coke ban in DIT

kmarx

A mate of mine from labour youth heard coke is going to be banned in DIT just like it was in TCD and UCD! Anyone know if theres any truth to this I'd be really interested in getting involved in a campaign.

Ciaran500

Why would they ban coke?

Tipsy Mac

I recall it was something to do with expoitation of workers somewhere, I don't know the exact details.

py2006

Are we talking the drink here or the drug???

wheresthebeef

TCD and UCD have banned Coca Cola, the drink, from sale in their SU owned shops and premises for reasons of Ethical Trading.

py2006

Can you dumb that down a little?

atr1000

Check out:

http://www.killercoke.org

and Cokes reply:

http://www.cokefacts.org/

DadaKopf

Coke was sued by the Colombian Bottlers' Union (SINALTRAINAL) for being complicit in the murder of a few bottling workers by a Colombian paramilitary in a Coke-operated bottling plant in Colombia because they were trade union members/organisers.

The case is very contentious and it's hard to prove either way (lots of use of the word 'allegedly'), although Coke seems to, at least, have been negligent of the security and human rights of the workers in a licensed plant (i.e. Coke should, IMO, be held to account for its entire production chain).

I was supportive of the ban in UCDSU shops. I hope it happens in DIT (though I'm not sure of what's happened in Colombia since - perhaps this is about another incident Coke may be involved in). I met one of the SINALTRAINIAL guys when he was over - within a month of his return, there was a kidnap attempt made on his daughter.

GrumPy

DadaKopf wrote:

Coke was sued by the Colombian Bottlers' Union (SINALTRAINAL) for being complicit in the murder of a few bottling workers by a Colombian paramilitary in a Coke-operated bottling plant in Colombia because they were trade union members/organisers.

The case is very contentious and it's hard to prove either way (lots of use of the word 'allegedly'), although Coke seems to, at least, have been negligent of the security and human rights of its workers.

I met one of the SINALTRAINIAL guys when he was over - within a month of his return, there was a kidnap attempt made on his daughter.

Sounds like a new plot line for an episode of 24.

djmarkus

Ah, its not like anyone in DIT wont be able to go round the corner from the college and get a bottle of coca cola from one of our fine soft drink merchants around the city.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Typical lefty students, college has a nasty habit of doing that to people.

To quote somebody: (possibly Churchill, I can't remember)
"If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain."

eth0_

sean_keevey wrote:

Typical lefty students, college has a nasty habit of doing that to people.

To quote somebody: (possibly Churchill, I can't remember)
"If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain."

Indeed. Who do the SU think they are, forcing their lefty ways on all the students? By all means, let people know about the alleged illegal activity of Coca Cola, but they can think for themselves!

Baggly

I can't see this happening in DIT. The only way it could, in fact happen, is if the new VP for student and academic affairs had a say in it, and i only say that because i dont know the guy, and dont know what his opinions on the matter are.

I always thought it was quite hypocritical to on the one hand say that to sell the Columbian Coke in the SU shops was unethical and then not argue that the colleges shouldn't be training the managers and executives of the future to get as much profit as they can. And lets face it, if you were a retailer who didn't sell Coke, you would not be a retailer for long.

Also, the bans in other colleges were carried by lefty idiots with an inflated idea of their own worth and a fear that someone will accuse them of having done nothing for the year.

Ban Coke? How about you give excess profits to charity, or to a fair trade organisation. Positive rather than negative action.

Frankiestylee

Ugh, I was in Trinity when all that anti-coke lark started. What a joke... I'll be sick to the stomach if DIT goes down that road. If people don't want to buy coke then just don't buy it, but don't take away my right to choose!

Cake Fiend

eth0_ wrote:

Indeed. Who do the SU think they are, forcing their lefty ways on all the students? By all means, let people know about the alleged illegal activity of Coca Cola, but they can think for themselves!

This is what pissed me off about the original Trinity ban. I don't drink Coke as is out of personal choice, but Jesus if it doesn't annoy me to have this decision forced upon me.

Bad form, damn hippies.

Steak

feicin' hippies is right. jeez just because you're in College and might be living away from home doesn't mean that you can't make your own choices!

Sundy

Piss off the lot of you, i enjoy coke with my lunch and have no desire to leave the college to get it.

Cant see bob coggins going for this one anyway

Tails142

Forcing the student union shops not to sell Coke will not have any effect whatsoever on the profitability of The Coca Cola Company (International) or Coca Cola Bottlers Ireland.`

Take a little look first of all at your average student - what do they drink... strapped for cash, thirsty... where do they go?? Down to the SU to blow their cash on fizzy drinks or zoom, straight to the *free* water coolers. Students either drink the free water or they drink energy drinks like lucozade. Sure you could argue that Coke produces energy like BPM, but its nack and nobody drinks it so mute point.

People buy fizzy drinks with food - unlike UCD with its all encompassing campas, DIT is in the very centre of the city. On the whole few students bother to endure the hardship of going to the student shops for lunch - where the mouthbreathers they employ crack out a sandwich at the rate of one every hour. So for the mostpart nearby outlets get the majority of business, in Bolton Street this is Super Valu, or Deco's anyone?

The bottom line is that these 'bans' do very little to hamper the success of companies such as Coca Cola, if anything they reduce the profits of the students union itself. Haven't you ever noticed that the fridges in the students union, and in some cases a lot of the shop fittings, are provided by Coca Cola?

Anyway I'll leave this thread back to you fanatic political weirdos, wouldn't you be better served if you went after something closer to home? Maybe focus on Sinn Féin's dealings or something - I wonder how many peoples deaths they've overseen. Not surprising that this thread was started by someone whos handle is kmarx :rolleyes:

AND LET ME JUST ADD: Feckin Hippies *shakes fist*

Theta

Put it this way... Most students couldn't give a toss! I know I dont, I dont drink coke because its nasty stuff. If I heard 7up was putting baby's heads on spikes I would still probably buy it because it tastes nice. One thing for sure is that coke is not going to change its ways because some over sensitive colleges ban coke.

Aido c

When I was small, my dad used to use Coke to loosen bolts in the old hay baler when it would break down. That was long before the days of WD40.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Aido c wrote:

When I was small, my dad used to use Coke to loosen bolts in the old hay baler when it would break down. That was long before the days of WD40.

I hear it's also an effective spermicide....Screw condoms*





*Not actually true, according to mythbusters

Frankiestylee

Good ol Mythbusters!