LUU-Exit

On 13th - 16th May 2024, Leeds University Union (LUU) held a referendum over the issue of whether or not the student union should continue their membership of the National Union of Students (NUS UK).

The final results:
- LUUExit (No to the NUS): 189
- Yes to the NUS: 114
- Abstain: 0

The results show that LUUExit, who campaigned for LUU to leave the NUS, won with 62.4% of the vote. However, quorum was not met as fewer than 1,500 people voted in the referendum.

Despite the result not being binding, this result is a huge victory for our campaign and puts enormous pressure on LUU to reevaluate their membership with NUS UK.

Students are deeply disillusioned with NUS, with just 114 out of ~38,000 students voting to continue our membership with the organisation. The ‘Yes to NUS’ campaign also could not find anybody, out of ~38,000 students and ~300 staff, to take part in a public debate against our campaign.

It is unsurprising to see why so few people wish to remain part of the NUS. The organisation is an ineffective campaigning body which has been condemned by numerous Jewish and Muslim organisations over antisemitism and Islamophobia.

We are very clear that membership of the NUS is a waste of money, and that the £30,000 we spend on an ineffective national campaigning body should be spent on local campaigns instead:

We could fund a new sabbatical officer OR lease a new night bus OR increase sports and society grants OR expand LiberateLUU OR have further mental health support on campus.. and still have money left over.

The campaign to leave the NUS is not over, and now we would like to ask you a favour:

We would like to encourage students to submit a motion to the next LUU Better Forums demanding that LUU leave the NUS as it is clear that there is no mandate for LUU to stay in the NUS.

If you would like to submit this motion, you can do it via the link in our bio.

Voting in the Leeds University Union referendum on NUS membership closes TODAY at 3pm.

Vote NO to the NUS - let’s spend the £30,000 we send to the NUS on local campaigns instead.

Link to vote in bio.

The LUUExit team have been out campaigning all day today to make the case that we should spend £30,000 on local campaigns instead of the vanity project that is the NUS.

Voting in the NUS referendum at Leeds University Union closes TOMORROW at 3pm.

Vote NO to the NUS - let’s spend the £30,000 we send to the NUS on local campaigns instead.

Quorum is 1,500 students, so if you know anybody who is supportive then do spread the word.

Link to vote in bio.

Over the last few days, the LUUExit team have been campaigning fairly in the NUS referendum. We have been posting on social media, and leafletting across campus including in the LUU building.

However, when our organisers arrived in the building today, *every single one* of our leaflets were removed from the building. We have the right to post leaflets in the building during a referendum campaign, yet LUU have allowed these leaflets to be removed.

We have to ask: is this a fair campaign?

Voting in the NUS referendum at closes TOMORROW at 3pm:

Vote NO to the NUS - let’s spend the £30,000 we send to the NUS on local campaigns instead.

Link to vote in bio.

Over the last few days the LUUExit team have been campaigning fairly in the NUS referendum. We have posted on social media and leafleted across the university, including the LUU building. However, when our organisers arrived in the building today we noticed that *every single one* of our leaflets were removed. We have the right to campaign on campus, including posting leaflets in the LUU building, however if LUU allow our leaflets to be removed then we have to ask: is this a fair campaign?

Voting in the NUS referendum at closes TOMORROW at 3pm:

Vote NO to the NUS - let’s spend the £30,000 we send to the NUS on local campaigns instead.

Link to vote in bio.

Despite numerous requests, the ‘Yes to NUS’ campaign can not find ANYBODY to debate LUUExit over the referendum on NUS membership today, therefore a public debate will not go ahead. Whilst we understand sabbatical officers involved in the campaign have been busy, it is noteworthy that nobody in the entirety of Leeds University Union (home to over 38,000 students and 300 staff members) has agreed to make the case for the ‘Yes to NUS’ campaign in a debate.

Public debates are important for democracy. Both campaigns should be able to scrutinise each other, and students should be able to freely ask questions in a debate setting to hear both perspectives.

We are very clear that membership of the NUS is a waste of money, and that the £30,000 we spend on an ineffective national complaining body should be spent on local campaigns instead:

We could fund a new sabbatical officer OR lease a new night bus OR increase sports and society grants OR expand LiberateLUU OR have further mental health support on campus.. and still have money left over.

It’s time to LUU to leave the NUS. We will continue to make this case, and we welcome questions from students and societies.

A reminder that voting is open TODAY and TOMORROW until 3pm (link in bio).

We agree with .

Voting in the NUS referendum at Leeds University Union is open NOW until Thursday at 3pm.

Vote NO to the NUS - let’s spend the £30,000 we send to the NUS on local campaigns instead.

Quorum is 1,500 students, so if you know anybody who is supportive then do spread the word.

Link to vote in bio.

Voting in the NUS referendum at Leeds University Union is open NOW until May 16th at 3pm: Vote NO to the NUS. Link to vote in bio.

The Yes to NUS campaign have claimed that the NUS was responsible for additional government funding for students in 2023.. however the government suspended ties with the NUS in May 2022. Whilst the NUS celebrated this decision, we do not believe they were responsible for achieving this outcome, and it is a stretch to say that they were.

Voting in the NUS referendum at Leeds University Union is open NOW until May 16th at 3pm: Vote NO to the NUS. Link to vote in bio.

May 13th - 16th: Vote NO to the NUS. Link to vote in bio.