There were many things that concerned me about the recent Black students’ conference, but for the sake of maintaining unity within the campaign, I decided to remain silent. That was until I was mentioned by name in Ruqayyah’s recent officer blog entry. http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/ruqayyahcollector/275557.aspx

Her central argument is that an alleged alliance between my campaign team for Black students officer and Salimas was an “attempt to subordinate this struggle (for black representation) to narrow self-interest” and that it must be “vigorously challenged by those who believe in Black self-organisation”.

Ruqayyah is apart of the “Student Broad Left,” a front for the secretive Socialist Action. Their control of the campaign runs so deep that they are able to make themselves out to “be” the campaign as opposed to merely being in “control” of it.

Ruqayyahs arguments centre around two issues. One that student Respect had an alliance with the Organised Independent’s and two I am a “fellow traveler” of the SWP. The Broad Left has always resorted to smears when it benefits them. If there is something wrong with the way the campaign is run, it is not correct to accuse people of being against Black Self-organisation – we need to address the real political differences.

I think it is pertinent to state that I am not and never have been a member of the SWP. Student Respect (SR) is a coalition of different groups and independent members around principled leftwing politics. I consider myself as an independent member.

I work with the SWP in SR because of their commitment to anti-racism and liberation. A minority of my campaign team were in the SWP. Many including Hind, Yousuf, Malaika and Bonolo are high profile independents. I have always been clear about my political affiliations. However the same cannot be said about Ruqayyah who fails to mention she is a member of Respect Renewal, despite her face been plastered all over the Respect Renewal newspaper. It should also be noted that she failed to mention that she is part of Socialist Action, an organisation that was run out of Ken Livingstons office.

The Broad Left labels people who are not a part of their organisation as against ‘black self organisation’ in an attempt to maintain control of the campaign. Ruqayyah cannot even be taken seriously on who she considers to be ‘left wing’ after her failure to take a clear stand against the governance review, arguing that the campaign to save NUS democracy should be subordinate to her own failed campaign for president. She set up a meeting right before the crucial vote, at NUS conference, in a bar, when she should have been outside speaking to delegates convincing them to vote against the review. Ruqayyah spent her time preaching to the converted. Ruqqayah and Student Broad left have a very poor record of standing up for principled leftwing politics.

The sectarian politics even permeated through to the issue of Palestine. Ruqayyah was actively involved in telling students not to attend Action Palestine conferences because it wasn’t headed by her own faction. Ruqayyah has failed to engage in any debate on Palestine at annual conference or at NEC meetings, rather she pretends her phone is ringing and walks out. So much for Palestine.

I was on the streets campaigning for Salma Yaqoob when she stood for Councilor and said I would campaign for her again if she decided to re-stand or stand for MP. I do not recall Ruqayyah on the streets of Birmingham.

There never was an alliance between my campaigns team and salima’s. Student Respects line was to transfer to Bell despite Ruqqayahs undemocratic methods.
However we decided to let delegates choose for themselves between the corrupt Broad Left and Salima. That hardly amounts to an alliance.

I think it is hypocritical of Ruqayyah to throw around the word corruption. Especially since the manner in which she ran the campaign has been so corrupt. We can no longer remain publicly uncritical of the way the Broad left have run our campaign:

• Black Students campaign money has been used to pay for students to come to National Black Students Alliance (NBSA) meetings. NBSA holds a joint summer school with the Broad Left.
• Even after the close of delegate registrations, Ruqqayyah still bullied Union Presidents and or General managers to change the delegate to one of Bell supporters. In one case changing the delegate at London Met to Bell’s mum!
• The delegates from the Black Students women’s day, an event set up outside the NUS, were sent an email by Bell, asking for their support in her election. A clear abuse of position, in using delegate information to profile for a candidate.
• Bell has not been a student since December but enrolled onto a course at a college just so she was eligible to stand for officer.
• The chair of steering (and Broad left member) Pav attempted to give each person in a job share one vote. So you could, theoretically, have up to 4 extra votes per elected position!
• The head of steerings also inserted an extra round of speeches on motions and amendments, even when no one was speaking against the motion. This was simply to give their candidate further profile.
• Ruqqayah and Pav tried to control the delegate list for conference and keep NUS staff from registering delegates. So to allow them to register their own delegates at places like SOAS over the heads of both the Union and the democratically elected delegate.
• Bell “co-edited” the Black students’ handbook, (even though it is almost identical to the previous year). None of the other committee members were consulted or given the opportunity.
• Bell’s email was put on the NUS website for Black Students’ campaign events, not the NUS events email which is the correct procedure.
• There was a coach paid for by the Black Students Campaign to bring delegates to conference from London. Committee members that were supporting me or Salima were not made aware of the coach then blocked from coming on it. Most of the people on the coach were not delegates, it was, simply, a Bell campaign bus, paid for by the Black Students campaign. There was ample space on the bus, just not for the opposition.
• the broad left supported a job-share for mature students rep with a pro-governance review candidate and one who said he would vote for the BNP.
• There was a coordinated conceited effort to have Bell’s campaign seem synonymous with the Black Students campaign. Bell's campaign, including her t-shirt, had a purple colour scheme which was the same colour as the distributed folders and balloons used at the conference. Many black students were left astounded that Chair of steering Pav Akhtar proceeded to distribute purple balloons to delegates and observers during the dinner on the night before the election. Pav (head of steerings) was also actively campaigning for Bell
• The entertainment was used as a further platform to profile Bell with performers unashamedly holding up bell T-shirts on stage.

There is a long list of things that I could mention, but the examples above are enough to display the corruption that is systemic within the Broad Left/Socialist Action.

We should not let Ruqayyah and her cohorts use the veneer of Black representation and self-organisation to justify the actions of the Broad left. I ran a campaign based on political principles, not on trying to get my mates and as many of my relatives to the conference. If it was possible, Ruqayyah would make her pet cat a delegate.

Unity in the Black Students’ campaign should not be defined with those that are with the Broad left and those that are against. It should be on a real grass roots and representative campaign.

The Struggle for Black representation continues, it is just a shame that the Broad left’s undemocractic methods continue to stop the NUS Black students campaign developing into the campaign it deserves to be.

We should not just limit ourselves to electoral politics, real campaigning takes place everyday across university campuses and looks at the real issues affecting people across the world; imperialism.

I have a proud history of campaigning and not just paying lip service to the issues. I stand up and speak out, write my own emails, speeches and run my own campaigns.

I wish Ruqayyah all the best for the future and hope she finds employment, I know it will be difficult with Ken Livingston not being in office anymore, but I’m sure Pav Akhtar can sort her out with a job at UNISON. I hear that is how things roll in the world of Socialist Action.