(no subject)
Today was freshers fair - freshers fair is an occasion where lots of societies to come together to try and get you to go to their various groups.
Groups I joined today:
krishna consciousness society - I don't know quite how this happened. I spoke to the nice lady , (she had cake, it was lovely) and mentioned how I liked some of the krishna chants. She said she could give me a book if I gave her a few pounds so I gave her a few pounds only to learn that it covered my admittance to their group! Before you know it a sign up sheet is thrust into my hands by the well intentioned lady and I find myself, a socialist, part of a religious student group: troubling. She did give me free incense though.
lgbt society - I actually recognized the guy from this society - he graces the pages of gaydar.co.uk and outintheuk.com I think. The guy from the stall had the motionless air of carelessness that students seem to affect so well; talking into the distance, he gave a perfunctory speech on something I can't quite remember. Pointing at the various leaflets as he gave his speech as though to suggest that I should try and navigate the array of condoms and hate-crime propaganda to make my own conclusions.
rock society - it was at this stall that I talked to the lady from the rock society, she hinted at the inclusions of both indie and punk in her rock society - I look forward to the club night at which I will presumably hear Crass's "penis envy" followed by Bis's "kandy pop".
Groups I didn't join today:
socialist party - I didn't join this group. I had a lovely discussion about left politics and told him I was a socialist, as I am. I don't take joining political student groups lightly (not as lightly as I do joining religious student groups, obviously) but I did follow my talk by attending the meeting held later on the Iraq war. I made a few awkward comments: one about religious militants not reflecting the iraqi working class and another on the contradiction between reformism and revolution. I'm told that joining this society won't make me a member of the socialist party (who used to be 'militant tendency') so I imagine I will join eventually.
conservative party - It was here that I had a nice chat with my local Tory MP. My local mp looks a bit like Harold Shipman's nicer brother; the one who, instead of bumping off old ladies decided to enter the fascinating world of party politics. With his big brown beard, the small eyes that hind behind bold rimmed brown specs and his large stomach he really did remind me of Arold'. Unsurprisingly his huge stomach wasn't the only thing separating the two of us, and I had to ask him what he thought about the Tory student loan policy being condemned by both student AND lecturer unions. His replies was that he "honestly" didn't know very much about that at all, which was a little disappointing considering he had leaflets advocating it on his table. (The other tory didn't know anything about it either, the one who told me to ask the MP). We talked a bit - he hinted at an eternal crises that is ripping apart the tory party... ("and I shouldn't really tell you this").. the question of Conservative party identity - who are the conservative party? And should they be more right wing? He also told me, in rather menacing tones, how in his constituency it is the poorest that support the policies he knows nothing about. I nodded trying to absorb the information for later (mis)use.
Groups I joined today:
krishna consciousness society - I don't know quite how this happened. I spoke to the nice lady , (she had cake, it was lovely) and mentioned how I liked some of the krishna chants. She said she could give me a book if I gave her a few pounds so I gave her a few pounds only to learn that it covered my admittance to their group! Before you know it a sign up sheet is thrust into my hands by the well intentioned lady and I find myself, a socialist, part of a religious student group: troubling. She did give me free incense though.
lgbt society - I actually recognized the guy from this society - he graces the pages of gaydar.co.uk and outintheuk.com I think. The guy from the stall had the motionless air of carelessness that students seem to affect so well; talking into the distance, he gave a perfunctory speech on something I can't quite remember. Pointing at the various leaflets as he gave his speech as though to suggest that I should try and navigate the array of condoms and hate-crime propaganda to make my own conclusions.
rock society - it was at this stall that I talked to the lady from the rock society, she hinted at the inclusions of both indie and punk in her rock society - I look forward to the club night at which I will presumably hear Crass's "penis envy" followed by Bis's "kandy pop".
Groups I didn't join today:
socialist party - I didn't join this group. I had a lovely discussion about left politics and told him I was a socialist, as I am. I don't take joining political student groups lightly (not as lightly as I do joining religious student groups, obviously) but I did follow my talk by attending the meeting held later on the Iraq war. I made a few awkward comments: one about religious militants not reflecting the iraqi working class and another on the contradiction between reformism and revolution. I'm told that joining this society won't make me a member of the socialist party (who used to be 'militant tendency') so I imagine I will join eventually.
conservative party - It was here that I had a nice chat with my local Tory MP. My local mp looks a bit like Harold Shipman's nicer brother; the one who, instead of bumping off old ladies decided to enter the fascinating world of party politics. With his big brown beard, the small eyes that hind behind bold rimmed brown specs and his large stomach he really did remind me of Arold'. Unsurprisingly his huge stomach wasn't the only thing separating the two of us, and I had to ask him what he thought about the Tory student loan policy being condemned by both student AND lecturer unions. His replies was that he "honestly" didn't know very much about that at all, which was a little disappointing considering he had leaflets advocating it on his table. (The other tory didn't know anything about it either, the one who told me to ask the MP). We talked a bit - he hinted at an eternal crises that is ripping apart the tory party... ("and I shouldn't really tell you this").. the question of Conservative party identity - who are the conservative party? And should they be more right wing? He also told me, in rather menacing tones, how in his constituency it is the poorest that support the policies he knows nothing about. I nodded trying to absorb the information for later (mis)use.