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SU elections (Full time and part time) **MOD NOTE** POST #1 and #26

24567

Comments

  • #32
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    Surprisingly, looks like the FEE candidates (O'Brien, Fennelly, McCartihy) have the best funded campaign: loads of slick, glossy posters around campus. Definetly more exposure than anyone else. They have the best record on fighting fees but their policies require a lot of cash (O'Brien wanting a fourth full time officer, McCarthy wanting free morning after pills, Fennelly wanting to end the assessment charge for students with learnig difficulties) which is very problematic given the current economic climate.
    Allen seems quite light on posters so far.
    Quite a lot of spelling mistakes on some of the candidates' posters too.


    Unimpressed with a lot of the candidates who are going on about how anti-fees they are. I've been involved with the anti-fees campaign (though I'm not a member of FEE) for years and have never seen most of these people. Then again, this seems to happen every year with candidates coming out of the woodwork to say how anti-fees they are.

    I'd also be a bit wary of any political or partisan person as Welfare Officer: it's a counsellor position, not an activist one. You need to have an open door where anyone feels comfortable coming to talk to you. Also, some of the Welfare Officers don't seem to realise that casework is the mainstay of their work. It's a focus on this that made Brian Grant so good at his job


  • #33
    carolmarx
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭carolmarx


    While I'm pro Mc Carthy (The girl is very very approachable and genuinely gives more of a shít about things than most people do) I'm really unimpressed with her policy of making the MAP free for all. Not only might this encourage risky behaviour, but it'll be financially devastating..I don't think she has an idea of how many of them are given out every year.


  • #34
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    They normally cost e25, right?


  • #35
    Funkie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22 ✭Funkie


    Have to say I'm not that impressed with the candidates, I think RON probably would be the outstanding candidate for all 3 positions.


  • #36
    carolmarx
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭carolmarx


    Yeah Lockstep it's usually 25 euro in college doctor... Pharmacy prices range from 10 euro to 45ish.


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  • #37
    BhoscaCapall
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,940 ✭✭✭BhoscaCapall


    I agree the MAP shouldn't be free. €25 is hardly a lot given the nature of what it is - certainly cheaper than a babóg anyway!

    Is the contraceptive pill free on the college doctor? If not, that would be a far more realistic and sensible thing to campaign for.

    Maybe I'm just being cynical but I don't think a majority of students think too much about manifestos and what have you. Plenty will just go "free morning after pill? Why not?!", after all, it's not them who has to work out where the funding comes from.

    Unlike in actual government where there can be quite polarised opinions and strategies, most SU candidates campaign for the exact same issues. They are essentially popularity contests, a competition to see who has the biggest Facebook network and the most effective promotion strategy. Which is healthy in its own right, particularly because they are usually all quite capable candidates anyway. Like many others, I'll just be voting for the people whom I'm friends with - because they're good people who deserve the success.

    Out of interest, has anyone ever campaigned for the absolute craic? As in, led a bit of a joke campaign just to see how many votes they'd get? I'd be interested to see how much support a campaign would get based purely on humorous posters. Can't imagine NUIG being too happy about it, but it would be a bit undemocratic to forbid it.


  • #38
    Canvasser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 290 ✭✭Canvasser


    Free morning after pills is lunacy, absolute crazy stuff. The morals of this University are really going down the drain. But on the other hand I do think the welfare position should go to a woman so I'll wait to see the other policies before deciding.

    Education looks a tight run race between Stitt and Kitt I say. FF v SF. generally viewed as a stepping stone to President it's important we get a competent person in there.


  • #39
    BhoscaCapall
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,940 ✭✭✭BhoscaCapall


    Canvasser wrote: »
    Free morning after pills is lunacy, absolute crazy stuff. The morals of this University are really going down the drain.
    It's got nothing to do with morals.
    But on the other hand I do think the welfare position should go to a woman so I'll wait to see the other policies before deciding.
    It's one of the downfalls of democracy that people like you are allowed to vote.


  • #40
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    O'Brien a lot more high profile than I anticipated although I still think Curley will swing it but O'Brien isn't going out without a fight.

    If Kitt can transfer his voting energy and canvassers well, he's in with a good shout. I was a bit leery about some of his policies (for example, for someone who promises he will get kick start both fees and Irish campaigns, I've not seen him involved in any of these in the past and I'm an old hack) However, he did strike me as a genuinely nice guy and I'd say he'd do a good job.
    As has been said, I'd say it's a tossup between Kitt and Stitt for education.

    Adebari has probably the highest canvasser turnout out of anyone. Seriously large turnout and postering campaign. McCarthy has a good postering campaign but seems light on canvassers. Allen falls somewhere in between. I've no idea how welfare will go.

