Successful militant anti-cuts and tuition fees campaign in Cambridge gives right-wing a fright

Two weeks ago Adam Booth, Militant
Student supporter and Chair of the Cambridge Marxist Discussion Group,
launched a campaign for the Presidency of Cambridge University Students
Union, on the slogan of a fighting student union committed to opposing
all cuts and fees and broadening the struggle into the wider labour
movement. After three days of polling, Adam came a close second out of
three, polling 1,300 votes to the winner’s 1,600. This was the most
votes of any militant left candidate at Cambridge University in living
memory.

After the defeat, Adam stressed that supporters must not mourn, but
organise. The campaign was enormously successful in raising the ideas of
the need to fight all cuts and to unite with workers. Adam has built a
broad campaign which will continue to lead the fight in Cambridge. His
support was significant, defying the expectations of the right wing, and
has galvanised the left. This shows the potential and need for a mass
movement – indeed, the very day after the result, Cambridge University
management has undemocratically ignored the petition in favour of an
amendment against the decision to charge the maximum £9,000 fees,
despite the petition gaining 6 times the number required. This decision
shows both the bankruptcy of the method of ‘persuading’ management
without a mass campaign, and displayed the potential for such a campaign
by immediately bringing out around 500 protestors onto the streets.

Those involved in the campaign must take inspiration from what it
achieved and set to work using the support to fight cuts in Cambridge.