NUS Delegate Tom Harwood Calls Union 'An Irrelevant Student Body' On BBC Daily Politics

He promised to make the union 'ever so slightly less terrible'.
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A National Union of Students representative who pledged to defeat ISIS in a bizarre campaign video has appeared on the BBC’s Daily Politics programme promising to make the NUS “ever so slightly less terrible”.

Politics student Tom Harwood was chosen to represent Durham University after making irreverent pledges to bring down the government using “violent revolution” and to build a giant statue of NUS president Malia Bouattia.

Speaking on today’s show, Harwood told host Jo Coburn the NUS is “an irrelevant student body” that fails to focus on young people’s issues.

Student Tom Harwood was elected as an NUS representative after promising to defeat ISIS
Student Tom Harwood was elected as an NUS representative after promising to defeat ISIS
Tom Harwood

“My issue is that the NUS doesn’t represent students anymore and it hasn’t done for a long time,” he said.

“It’s run by a very narrow group of people who come from an even narrower spectrum of opinion and they are in no way representing the issues that actually matter to students.”

Asked whether he was trying to undermine the NUS by becoming a delegate, Harwood replied: “I think they do a very good job of undermining themselves”.

Citing campus tabloid bans and an NUS boycott of Coca Cola, the second year Durham student criticised the union for ignoring problems that are actually important to students.

“Don’t pretend to be representing all students if you’re pushing toward your own narrow agenda and using the NUS as a soapbox for your quite radical views,” he said.

He said the NUS did not represent students anymore
He said the NUS did not represent students anymore
BBC

The anti-establishment representative also said he would push for a “one member one vote” system. Currently, only NUS delegates are able to vote for the organisation’s president.

“If every student is given the opportunity to vote for a president, hopefully we will get some more representative people,” he explained.

Current NUS president Malia Bouattia has proved to be a controversial figure, with many accusing her of anti-Semitism after she referred to Birmingham University as a “Zionist outpost”.

Harwood’s bold stance has won him students and graduate fans, with many voicing their support for his opinions on the NUS:

@tomhfh Good job on the Daily Politics today, we need more like you in the NUS so it represents all students not just a small clique!

— Conrad Lewandowski (@Conrad_Lew) December 19, 2016

Watching @tomhfh on the Daily Politics, and I have to say I fully agree with his views on the NUS. Don't feel it represents me at all.

— Matt Deacon (@MrMattDeacon) December 19, 2016

Tom Harwood on Daily Politics is brilliant! I hope to meet him at the NUS conference @daily_politics @BBCNews @nusuk @nus

— Richard Crake (@rcrakeuclan) December 19, 2016
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