Protest - Ruskin Style

Colleagues,

I have been working at Ruskin this weekend and have been fortunate enough to spend some time reviewing historical documents from Ruskin's history.

A great source of pride to me as an ex-student and now teacher here is that the tradition and legacy of student confidence and assertiveness, sometimes leading to conflict with College leaders (and others), is resonant all the the way though the College's history.

Of course, it should come as no suprise that if you bring together a room full of hardened trade union and political activists - even without the alcohol - you are asking for trouble.

I am particularly impressed with the many acts of rebellion seen during our two years in Oxford. Although we didn't seem to give the Principal at the time (Stephen Yeo) much grief (although he ceraintly believes that I did!) our outrage and anger were directed at more legitimate targets, namely Tory students studying in Oxford at the time.

In an earlier blog Paul recounts the hounding of these creatures by comrades like Chris and Ian. We should not forget either the wholly unreasonable attempt to throw Ruskin out of the OU simply beacuse Bilbo had since his fangs into the nose of one of the Tory oiks prior to other mild playful acts.

My recall of these events was spurred by reading details of the early acts of dissention which culminated in the creation of the Plebs League.

The strike of 1909 is recalled by the TUC History Online website thus:

In 1908, a group of Ruskin students, dissatisfied with its education policy which they viewed as too pro-establishment and imbued with elements of 'social control', formed the Plebs League. The students revolt was supported by the Principal, Dennis Hird, and following his dismissal the students took strike action, refusing to attend lectures. Hird and the rebellious students finally split with Ruskin and left to form the Central Labour College which moved to London and was financially supported by the South Wales Miners' Federation and the National Union of Railwaymen.
http://www.unionhistory.info/timeline/Tl_Display.php?irn=100170

Now, what is particularly striking in one of the images taken during the strike is the sheer state of comfort of our striking forbears - look at the fella in the armchair for example!

Being Ruskin students these strikers went on to forge the labour movement as we know it and so our debt is not only only in their creation of the precedent of student protest at Ruskin, but the knowledge also that we studied at a place that has played a singularly important role in the formation and creation of trade unionism globally.

In Solidarity

Ian