No Platform

The Student Council at the University of Lincoln has voted to look at introducing the No Platform policy into Lincoln’s Students’ Union.

This subject causes a lot of debate, yet much of it is fuelled by misconception. A section of those presenting the arguments against No Platform say that it inhibits free speech and damages democracy. However, No Platform essentially means, as was pointed out by Lincoln SU president Daniel Hutchinson, a boycott of fascist/racist people or organisations belonging to a list that is predetermined by Student Council. More specifically, it is used against the BNP. It would mean that any officer at Lincoln SU would not be able to be a part of or share a platform with any listed organisation/individual. What it does not mean is that students at Lincoln will not be able to voice their personal opinions.

One student, who was against the No Platform policy, spoke out at council, spewing misguided rhetoric about how many had suffered in the past in the name of protecting free speech and democracy, and that this policy was an attack on all of that. He used very emotive language and was, frankly, hyperbolic about the situation. So, let’s clear some things up.

The No Platform policy at Lincoln SU doesn’t have any affect on the wider society. It isn’t changing national legislation, nor would it seek to. The UK still has the same free speech/expression laws and we are all still ruled by them. The BNP will still exist. They have the right to. No doubt they have their own unsavoury agenda that’s hidden behind the facade of a legitimate party, but it is up to us to defeat them by uncovering the truth and tearing apart their policies through debate. This is still possible and a No Platform policy at Lincoln SU does not stop this from happening. It just means that SU officers will not share a platform or attend any event that they are in attendance of.

This in istelf may cause a problem, particularly in times of election when debates will be held and the BNP may be standing. The student voice needs to be heard and so student representatives will have to attend such events. However, the No Platform policy can be engineered to handle these kinds of situations. Perhaps Council could overrule the policy by a vote, allowing the student officer to attend such an event. The point is that the policy can be made as stringent as it needs to be. We don’t have to follow the NUS policy exactly, we can adapt it to suit us.

Ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that a lot of this has been blown way out of proportion. What happens at our SU has little effect on the outside world. British legislation hasn’t changed.

I believe in having a No Platform policy implemented because I think this is the right time to be sending a message out across Lincoln. The BNP have a presence here and the party as a whole stands a chance of winning a seat in the upcoming European elections.

We should be making our voice heard, as a Students’ Union, and it should be one that says: “We are wholeheartedly against racists and fascists like the BNP”.