16.11.12

Ever felt a bit sleepy on campus? Well this week a conveniently placed bed was placed outside the Union.

The stunt was all part of a push to promote next week’s ‘Demo 2012’ protest in London.

The idea behind the bed was to make students ask the question ‘what reason will you have to get out of bed when you graduate?’

Union Affairs officer Antony Haddley told Leeds Student: “When you tell students the facts, it makes them realise how bad things are. You’re scraping by at the end of the month, you’re not switching on the heat because you can’t afford the bill, you come out with all that debt, and then at the end of it you have a one in 70 chance of getting a job you want to do. We don’t think that’s good enough, that’s why we’re going to London.”

However, Haddley admitted that the turnout may be less impressive than the headline-grabbing student protests of two years ago.

This week Haddley joined forces with Leeds Met President Dave Alcorn to petition Leeds Council to support Demo 2012.

The pair even went so far as suggesting that the councillors should march alongside students.

Tickets for transport to the demonstration, due to take place in London on Wednesday November 21, are available from the Union throughout the week, or at leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/demo

Words: Beatrix Passmore, Max Bruges

Photo: James Greenhalgh