SNP Students

SNP Students (also known as the Federation of Student Nationalists) is the student wing of the Scottish National Party, representing students in Scottish higher education. It was formed in 1961 when various student organisations supportive of Scottish independence and the Scottish National Party in particular decided to join forces into a new constituent body.

SNP Students
LeaderJulia Stachurska
Deputy LeaderAbby Hastings
TreasurerDeclan Blench
Communications DirectorLloyd Melville
Founded1961
Membership5,415 (Feb 2015)[1]
IdeologyScottish independence
Mother partyScottish National Party
Websitehttp://www.snpstudents.com

Unlike Young Scots for Independence, which is the youth wing of the SNP, the group is for those in higher education and membership is not restricted by age.

The organisation has branches at most of Scotland's universities, and regularly campaigns for independence and a host of other policies across the country.

History

The organisation was formed in 1961 and key figures were Neil MacCormick and Allan Macartney who would both later become SNP members of the European Parliament.[2] By 1975 the group had around 1,500 members in Scotland.[3]

It has played an active part in the affairs of the SNP and is represented on the party's National Executive Committee, in the past with a representative position shared with the Young Scots for Independence, but now each organisation has its own representative. The SNP Students can send up to 15 delegates to the SNP Annual National Conference and 6 delegates to meetings of its National Council.

In the 2000 SNP leadership election the organisation supported Alex Neil[4] who lost to John Swinney. In the two subsequent leadership campaigns the organisation did not officially endorse any candidate.

It has informal links with Plaid Ifanc, the youth wing of Plaid Cymru. Until its September 2019 conference, it was also a part of the European Free Alliance Youth.

As of February 2015 they had a membership of 5,415 people who were at colleges and universities across Scotland.[5]

Activity

SNP Students has been very active in recent years, organising high-profile campaigns on issues such as Equal Marriage, zero-hours contracts and the stripping of charitable status from fee-paying schools.

In September 2008, during a debate at the University of Edinburgh, a student member stated that the SNP Students executive was opposed to the proposals from the SNP-led Scottish Government to raise the minimum purchase age for alcohol in off-sales from 18 to 21.[6]

In 2012, during the SNP's policy change on NATO membership of an independent Scotland, SNP Students publicly came out in favour of retaining the anti-NATO policy,[7] however at SNP conference the vote was lost despite SNP Students delegates voting against, and as a result the SNP is now pro-NATO.

At the SNP Students conference in 2015, they voted in favour of reintroducing rent controls in Scotland.[8][9]

At the SNP Students conference in September 2019, SNP Students voted to disaffiliate from the European Free Alliance Youth, citing a fundamental disagreement with the ethos of the organisation and expressing the desire to build relationships with mainstream social democratic forces in Europe instead.

Organisation

The organisation is run by a National Executive Committee (NEC) elected each year at the SNP Students' Annual Conference. The Committee currently comprises a Convener, Vice Convener, Secretary, Treasurer, Organiser, Equalities Officer and Communications Officer.

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References
  1. Burden, Louisa (20 February 2015). "Students are engaged in politics - but the system doesn't let them show it". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  2. MacCormick, Neil (26 August 1998). "Obituary: Allan Macartney". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. "Student paper pledged to fight Left". The Glasgow Herald. 21 October 1975. p. 4. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. "SNP members take sides". BBC News. 27 July 2000.
  5. Burden, Louisa (20 February 2015). "Students are engaged in politics - but the system doesn't let them show it". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. Philip, Andy (20 September 2008). "We oppose the SNP plan to raise alcohol buying age, says party's student wing". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. Whitaker, Andrew (7 August 2012). "Guerrilla campaign plotted by SNP rebels in Nato row". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  8. Armour, Robert (17 August 2015). "Rent control campaign gathers momentum". Third Force News. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. Gray, Michael (17 August 2015). "SNP students call for Scottish Government to back rent controls". Common Space. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
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