This week has been an eventful one here at UCLan Students’ Union and we haven’t participated in the national day of protest which took place last Wednesday.

As well as many other activities, this week has seen UCLan Students’ Union organise an event in Burnley for Friday 26^th November. Here we are encouraging all Burnley students and members of Gordon Birtwistle’s constituency, to attend his surgery and demand he sticks to his pledge to vote against a rise in tuition fees. We have also organised a peaceful protest to take place outside the surgery with the approval of Lancashire Constabulary and the venue hosting the surgery.

Since this was confirmed, boy has my week got busy!

To begin with I received a phone call from a very irate and flustered parliamentary office who claimed my actions in organising the above were ‘childish’ and ‘immature’. Not only that but it was also stated that ‘when you work in the real world you will find out you cannot just turn up anywhere and protest.’

Subsequently I have filed a letter to the MP’s office and regional news desks around Lancashire reminding them that we live in a democracy, where the ability to protest is a legal right. Not only this but I currently pay £1776 a year in tax and therefore am more than aware that I do currently work in the real world.

Today in particular has seen the call log on my mobile increase spectacularly with the regional media, TV, radio and print all wishing to discuss UCLan’s Students’ Union plan of action. I have appeared on BBC Lancashire radio (‎2:27 http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/p00c6x8x/), as well as Rock FM and answered many phone calls from numerous local papers. Further to this, I have replied to a factually incorrect press release from Gordon Birtwistle’s office in which he states:

(i) I have refused to meet with him.

(ii) That properly arranged meetings are the way forward.

(iii) He has apologised to his constituency in case there is any disruption to the surgery.

Well,

(i)  I have meet with Mr Birtwistle twice already and welcome any approach from his office to talk to UCLan students at Burnley, which currently I will add, has not occurred and there are no plans for this in the future.

(ii) His desire to hold any sort of prearranged meeting I believe is a party tactic to keep the discussion behind closed doors and out of the public eye. Gordon won the Burnley seat by just over a 1000 votes, it is a swing seat and as he is new to the MP political limelight, he wishes for only the good press he is receiving about fighting the closure of a local children’s ward (and so he should), to dominate the press and not his weak stance on a public promise he made to the entire of his constituency, which includes hundreds of students and their families!

(iii) I can assure Mr Birtwistle that our plans are to ensure we peacefully protest and attend the surgery. Ensure we keep access to the building clear while not obstructing any member of the public in carrying out their daily business. We are there to deliver a message that we expect him to stick by his pledge, honour his duty as an MP to his constituency and vote against the proposals, demanding the Government takes time to look at alternatives.

Some of you might be asking why Burnley and not Preston? The simple answer to that is your Student Affairs Committee have been hard at work and already secured a commitment from Preston MP Mark Hendrick that he will vote against any increase in fees and stick to his pledge. Secondly the University is not currently the target and therefore staging walk outs/sit ins only disadvantages the students who risk missing out on crucial contact hours and precious course material. Finally we are using our time and resources to support the membership in Burnley, of which there are nearly 1000 UCLan students the Union has a duty to.

For now, I am off after another 12 hour day but leave you with this thought….If you signed a credit card cheque 8 months ago and then decided you didn’t want to pay for it today…would the bank let you off?