In February 1992, the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom celebrated its 70th anniversary, however there were those within government that were determined that NUS would not see another decade. This article examines the ideological roots of this hostility to student organisations and examines NUS' response to it and the consequent legal framework that was devised. The article continues with a discussion of the calls for the reform of NUS from member students' unions and minority groups within the student body and analyses the organisation's response to the change process as well as the approach to student representation and government relations that NUS has adopted.