Campus take-off for yogic fliers

The yogic fliers of the Natural Law Party are hoping to see support take off in universities as they bid to establish a national network of campus groups.

The NLP is already established in Manchester, Bristol and Oxford universities and is in the process of setting up a branch at Cambridge.

Deborah Wright, leader of the Young Natural Law Party and a final-year English undergraduate at Lincoln College, Oxford, said: "Over the next year people will be going out to as many universities as possible to set up groups. We hope to have a branch in every university within the next year." The big push will start in the next couple of weeks.

This week found Geoffrey Clements, leader of the NLP and vice chancellor of the recently-established Maharishi University, addressing students in Oxford at a meeting which also included yogic flying demonstrations.

Ms Wright said the meeting was following up interest demonstrated at Oxford's Freshers Fair, where the YNLP stall received more than 70 inquiries.

The YNLP is more concerned with mystic than material issues, emphasising "the opportunity to develop full potential" rather than the more prosaic issues concerning other student political groups.

But Ms Wright said the YNLP was firmly opposed to both loans and top-up fees.

The NLP ran more than 300 candidates at the last General Election, the largest ever group of candidates from outside the three main parties. All lost their deposits. The YNLP was set by a conference with 25 delegates last year.