As you say, Independent Keele lasted a week and was a complete pain for those of us living abroad at the time (aka Hawthorns), although once you knew the password for cyclists (which I think was " sod off you commy bastard") passing through the checkpoints at speed became much easier. The disappointment was that the kind invitation from KURFC (esp. Steph Bailey & Maj. Gen Harper Brown) to provide strip-search parties at the checkpoints to frisk dangerous female students was so swiftly dismissed by the Union.
As these articles seem to be creating a written history of Keele's more infamous moments (or the recollection of sorry old gits like myself) I would like to add to this as I think this particular declaration of UDI also also coincided with Keele making the papers (yet again).
Actually the post of Chip Finder General was, I think history will now show, to have a profound effect on the political development of Keele. The arrival of the Chip Van did not signal the end of the union meeting as many supposed, merely an adjournment. With a large 'chips, mushy peas, curry & scraps' in hand the student body would split into two distinct factions. The majority (the "sod it I'm off to bed as I've got to be up early for a 12 o'clock tutorial and I promised myself I'd make at least one this term" Party) and the minority ("how can they go home as we haven't finished saving the whales" Party). This split was a major factor in the following tale of political intrigue.
Having spent 3 hours debated the wording of a statement of support for some rebel cause or other (which I'm sure tipped the political balance in many of the struggles, despite the occasional note back asking if next time we could sent a couple of boxes of AK47's instead), the 1.30 am "Any Other Business Item" was the banning of Princess Margaret from campus for being a reactionary royalist fascist lacky pig-dog (or similar wording). Needless to say that the "quorum" at this stage consisted of the usual coalition of the paramilitary wing of the Labour Club & Socialist Workers Party (who for some obscure reason always seemed to talk in broad Glaweigan - even those from Surrey) and about 4 or 5 members of the Rugby Club who'd got lost leaving the Union bar and fallen asleep at the back (of which I was one).
After the shortest debate in Union history the motion was passed. The Rugby Club didn't listen to the debate or read the motion but voted against it simply because the President (I think the one we referred to affectionately, and politically correctly as "that bloody Summerskill Woman") was in favour.
Our recollections of the events were somewhat muddled until we read about it in the Sun a couple of days later. Rather embarrasingly the Union then remembered having sent an invitation to the Chancellor to the Summer Ball without mentioning the fact that she was a reactionary royalist fascist lacky pig-dog and if she wanted to come she'd have to catch the bus up from Newcastle and would be pelted with rotten fruit at the gate (or something along those lines)
To overturn the "lacky pig-dog" motion required a 2/3rd majority vote at the next union meeting (I think a month later). Needless to say the ballroom was packed (or at least the bar was packed for the "we've told them a dozen times to free Nelson Mandela, perhaps if we reword our statement of support it'll finally do the trick" debates, followed by piling into the ballroom). A lively debate ensued with both sides setting out to ensure that the best principles of parliamentary democracy were abhered to. That lasted about two minutes given that a split quickly emerged with all the other reactionary royalist fascist lacky pig-dogs on one side (including an unpresidented alliance between the Football club & Rugby club) and the usual politicos on the other. The 2/3rds was acheived and Princess M. reinstated (and I think voted Hon. Chip Finder General to boot) and came to the Christmas bash instead - the usual Keele fare of "Garry Glitter's backed out at the last minute so we've got Alvin Stardust instead" - although 'Be my Cookachoo" at 1.30 am is quite entertaining if you're completely smashed.
The only real damage was probably to my relationship with my father who, having had the offending article pointed out to him in my mother's Daily Mail, realised that the spirit of his edict that I could go anywhere I liked "as long as it's not the bloody LSE" had not exactly been adhered to. I even think that he began to view Tariq Ali as something of a moderate.
I'm sure that Union debates now take place on a much higher level. although I'm gutted to hear that the Chip Van is no more and at a loss to know what students now use to stave off the anorexia. I managed to live off of Guinness and the Cheese and Onion rolls in the Snot Arms for a term - but I don't recommend it.
David Williams.
Singapore
Law & Economics 1979-1982
