The
      Cadre
      +
      22
      September
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BY
      ALEX
      BUTOS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GLASGOW,
      Scotland
      (CUP)
     
     
      --
      Back
      in
      Scotland’s
      largest
     
     
      city,
      student
      David
      Archibald
      -
     
     
      -
      fresh
      from
      a
      year-long
      stint
      in
     
     
      Canada
      --
      ponders
      the
      ques-
     
     
      tion,
      “how
      am
      I
      different
      from
     
     
      Canadians?”
     
    

    
     
      Archibald,
      an
      under-
     
     
      graduate
      student
      at
      the
      Uni-
     
     
      versity
      of
      Glasgow,
      spent
      the
     
     
      last
      school
      year
      as
      an
      exchange
     
     
      student
      at
      Queen’s
      University
     
     
      in
      Kingston,
      Ontario.
     
    

    
     
      ow,
      back
      cat
      —_
     
     
      prema
      in
      a
      working
      class
     
     
      lasgow
      neighborhood,
      the
     
     
      social
      activist
      and
      left
      wing
     
     
      campaign
      organizer
      compares
     
     
      none
      Scottish
      student
     
     
      ife.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      quite
      common
      for
     
     
      students
      in
      Scotland
      to
      define
     
     
      themselves
      as
      socialists,
      what-
     
     
      ever
      their
      definition
      of
      socialist
     
     
      is,”
      Archibald
      says
      while
      nurs-
     
     
      ing
      a
      drink
      of
      scotch.
      “I
      didn’t
     
     
      find
      that
      in
      Canada.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Proud
      of
      my
      class"
     
     
      One
      student
      compares
      campus
      life
      in
      Canada
      and
      Scotland
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “I
      remember
      in
      Canada|!
     
     
      would
      say
      ‘I’m
      proud
      of
      being
     
     
      working
      class,”
      and
      people
     
     
      would
      say,
      ‘Oh,
      don’t
      put
      your-
     
     
      self
      down,””
      Archibald
      says.
     
     
      “And
      I
      would
      say,
      ‘I’m
      not
     
     
      putting
      myself
      down,
      I’m
      proud
     
     
      of
      my
      class.””
     
    

    
     
      Archibald’s
      observations
     
     
      are
      informed
      by
      years
      of
      in-
     
     
      volvement
      in
      Scottish
      militant
     
     
      politics.
      In
      fact,
      the
      ee
     
     
      old’s
      background
      reads
      like
      a
     
     
      radical
      storybook.
     
    

    
     
      At
      18,
      he
      joined
      his
      first
     
     
      trade
      union.
      By
      20,
      he
      became
     
     
      an
      active
      member
      in
      the
      Labor
     
     
      ae
      youth
      wing
      and
      Scot-
     
     
      tish
      Militant,
      a
      radical
      Marxist
     
    

    
     
      roup.
      (He
      was
      later
      expelled
     
     
      aa
      the
      Labor
      Party
      for
      being
     
     
      involved
      in
      Scottish
      Militant).
     
     
      Then
      in
      the
      late
      1980s
      and
     
     
      early
      1990s,
      Archibald
      helped
     
     
      organize
      the
      anti-poll
      tax
      move-
     
     
      ment
      that
      swept
      Thatcher-era
     
     
      Britain.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Archibald
      recalls
      his
      ini-
     
     
      tial
      surprise
      at
      seeing
      Nike
      ads
     
     
      declaring
      “Just
      Do
      It!”
      plas-
     
     
      tered
      on
      the
      walls
      of
      student
     
     
      dormitories
      at
      Queen's.
      This
     
     
      almost
      trivial
      observation
      made
     
     
      him
      think
      Canadians
      --
      con-
     
     
      trary
      to
      what
      they
      may
      say
      --
     
     
      are
      strong
      individualists.
     
    

    
     
      “It's
      a
      Canadian
      dream
     
     
      that
      people
      can
      [transcend
      their
     
     
      class]
      on
      an
      individual
      basis,”
     
     
      the
      father
      of
      a'six-year-old
      son
     
    
   
   
    
     
      argues.
      “[Because]
      people
      in
      Harri
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canada
      are
      much
      wealthier
     
     
      than
      in
      Britain
      .
      .
      .
      there’s
      an
     
     
      enormous
      belief
      that
      the
      indi-
     
     
      vidual
      can
      crack
      their
      social
     
     
      status
      and
      be
      successful
      and
     
     
      that
      there’s
      nothing
      to
      prevent
     
     
      an
      individual
      from
      achievin
     
     
      their
      goals.
      People
      in
      Scot
     
     
      on
      the
      other
      hand,
      have
      a
      per-
     
     
      ception
      of
      their
      class
      that
      you
     
     
      can’t
      get
      around.”
     