    BhoscaCapall wrote: »
    Out of interest, has anyone ever campaigned for the absolute craic? As in, led a bit of a joke campaign just to see how many votes they'd get? I'd be interested to see how much support a campaign would get based purely on humorous posters. Can't imagine NUIG being too happy about it, but it would be a bit undemocratic to forbid it.
    They used to be quite common. There were 2 joke candidates who ran in 2007 for president and took the almighty piss out of the process. Great fun altogether.


  • #41
    leeroybrown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,563 ✭✭✭leeroybrown


    BhoscaCapall wrote: »
    Out of interest, has anyone ever campaigned for the absolute craic? As in, led a bit of a joke campaign just to see how many votes they'd get? I'd be interested to see how much support a campaign would get based purely on humorous posters. Can't imagine NUIG being too happy about it, but it would be a bit undemocratic to forbid it.
    There hasn't been a good joke campaign for ages. The last time I ran one with a few friends a couple of the other candidate's canvassers started having a go at me for undermining the democratic process and making a farce of the whole election. We had two joke candidates that year. A five minute electoral history lesson later and they'd quietened down a bit.

    I've wanted to run a proper R.O.N. campaign for years. Not the usual pointless anti- campaign but a positive pro-R.O.N. movement with real ideas. Make R.O.N. the (wo)man of the people and (s)he'd win hands down!


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  • #42
    Ruire
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭Ruire


    Lockstep wrote: »
    Surprisingly, looks like the FEE candidates (O'Brien, Fennelly, McCartihy) have the best funded campaign: loads of slick, glossy posters around campus. Definetly more exposure than anyone else. They have the best record on fighting fees but their policies require a lot of cash (O'Brien wanting a fourth full time officer, McCarthy wanting free morning after pills, Fennelly wanting to end the assessment charge for students with learnig difficulties) which is very problematic given the current economic climate.
    They really have no grasp of money. Free tea and coffee for all students sitting exams? Not to mention that the €500 assessment fee is actually pretty low, and most people are already assessed before they get to college anyway.

    Also, screw that whole 'buses to outside exam centres' lark. If you don't have the brightness to get a bus from Eyre Square to Leisureland, you don't deserve to sit the exam. Especially given that contracting a bus company would be more expensive for everyone.


  • #43
    bildo
    Registered Users Posts: 289 ✭✭bildo


    Ruire wrote: »
    They really have no grasp of money.

    Really now? As an SU Officer who has paid close attention to the Union's accounts and general spending and assets I would very much disagree.


  • #44
    Raging_Ninja
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭Raging_Ninja


    bildo wrote: »
    Really now? As an SU Officer who has paid close attention to the Union's accounts and general spending and assets I would very much disagree.

    What does 'bring SU commercial services back under student control' mean?


  • #45
    Ruire
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭Ruire


    bildo wrote: »
    Really now? As an SU Officer who has paid close attention to the Union's accounts and general spending and assets I would very much disagree.
    How much does the assessment cost every year?

    How much would it cost to hire a private bus company per day for exams? (along with how much would the greater expense between that and taking a CIE/City Bus from town to Salthill cost the student body altogether?)

    How much would it cost to provide tea and coffee to several hundred students in at least five different exams centres twice a day, everyday for two weeks?

    And then would the SU be able to cover it, and if not, how would they find the funds for it?


  • #46
    Ficheall
    Registered Users Posts: 9,018 ✭✭✭Ficheall


    Well, the signs beside that bull**** "music" tent outside the College Bar have ruled out a couple of candidates for me at any rate...


  • #47
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    First day is winding down:
    Very strong presence from Curley, Adebari, O'Brien and Kitt. Both in terms of posters and legions of canvassers.
    Slow start for Allen and Stitt but things seem to be picking up, both have had a decent presence on campus, doing lecture shout outs and so on.
    Fennelly and McCarthy were both around today and did an absolute poster blitz but don't seem to have the same presence as other candidates in terms of canvassers.
    Few people out for Reilly, but I didn't see much.
    Saw nothing from Brusilovskaya aside from one A4 poster. Very low key it seems.

    Hustings are on tomorrow at 7pm in the Kirwan.


  • #48
    Canvasser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 290 ✭✭Canvasser


    It's got nothing to do with morals.



    It's got everything to with morals. Life changing choices should not be just handed out free without any thought or counselling! Start down this slippery slope and next thing you know we'll have abortions freely available beside the College Bar and sure we'll throw them a free carvery dinner while we're at it.
    BhoscaCapall wrote: »
    It's one of the downfalls of democracy that people like you are allowed to vote.

