Coke ban in DCU

alantc

Some SU fool wants a referendum on campus to say that the DCU SU/student body is against Coca Cola because of it's treatment of workers in Colombia. At next union council arguments for both sides will be presented and a vote will be taken by class reps to decide if a referendum will take place.

I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on this so I can bring up points at union council.

Personally I don't think it's a union issue, they're there to help the students and if we want to make a stand against Coca Cola we can all choose to do it individually.

djmike

thats f**king ridiculous. those workers illegally joined a union and were in breach of contract in talking to the press.

I enjoy a coke daily. who the f**k are you to rob me of that , eh?

BigWilly

Death to the proletariat!

gizmo

*sigh* Not this rubbish again. Listen, this is an issue that people need to make themselves, it has NOTHING got to do with either the Union or DCU in general. Add to the fact that most referendums in DCU usually only ever barely scrape quorum and then you have the added downside a rule coming in that does not reflect the MAJORITY of the student body. Also (afaik) if you look at what happened in UCD Coke was only banned from sale in the Union shops and union controlled vending machines however the non-union shop i.e the equivalent our Spar continued to sell it hence it wouldnt even be a practical move to make given that we don't actually have a Union run shop yet.

I think when you take into consideration those points you pretty much have the strongest possible case AGAINST wasting both the students and indeed the Unions valuable time.

Hows that?

OFDM

Next thing they'll want a ban on all Nike clothing and footwear.

Suaimhneach

As much as I am in favour of actually doing something like this, it'd be an utter joke, waste of time, money and effort as far as the SU and the Student Body is concerned.

People like coke, they dont care where it comes from. Just like people like to give €10 a month to Concern, but dont like to see people dying on TV. People dont wanna deal with the actual issue, and it'd only cause more damage than good on campus.

TBH.

gizmo

You actually think holding a referendum is the right way to go about doing this Jes? Even if they were going to get the proper turnout? :eek:

Suaimhneach

Of course not. Referendums are doomed from the get go tbh...

Like that whole "Vote Yes" campaign. The current SU just pushed it through, didnt care for changing it at all. Just put all Paul MAys hard work to waste imo. [edit] waste is overdoing it. his hard work will stand to the SU, however, current SU didnt care much for it, and that much was obvious from their meetins imo]


Banning coke on campus has to be somethign the students would want to do, and its not. A referendum is out of the question, it wouldnt get quaroum.

arbeitsscheuer

UCD were, AFAIK, the first to introduce just such a ban.

In fact, we had 2 referenda - We voted to ban it, and then some twat said he didn't like the result so we had another poll... and banned it again.

Whatever you may personally feel about such a result, and indeed the merits of a referendum in the first place, you've gotta recognise the fact that we live in a democracy, and majority rules.

dregin

I say get Faceless Man a job in the Coca-Cola I.T. department.

Burn the ****ers down from the inside!

Suaimhneach

SebtheBum wrote:

UCD were, AFAIK, the first to introduce just such a ban.

In fact, we had 2 referenda - We voted to ban it, and then some twat said he didn't like the result so we had another poll... and banned it again.

Whatever you may personally feel about such a result, and indeed the merits of a referendum in the first place, you've gotta recognise the fact that we live in a democracy, and majority rules.

GET OUT UCD SCUM!!!

[jk... ish]

Also, UCD are a pile of... somethign ick. They totally sell Coke on campus now. The majority of your students are aorts wasters with too much time on yer hands :P

Amz

That's what happens when you allow them to teach Philosophy at degree level. People actually believe its worth something.

gizmo

Haha, easy now. I have friends in UCD...:D

No, let me put this question to you. Do you think it would be right for the SU to even be allowed to hold such a referendum on the matter? Lets say they could get EVERYONE on campus to vote and it was decided that coke shouldn't be sold, is that fair? Sure its democracy but a referendum in this area is NOT the answer imho. This could become a rather tricky issue to discuss me thinks...

ghostdancer

the SU don't own Spar, nor do they own the vending machines, so would the powers that be at DCU actually bother to just ban coke from being sold in the restaurants, just because the SU put forward a motion?

