Students at University College London (UCL) have banned military recruitment at their freshers’ fair and on Union premises.
The Students’ Union at UCL passed the motion attacking the government for “waging an aggressive war overseas” in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The ban at UCL comes after Goldsmiths and the London School of Economics passed similar motions.
The motion, which passed with a majority of 80 votes to 50, stated: “This Union believes that because the British military under the Labour Government is currently engaged in an aggressive war overseas, for the Union to use its resources to encourage students to join the military or participate in military recruitment activities at this time would give political and material support for the war.”
Much to the dismay of university management, the Union have also prohibited the military from having a recruitment stand at the Freshers’ Fair and are calling for all links with the military to be severed.
The Union have stressed that the ban only applies to Union premises and events but does not affect the main UCL campus.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) described the ban as “deeply disappointing”.
A spokesperson for the MOD said: “Universities play a very important role in raising awareness amongst young people about the important work the armed forces do and we enjoy a good relationship with most universities.”
Cardiff University Students’ Union (CUSU) have not imposed a ban on military recruitment at their freshers’ fair.
Union President Jonny Cox has stated that there are no current plans to ban military recruitment and activities at CUSU.
He said: “They provide a great opportunity for our students’ personal development and to ban them would be taking this opportunity away from them.”
Cox added that a future ban would ultimately be up to students to decide.
He concluded: “If anyone wants to ban the armed forces from Freshers’
Week they need to come to Student Council with a motion to do so.”
1. gertrude von fluffy
“WE should support out troops”
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of course we should, support them dropping bombs on children
“If its in someones self interest they should join”
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Of course, self interest is the over riding factor
“We’re old enough to make our own decisions”
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WE might be but children from the poorest welsh schoold aren’t- stop operation Dragons tooth now!
“It can make a real difference to one perception”
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Yes, an AK 465 up[ your arse really does make a difference to your perception- once your eyes have stopped watering.
anyone interested in stopping this outrageous Army recruitment in Cardiff Uni, pleas econtact me on republicancomment@hush.com, chris
2. Mark
There’s nothing wrong with recruiting from schools within the poorer areas of the country, Chris, for many the Armed Forces provide an opportunity to travel the world and to learn new skills. For many taking the Queen’s Shilling is the most viable career option, it certainly beats unskilled menial labouring, factory or shop work or signing on. Besides the under 18s can’t join the Armed Forces without parental consent and for 18 year olds and older then they’re fully grown adults who, if they join the Forces, have done so willingly.
The way you go on about it Chris an outsider would think that the British Army is running round Wales pressing ganging people to join up or that HM Forces are conscripts.
By the way, what’s an AK 465?
3. Abdul-Azim
“There’s nothing wrong with recruiting from schools within the poorer areas of the country”
But recruiting in middle-class/wealthier areas is a problem?
Great quote, though slightly disturbing.
4. Jon
““There’s nothing wrong with recruiting from schools within the poorer areas of the country”
But recruiting in middle-class/wealthier areas is a problem?
Great quote, though slightly disturbing.”
You’ve taken what Mark said out of context, I think. He wasn’t saying that you shouldn’t recruit from wealthier areas, but responding to a comment from Chris about recruitment from poorer areas being wrong.
I think this ban is rather insulting to all those men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, protect our country, and put their lives on the line to make life better for us, and for people around the world. You might be against the war, but it wasn’t the Army’s decision to go to war, but the decision of the government. Since the Armed Forces provide a route for skills training, character building, belonging and opportunity to travel, it is a career that a lot of people want to take, and sometimes in particular from poorer parts of the country. The ban is a petty thing from Leftists, and another example to support Mark’s assertion that the anti-war movement is a bunch of naive students jumping on the bandwagon.
5. Mark
Thanks, Jon. You’re correct, I was taken out of context.
For the record I have nothing against HM Forces recruiting from wealthier areas, the Armed Forces have always locked to the professional middle classes to fill the ranks of professional trades in the Services, medics, engineers, police officers, lawyers and so forth while the upper and upper middle classes have traditionally filled the Officer Corps of the Forces, such as a certain 2nd Lt Wales.
6. ratslinger
Are recruiters for islamic jihadi groups to be banned from recruiting at uni too – or are they the ‘right kind of aggressors’?
Only at a leftist UK university could a legitimate major employer and the defender of our country be banned at the self same time that islamofascists are invited to give incediary anti-british anti-democratic anti-western pro-jihadist speeches and recruit confused and vulnerable youngsters to their violent treacherous islamofascist crusade.
As if some loony lefty students and their dinosaur socialist ‘teachers’ will make a jot of difference to anything anyway.
7. Thomas Carroll
I’m a total pacifist, but not everyone shares that view. If people want to join the army I only think it’s fair that they be given as much help in finding info on applying for a role in the army as any other student would expect for their chosen career path. People have the right to join the army whether the SU like it or not. I’d not be surprised if there is the potential for the MOD to challenge the decision to ban their recruiters on the basis of human rights.
It’s also good to remember that the army do a lot more than just fight in Iraq e.g. peacekeeping missions. Not everyone who joins is looking to “drop bombs on children”...
8. Mark
Good points, Thomas, and I think it goes some way to demonstrating that the idea behind banning the military from Universities has got nothing to with the prevailing views of students regarding British foreign policy. Rather such a policy is a result of leftist students with a political agenda to push who do not have the well-being of students in mind. Unfortunately I don’t think there are any provisions under the Human Rights Act for the MoD to sue the union in question over this matter, and it would be bad press for them if they did so, regardless if they won or not. Good point on the role of the Forces in humanitarian concerns, I think the Army is about to begin running a series of TV adds to demonstrate just that, that life in the Army isn’t just getting shot at or looking pretty outside Buck House but drilling wells, offering medical aid and peacekeeping.
Regarding pacifism Thomas I don’t think the human condition allows for complete pacifism, would you not defend yourself if your attacked unprovoked? Would you stand by and do nothing if someone you cared about was being raped? I doubt you would, I doubt anyone would. You may respond by saying that you meant in the more militaristic sense, that you do be believe in armed conflict to solve political matters, which is a noble ideological aim, if a little unrealistic, though what ideologies that look for perfection in humanity are all but unrealistic? Nonetheless, even hypothetically speaking, the line between defending oneself or someone one cares about, justly, from an unprovoked attack against unprovoked and unjustly aggression is analogous to the line that permits even the most docile of nations to order their citizens to pick up arms and defend their borders from a similar unjust and unprovoked attack, would you agree?
9. Rachel
I think a large problem is judging the role of our Armed Forces entirely on current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Whilst we may or may not agree with our presence in either country, I’d like to encourage people to consider the aims of the forces within the U.K. outside of these contexts.
The aims of the Royal Air Force are as follows:
“The Royal Air Force’s role, in conjunction with the Defence organisations, is to deliver the UK Defence Vision:
> To defend the UK and its interests.
> To strengthen international peace and stability.
> To be a force for good in the world.”
Whether or not our services have gone about this in the right way is a different issue to whether or not recruiting should be encouraged. If people want to join an organisation such as the R.A.F. for any of the above reasons, I believe that’s a positive thing. Personally I think blame for (what I see to be) mistakes made by the military, should lie with our politicians, certainly not with our troops.
10. Max Brown
I am not willing to die for my country, but I have no qualms with other people who wish to do so.