becoming more apparent daily:
that they plan to chop, students at London Polytechnics by 60 per cent.
target for 1981/2 by 40,000.
A further teacher scheduled to close.
In the face of these savage attacks, the Broad Left dominated National Union of Students Executive is actually scaling down its protests. Two weeks Executive announced that it had decided to call off this term's grant demonstration because 'an NUS sponsored action against the cuts, held at a time wnen ine trade union leaders have no national actions planned, would split students off from their allies.
Fortunately not all students are holding off their protests until the rade union cacers act. otuachis du Central London Polytechnic have occupied their colege in opposItion to the ILEA proposals on overseas students. while students at Middlesex Poly have called two conferences: one on 12 February on the campaign against overseas students fees increase. and one on 13 February which aims 'to ensute that those in support of socialisi policies are adequately represented in the elections at the forthcoming national conference and in future The effects of the cut-backs in educational spending are * A recent survey of local government plans has shown in just eight districts, 1,000 discretionary awards for students on non-degree courses. * The Inner London Education Authority is trying to push through measures which will cut the number of overseas * The government has again reduced its student number training colleges have been campaigns and conferences Explaining the thinking behind this second conference, Middlesex student union president lan Cunningham said, at tne ference we had a lot of support from other colleges because of our occupation on overseas student fees, and because our DOLLOICS challenged the direction the NUS leaders are taking the union. Our biggest problem WES weren't organised.
Students last week occupied the university tele phone exchange in protest at the refusal of local authorities to in crease the fees they pay to maintain union facilities in step with inflation.
As on the NUS Executive, the attitude of the Broad Left and Communist Party SUD DOELCIS Manchester shows a lack of enthusiasm for the struggle: at last Wednesday's mass meeting they split three ways in the crucial vole - for, against, abstain.
The solitary action the NUS leadership has taken is to call its own conterence on une rees cam paign for 29 January. But the con terence was so late in being calico and so little information went out to tne stuccur umons unar i canno be seen as a serious initiative. Of course student unions should sup port it, but top priority should be attenome conterences -SCHe duled at Middlesex. (Messages of support for the Manchester occu pation can be sent to: Manchester University, Student Union, Oxford Road, Manchester 15 (tel: 061-273 5111.) University by A STRIKE at Birmingham members Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs is now in its tenth week. The strike is over the university's refusal to honour a national holiday agreement negotiated in 1974 which gave the technicians an extra five days holiday. According to ASTMS national officer, Reg Bird, the 24 hour picket of the University has ensured they have no oil, and coal stocks are almost exhausted".
Inside the university, the Federation of Conservative Students leadersmip in ine student union is behaving predictably. After the union had voted to support the strikers, the FCS is now campaigning to have this decision re versed, because it is not in the interests of the guild to suppor either side. Yet clearly the attack on the ASTMS technicians is part of a more general attempi by the university authorities to cut back spending. . They are also attempting to close down the canteen earie and cut staff wages; so, whether in