*Shelly*

The restaurants are also not owned by DCU, neither are the bars. In short DCU have every amenity leased out. Therefore, if the SU decided to try implement this ban it would more than likely fall on deaf ears due to the fact that none of these companies are under any obligation to the SU

Reku

All that UCD ban ever did that I could see was povide a wee bit of amusement for those of us in the DCU AC when, at an intervarsity in UCD, the UCD captain was having his lunch and we asked him to pose for a few pictures, *snap, snap, snap, ..., baffled expression on the poor guy's face, followed by us pointing out that he'd a big bottle of Coke in his hands*. It was just after the ban came in and clearly there were students who didn't give a toss, just bought the Coke elsewhere, so I doubt DCU would be any different if it were brought in there. And lets face it this is what, 2 years later? Bit late to be jumping on the bandwagon is it not?


*looked for the pic on the DCUAC site but it's gone, should be the 2004 UCD intervarsity (no longer any photographic record of it!), instead the lads have just tried repeating the gag for 2005... tsk, tsk...*

steveland?

I'm a class rep so I get to sit at these Union Councils so I think I might actually go to this one and give my thoughts about this...

I used to drink heaps of Coke... at least a litre a day... I gave it up, initially just for lent to see if I could do it but decided to just drink it every now and then because I still like it but I always woke up with my teeth feeling like they were rotting out of my head no matter how much I brushed my teeth during the day and before bed...

This doesn't mean I want it banned though. If someone wants to drink Coke that's their own perogative...

There's a good few classes without class representation every year and even some of the classes only have a rep because no-one else went for it and they got in by default (I know I did... my class never had to vote for me, I just got in because I was the only one running). I don't believe the SU fairly represents the students for something that is supposed to have everyone represented...

This isn't the SU's fault... there's far too much apathy in the college for any sort of referendum of this kind... Hell half the people who'll go into Spar after the referendum (if it passes) and sees there's no Coke will have no idea why until they're told...

I'm very tempted to go along to this Union Council and give my opinions... It's a stupid idea and it's not representative of the entire college

Suaimhneach

If people are against drinking coke, just don't drink it. Thats what myself and some other mates do. I don't think its a Students Union issue... Referendum could be used to bring attention to something more important as far as the student body in DCU is concerned.

gizmo

Indeed, as I said already they should concentrate on dealing with matters that have both relevance to the student body and those which they actually have the right to interfere with.

Dont be at yourself

Why stop with DCU?

We clearly need this taken to a GOVERNMENT level, and impose the will of a few pinko lefties (who, strangely, are trying to implement their views in a very right wing way!), and let Bertie and chums decide what the nation can and cannot drink/eat/wear.

What a ****ing joke.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

why does university turn people into bloody socialists, and interestingly, once they get out of university and start making money, they lose their left wing beliefs?

cooker3

what was that churchill quote.

If your not left wing in your early 20's then your heartless but if your not right wing when your 40 then your stupid.

I am probably not doing it 100% justice there but it was something like that

gizmo

sean_keevey wrote:

why does university turn people into bloody socialists, and interestingly, once they get out of university and start making money, they lose their left wing beliefs?

Its because students are used to being handed money without doing a bloody tap of work just like most socialists whereas once they start having to work and live in the real world they realise what a joke the whole thing is.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

cooker3 wrote:

If your not left wing in your early 20's then your heartless but if your not right wing by your 40 then your stupid.

True words, it seems that one never sees a socialist that has really made it in life (in general)

GavMan

ah, they tried this muck a few years back. fell flat on its face, no need to worry lads. in anyways, it'd be a bad move for the union(who aren't on many students good books), as they'd disinfranchise the vast majority of the stundents. stop tryin to nanny us(adults) an let us make our own choices

Reku

NekkidBibleMan wrote:

Why stop with DCU?

We clearly need this taken to a GOVERNMENT level, and impose the will of a few pinko lefties (who, strangely, are trying to implement their views in a very right wing way!), and let Bertie and chums decide what the nation can and cannot drink/eat/wear.

What a ****ing joke.

Careful now, Bertie might just keep forcing us to have the referendum over and over until we vote the way he wants, just like he did with a certain referendum a small few years ago...:p