The National Union of Students' conference is an experience like no other, writes Josh MacAlister, president-elect of Edinburgh University Students' Association. It's difficult to explain the experience to people in the outside world, to be honest: the elections, the chanting and ranting, the policy debates, the drama, and obviously the venue - Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
Every year's NUS conference is defined by certain watchwords. This year's was change.
Reforming the national union was put front and centre on the first day of conference with the national president, Gemma Tumelty, making a pointed and frank speech about the choices the organisation must make.
The first day of the conference was also dominated by debate over education funding. Over the last couple of years student representatives have debated the pros and cons of means testing grants against introducing a universal £7,000 grant for all. In a debate where the hard left were branded as 'unprincipled' and the moderate left were called 'sell-outs', the discussion quickly became the most controversial of the conference so far. When the debate finished at 11pm the result was clearly in favour of supporting the targeting of grants.
So enough of the policy, how about the elections? To be honest, I think most delegates made up their mind for the main elections well ahead of the conference itself. By the end of the first day, campaigners for different candidates hit the bars with stickers and flyers haggling over the small number of undecided delegates well into the early hours.
As I finish this blog on the morning of the second day I'm about to go through another ten or more hours of debate - from anti-racism and anti-fascism to student housing to bullying in FE and HE to issues around the environment and international development, childcare and students in the community...
I have also just heard that Gemma Tumelty has been re-elected as national president - which means we will have consistency in leadership during a time of amazing change.
What do you think?
