Wes Streeting for National President

Wes Streeting has been elected as NUS National President for 2008/9, with one of the largest victories for a non-incumbant for some time.

Wes was elected in the fourth round with 496 votes out of 962. Ciarán Norris came second with 376 votes in the final round.

The press release from NUS is reproduced below.

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WES STREETING WINS CONVINCING VICTORY IN NUS ELECTION

Wednesday 2 April 2008
Wes Streeting was elected as the National Union of Students’ new National President at the organisation’s Annual Conference today, with delegates giving him a clear mandate to fight more effectively for students’ rights in the run up to the 2009 review of higher education funding.

Streeting, who is the current NUS Vice President for Education, beat nearest rival Ciaran Norris by 120 votes in the last round. He also saw proposals by the current NUS leadership on higher education funding passed by an overwhelming majority - meaning that the union can now throw off the shackles of its previous refusal to engage constrictively on tuition fees.

Following his election, Wes Streeting said:

“In an uncertain time for further and higher education, students can be certain of one thing: that I will be relentless in pressing home our fight to defend and extend their rights. From challenging the disastrous market in fees and student finance, to ensuring an education system that is accessible for all, the scale of my victory provides a strong mandate from our membership for an NUS focused on changing students’ lives for the better.

“NUS is changing almost as rapidly as the student population. I will lead a national union that fights for the rights of all its members as NUS’ campaigner-in-chief. We know that part-time, mature, postgraduate and international students can all too easily fall under the radar, which is why I will put them at the forefront of my agenda for a representative and relevant NUS.

“I want to pay tribute to the bold and courageous leadership of my predecessor Gemma Tumelty. Thanks to her, I inherit a stronger National Union and a momentum for further renewal of NUS that will continue to gather pace in the weeks and months ahead.”

With less than two weeks to go until the crucial vote on the future of NUS’ governance, National President Gemma Tumelty has issued a new video calling on delegates to choose change by voting yes to the ratification of the new constitution and yes to the new schedules.

At an Extraordinary Conference in December, an unprecedented 900 delegates attended and voted, by more than the 2/3 majority required, to back the review.

Wes says: “I am the only candidate for National President who has both fed into the new proposals and given them unqualified backing. It is telling that of a National Executive of 27 politically diverse people, 19 voted to support the changes.

These changes have the support of the majority of our membership, the NUS Disabled Students, LGBT and Women’s Campaign (whose conference recently voted to defeat the policy passed by the NUS Women’s Committee), as well as student officers from  both the FE and HE sectors. They are crucial to the long term success and short term survival of our National Union and that’s why I will be supporting them once again at Annual Conference.”

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CHANGES

DOWNLOAD GEMMA TUMELTY’S VIDEO MESSAGE