    :rolleyes:

    It's a well known fact women are best suited to the welfare position due to the nature of the job. it's essentially a job that is suited to women having a chat over tea and biscuits.

    Men have proven themselves more capable in the leadership role of President over the years it's fair to say. Tough decisions need to be taken there like Emmets courageous killing off of rag week. While Education is probably a sex-neutral position to be fair.

    Either way hope everyone had a fun first day of canvassing, Have fun out there and be nice to us!


  • #49
    Manco
    Closed Accounts Posts: 178 ✭✭Manco


    Another year, another troll account from Brendan Gallagher...


  • #50
    Reillyman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 834 ✭✭✭Reillyman


    Canvasser wrote: »
    It's got everything to with morals. Life changing choices should not be just handed out free without any thought or counselling! Start down this slippery slope and next thing you know we'll have abortions freely available beside the College Bar and sure we'll throw them a free carvery dinner while we're at it.

    Are you saying that the MAP is a form of abortion?:confused:


  • #51
    Ruire
    Registered Users Posts: 166 ✭✭Ruire


    Reillyman wrote: »
    Are you saying that the MAP is a form of abortion?:confused:
    Ignore him, he's a troll. He doesn't even go here.


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  • #52
    carolmarx
    Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭carolmarx


    Canvasser wrote: »
    It's got everything to with morals. Life changing choices should not be just handed out free without any thought or counselling! Start down this slippery slope and next thing you know we'll have abortions freely available beside the College Bar and sure we'll throw them a free carvery dinner while we're at it.

    Yes because preventing the conception of an unwanted child is morally abhorrent.. :confused:

    Canvasser wrote: »
    Men have proven themselves more capable in the leadership role of President over the years it's fair to say. Tough decisions need to be taken there like Emmets courageous killing off of rag week. While Education is probably a sex-neutral position to be fair.

    Muireann O'Dwyer did a STELLAR job as president a few years back...actually stood up for students and fought tooth and nail against the levy we pay for the Kingfisher (shame we were sold up the river on that one)


  • #53
    Squeeonline
    Registered Users Posts: 2,551 ✭✭✭Squeeonline


    Ruire wrote: »
    Also, screw that whole 'buses to outside exam centres' lark. If you don't have the brightness to get a bus from Eyre Square to Leisureland, you don't deserve to sit the exam. Especially given that contracting a bus company would be more expensive for everyone.

    You're assuming that everyone lives in the centre of town and not out in Knocknacara, Barna, or further afield.
    Reillyman wrote: »
    Are you saying that the MAP is a form of abortion?:confused:
    Technically it is since it removes the embryo after implantation or prevents implantation after the zygote has formed. It doesnt prevent conception like condoms for example.

    As for men v women in the top job, Muireann O'Dwyer did a great job (even though she ran against two joke candidates that year: best posters ever) as did Donna the year after. Peter was less visible but probably worked as hard. A lot of the things that they worked on are only appearing now and others may be taking credit for only finishing the job, not starting it. (renovating the reading room, more plugs and wifi in the library, microwaves in smokeys, water fountains on the concourse....)


  • #54
    bildo
    Registered Users Posts: 289 ✭✭bildo


    Raging_Ninja wrote: »
    What does 'bring SU commercial services back under student control' mean?

    It means exactly what is says. Currently SU Commercial services is hardly answerable to the Union at all. There have been a number of issues this year where the Exec has made decisions on certain aspects of their operations which have been completely ignored.
    I feel that there are a number of changes that need to be made to a broad range of commercial services which I do not feel are possible under the current structures.
    I would like to set up an iniative, a council of some sort where students can have a say in how the shops and cafes etc run by the Union are operated. It seems that employees of the Union in many cases have more say over the running of services than elected student reps.

    Currently the SU President is the Director of Commercial services and I simply do not think this is represented in the way Commercial services operates.

    I would like to see this changed so that actual students are more in control of how their Union and the commercial services it provides is run.


    The other points are not in my manifesto so I will not comment on them suffice to say that a majority of services here on campus are not funded by the SU anyway but by the University governing body.


  • #55
    Ficheall
    Registered Users Posts: 9,018 ✭✭✭Ficheall


    Squeeonline wrote: »
    A lot of the things that they worked on are only appearing now and others may be taking credit for only finishing the job, not starting it. (renovating the reading room, more plugs and wifi in the library, microwaves in smokeys, water fountains on the concourse....)

    Let's not get carried away pretending that any of those were terribly difficult jobs to complete, now...
    Excepting the Reading Room renovation, granted, but that was always on the cards - the place was a complete hole.


