Cash for books against the present electoral si milar problems for the Labour that a political system based on expect instan t result s. R oy system", which he then proceeded Party in Chesterfield - this, negotiation rather than con­ Jenkins was extremely hopeful of THE UNIVERSITY HAS decided t to put. however, remains to be seen. frontation was far more desirable, obtain ing PR within the decade. give the library at George Squar The "first past the post" system Mr Jenkins emphasised how the putting an end to the "childish ego The mood of the meeting was an additional £40,000 grant i came under heavy attack as he present system had resulted in the trips" of MPs. one of subdued interest. The lack recognition of the rising cost o accused it of being unfair, un­ country being sharply divided Mr Holme was a precise and of aggressive questioning from the books. Faculty Libraries in genera representative and damaging to between the 'Blue South' and the convincing speaker, clarifying audience was disappointing and are to receive most of the extr the country. ' Red North . Th is, he said, some of Roy Jenkins' more suggested that Roy Jenkins was cash rather than any specific Not surprisingly the plight of the damaged the country's social and rambling replies to questions from preaching to the converted. project. Alliance was much in evidence. Mr geographic cohesion, with the floor. T his points to the campaign's Jenkins illustrated the iniquities Conservative MPs having little One member of the audience greatest threat, perhaps, that is a Survey scuppered ot tne present system, showing experience of the areas of greatest urged Mr Jenkins to work on his failure to draw its opponents into that in the 1983 General Election it hardship, whilst Labour MPs colleagues on the Scottish Grand the debate. 200 COPIES OF an NUS Dr took on average 36,000 votes to lacked knowledge of the particular Committee to convince them of T o achieve deserved success Abuse Survey were dlstrlbut elect a Tory MP, 40,000 votes for a problems of the South East of the need for PR. Mr Jenkins the campaign must put the issue of around the University before I Labour MP and 34,000 votes to England and the Suburbs. thanked him for the suggestion " fair votes" to the top of the Education Research Commit! elect an Alliance MP. Richard Holme, Director of the but was pessimistic as to the political agenda and capture the decided It was a poor survey. T Naturally he was aggrieved that Campaign for Fair Vot~s . likelihood of convincing h is imagination of the public which it SRC Executive has agreed the " wild blade of the electoral continued this theme in answer to mainly Labour colleagues, sadly failed to do last Wednesday. withdraw It even though It was n system", as he put it, " cut only the a question on the dangers od although he promised to try. really the committee's place to s whether the survey's metho were good or not. Inter­ Scottish universities Tik-Tok flop PUNTERS AT THE Tik and T concert in Chambers Street Uni on Saturday night were n national try the hard sell amused when the musical tw some performed only tw Scotland's eight univer- learning (universities for 400 lush green lawns. While the numbers - both of them mimed t ·t· f · ter language used is inevitably very a record. Demands for " mor week sities have teamed up to years ) ; t h e t ra d, ,on o in - This year the SRC's Inter­ nationalism ("the flow of students positive and upbeat - particularly were firmly rebuffed, as we national Week will be held from produce a glossy, tourist- and scholars to and from regarding problem areas such as requests for some robot-dancin 27th February to 4th March. The style promotional bro- Scotland"); the tradition of accommodation in Edinburgh - which is no longer part of their a week will be combining cultural chure in an attempt to practicality("theScottishdes1reto the brochure is on the whole fair it seems. and political events in such a way put practical use before and informative. persuade more Overseas theoretical explanation" ) and the Other British universities have as to place stress on international Media lies affairs of importance today. students to study here. tradition of excellence ("a alreadymountedsimilarrecruiting The events will include talks The brochure, entitled Study ,n reputation for quality and drivesintheMiddleEastandNorth KEN SHOJI, SENIOR President I from various speakers on topics Scotland, is being mailed to over thoroughness of teaching and America. Scottish universities are to write yet another letter o th th ranging from the role of the 1,500 addresses worldwide, such research") . hoping at eir new global complaint, this time about tw Catholic Church in South America as universities, colleges and Much of the brochure is taken initiative will go some way towards articles which appeared In th to the life of Australian Aborigines. Ministries of Education. Both the up with detailed descriptions of restoring the drop of 500 overseas NUS newpaper. One, on th There will also be a Real Aid British Council and the Scottish the individual universities , students they have suffered since subject of the recent NU d ·th f t ·e t res the early 1980s. Game, in which people are invited Development Agency have agreed illustrate w1 requen p1 u James Meek affiliation referendum, accus to participate and discover if they to help with distribution. In all, _o_f_s_t_u_d_e_n_t _su_n_n_i_n_g_t_h_e_m_s_e_lv_e_s_o_n____________ _ _ _ the SRC Executive of letting th alone can solve the world's 40,000 copies are to be printed. campaign get out of hand In favo problems! Universities saw a sharp fall in ot the no-side. The other, on th Various films will be shown in their annual intake of overseas Socialist Workers Student the Pleasance, including "The students in the early 1980s. One of Society, falsely reported that th NHS goes mobile SRC Executive had banned th Three Brothers" ( directed by the first acts of the new Francesco Rossi) and "The War Conservative government in 1979 The Labour Party's campaign to with home helps. latter body for two years. Game" . was the introduction of "economic save the National Health Service " In the longer term, this The major musical event will be tuition fees" for overseas students, I came to George Square for two government's policy of encourag­ School left Carmel in Teviot, but there wllalso which meant that they faced a I hours last Friday in the shape of an ing private practice through be an International Party in huge increase in costs. Now, for ambulance with a loudspeaker concessions and other induce­ hanging Potterrow on Saturday night, with example, the annual tuition fees and a video. Edinburgh Univer­ ments to private enterprise needs THE UNIVERSITY GRAN Reggae disco, Latin American for a British or EEC under­ sity's Labour Club had requested to be exposed. This is a policy COUNCIL have delayed making music and dancing and jazz. graduate studying medicine are , that the NHS ambulance - a taking us step by step down the decision about H e riot-Watt On Saturday, during the day, £480; their overseas counterpart publicity gimmick - should stop road to a two-tiered system of School of Pharmacy until Mar there will be an International would have to pay £7,500. in the University area during Its health care - private for the 22nd. They claim the departme Societies Fair held in the One result has been a loss of day in Edinburgh.