    

    
     
      ut
      there
      are
      also
      some
     
     
      parallels
      between
      life
      on
      both
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sides
      of
      the
      Atlantic,
      Archibald
     
     
      says.
      “The
      similarities
      between
     
     
      Canada
      and
      Scotland
      are
      that
     
     
      there
      are
      a
      lot
      of
      people
      who
     
     
      are
      radical
      who
      are
      disenfran-
     
     
      chised,”
      he
      says.
      “They
      don’t
     
     
      want
      to
      vote
      for
      a
      party
      that
      is
     
     
      capitalist.”
     
    

    
     
      Even
      at
      conservative-
     
     
      minded
      Queen’s,
      he
      points
      out,
     
     
      students
      last
      year
      took
      to
      the
     
     
      streets
      to
      the
      policies
     
     
      of
      Ontario
      Premier
      Mike
     
    
   
   
    
     
      s.
     
     
      Unfortunately,
      they
      and
     
     
      other
      people
      tired
      of
      the
      capi-
     
     
      talist
      status
      quo
      don’t
      have
      a
     
     
      real
      left-wing
      alternative
      to
      turn
     
     
      o.*
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      of
      the
      parties
      in
     
     
      Canada
      are
      --
      if
      not
      in
      word
     
     
      but
      in
      deed
      --
      devoted
      to
      capi-
     
     
      talism,”
      says
      Archibald.
      “But
     
     
      there’s
      a
      lot
      of
      anti-capitalist,
     
     
      anti-system
      strain
      out
      there.
     
     
      puaeeenaately
      ,
      there’s
      nota
     
    

    
     
      of
      pro
      something.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Feature
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There’s
      also
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      pular
      disenchantment
      in
     
     
      land,
      Archibald
      says.
      One
     
     
      sign
      of
      this
      is
      the
      Scottish
      inde-
     
     
      pendence
      movement,
      which
      is
     
     
      su
      by
      many
      youth.
     
    

    
     
      “In
      Scotland,
      three-
     
     
      fourths
      of
      young
      se
      “Te
     
     
      independence,”
      he
      says.
      “[In
     
     
      aJuly
      1998
      poll],
      three-fourths
     
     
      of
      people
      said
      would
      vote
     
     
      for
      the
      [sovereignist]
      Scottish
     
     
      National
      Party.
      So
      that
      shows
     
     
      the
      level
      of
      dissatisfaction.”
     
    

    
     
      As
      Archibald
      finishes
      the
     
     
      last
      drops
      of
      Scotch
      in
      his
      glass,
     
     
      he
      adds
      a
      final
      thought
      on
      the
     
     
      role
      of
      students
      in
      the
      political
     
     
      process.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      don’t
      come
      from
      a
     
     
      tradition
      where
      students
      are
     
     
      on
      the
      vanguard,”
      he
      says.
     
     
      “Students
      can’t
      change
      very
     
     
      much
      because
      the
      don’t
      have
     
     
      an
      [economic]
      power.
      How-
     
     
      ever,
      they
      have
      the
      power
      to
     
     
      raise
      ideas.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Concidering
      Law
      School
      ??
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well,
      the
      UNB
      FACULTY
      OF
      LAW
      is
      holding
     
     
      an
      information
      session
      on
      Monday,
      September
      28,
     
     
      1998
      from
      11:30
      to
      12:20
      pm
      in
      room
      104,
      of
      the
     
     
      Robertson
      Library,
      on
      the
      UPEI
      Campus.
      Anyone
     
     
      intrested
      in
      the
      LLB
      program
      is
      welcome
      to
      attend!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “If
      your
      considering
      a
      career
      in
      law,
      the
      University
      of
      Toronto,
      Uvic,
      The
      University
     
     
      Of
      New
      Brunswick
      and
      McGill
      are
      the
      places
      to
      pursue
      your
      education.
      That’s
      the
     
     
      decision
      reached
      by
      recent
      law
      graduates,
      leagal
      professionals
      and
      academics
      who
     
     
      participated
      in
      the
      magazine’s
      exclusive
      survey
      of
      the
      country’s
      16
      Common-law
     
    
   
   
    
     
      schools.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MacLean’s
      Magazine
     
    
   
   
    
     
      News
      Release