  • #56
    Squeeonline
    Registered Users Posts: 2,551 ✭✭✭Squeeonline


    Ficheall wrote: »
    Let's not get carried away pretending that any of those were terribly difficult jobs to complete, now...
    Excepting the Reading Room renovation, granted, but that was always on the cards - the place was a complete hole.

    No, I'm sure they wouldn't be difficult normally, but cutting through all the red tape, and getting 50 different university bodies (not to mention HEAnet for wifi upgrades I assume) to sign off on things can't be easy.


  • #57
    Ficheall
    Registered Users Posts: 9,018 ✭✭✭Ficheall


    That's true. We'd be better off removing administrators than adding more pseudo-administrators of our own...


  • #58
    leeroybrown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,563 ✭✭✭leeroybrown


    The secret to writing a great manifesto has always been to find out what's being discussed/approved by various college committees and claiming you'll do it during your term. Unfortunately, it takes about two years to get anything non-trivial (and most things are non-trivial in NUIG) through the University process so elected candidates will likely accomplish stuff that their predecessors may have started and start stuff that their successors will complete.


  • #59
    TheCosmicFrog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭TheCosmicFrog


    Squeeonline wrote: »
    A lot of the things that they worked on are only appearing now and others may be taking credit for only finishing the job, not starting it. (renovating the reading room, more plugs and wifi in the library, microwaves in smokeys, water fountains on the concourse....)

    To add to Ficheall's post, the Wi-Fi upgrade was a campus-wide initiative by ISS. All of the access points on the campus were upgraded to the new white Cisco 802.11n ones that you see now. Nothing to do with the SU.


  • #60
    Squeeonline
    Registered Users Posts: 2,551 ✭✭✭Squeeonline


    TheCosmicFrog wrote: »
    To add to Ficheall's post, the Wi-Fi upgrade was a campus-wide initiative by ISS. All of the access points on the campus were upgraded to the new white Cisco 802.11n ones that you see now. Nothing to do with the SU.

    yeah, but didnt the SU lobby for it? Of course, they shouldn't really get credit for something that was going to happen anyway.


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  • #61
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    My own thoughts on each candidate (all of these are my own thoughts and are not meant to insult or denigrate any candidate) This is my last year in NUIG so I'm following this even closer than usual.

    O'Brien: Excellent speaker and comes across very well in interviews and debates. Would be a very good spokesperson for the college but has a fierce temper and gets angered easily and so would find it hard to chair the SU.

    Curley: Pretty much the anti O'Brien: strong where O'Brien is weak and weak where O'Brien is strong.. Also a very hard worker and has excellent organizational and teamwork abilities and so would do the chairperson aspect of President extremely well. However, he's rough around the edges and so would lose out in terms of being a spokesperson. Also as pro-capitalism as O'Brien is anti-capitalism.

    Adebari: Has a serious campaign machine going out and has been planning his campaign all year. Some good ideas (such as handing out business cards with the numbers for support services on them) but can be extremely flippant and abrasive which is dicey territory for a welfare officer where tact and sensibility are crucial for casework.

    Allen: Allen is a joker and is usually up to some mischief or another which runs the risk of him not taking the job seriously or offending someone. However, has a track record on welfare issues (such as his campaign on disability when he was Equality Officer and his work on an anonymous nightline for students who need to talk to someone)

    McCarthy: Proven track record on campaign issues and would be a great asset for student issues such as where they're being screwed over by an employer or landlord. However, casework is the mainstay of the Welfare position and as such, must be approachable and sympathetic counsellors rather than activists. Would probably have been better going for Education.

    Kitt: Personally met one obnoxious canvasser of his but he seems like a genuine and nice guy. Victim of a smear campaign based on his political views but this will likely help him (the same was done against Connolly and Mannion in the past). Has a veritable campaign army out but might lose out on policies, given the importance on third level fees where Kitt has no visible previous involvement.

    Stitt: Topped the poll last year and has a long history of student activism as well as behind NUIG Memes (Which seems to be important to students). Rowed with FEE over his netbook scheme (the SU bulk buying netbooks and using the discount to sell them on cheap to students) and ultimately left putting him in no mans land without any real base to draw on aside from personal friends. However, he had little FEE help last year as well so will probably be vying with Kitt for the position.

    Reilly: Had never heard of him before this election, has a campaign team out but seems sparse on policies.

    Fennelly: FEE's candidate for Education. Has experience in education issues (through involvement with Suas), is an Irish speaker, and has a lot of time to campaign, given she is taking the year out of education. However, she only really burst onto the scene this year and with FEE running 3 candidates, might have her resources and team stretched too thin.

    Brusilovskaya: Had never heard of her before the election and has the most low key campaign so far. Will probably place last although might pull out a mature student vote.


This discussion has been closed.
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