ULSU Elections 2012 (Voting Thursday March 22)

Ginge Young

To the comments on how David was talking this evening, in that he sounded arrogant and a know it all. Having worked with him closely this year I would ask anyone who is judging their vote based on that to actually go and talk to him tomorrow, one on one and see what you think before you vote.

In reality, I will be talking to Adam tomorrow just for my own curiosity, but I still feel certain based on manifestos and having known David that he is the best candidate for the job, between his experience, his intelligence and his know how surrounding the University.

I would have no problem seeing him standing up in Governing Authority or any other committee in UL and ensuring that our issues are raised and heard and he wouldn't back down. I cannot be sure on the others as I have very rarely heard them speak in public, or to a forum or to a group. Adam I have somewhat, but I still feel David would do better in that sense.

I hope there are no hard feelings Adam based on what I've said. I just don't feel people should be judging this solely on how someone spoke alone.

Edit: I'll be clear that I have worked closely with both. Adam through Executive and David through the working group.

bazkennedy

johnny-fatality wrote: »

Judging by new posters and exposure I think we already have the real winner - Boards.ie

That happens every year, most of those new accounts will never been used again.

cam38

Going to hustings tonight I already had an idea about who I was voting for and afterwards my choices hadn't changed.

VP Academic
I think Paddy definitely came off the best out of the two. He showed that he is more capable for the job and knew what he was talking about. He didn't give the same generic responses.
I felt sorry for Jackie that she was so nervous but I think that this position calls for a strong character and I didn't see that from her in the debate. I think that she has some good ideas but didn't fully explain how she would implement them.

DP Welfare
I thought that William made some good points but none had an impact on me. He came across well but tbh I think this race is between the other two candidates.
I thought thought Kelly has some good ideas but I dunno are they entirely feasible.
Cathal seemed like the most approachable candidate. Think he came across as a genuine guy and I really liked his ideas. Think they'd be the most effective and the easiest to put into practice.

President
I thought that David seemed like a very smart guy but I think that he almost came across as arrogant in the way he spoke but that's just my opinion.
I think Eamonn came across as the most likeable candidate but was a bit too vague on his points.
Adam seems like he'd be the best candidate as he's friendly and knew what he was talking about.

It was a good debate and really helped me decide for definite who I want to vote for.

deise go deo

MK90 wrote: »

I think everyone fell in love with Eamonn Horgan (I know I did). He has so much charisma and charm, I say he be a good lad to go for a few pints in the stables with. He reminded me of a contemporary Michael Collins. I'd really love to give my no.1 but he is definitely getting my second.

Could the candidates give their opinions on the proposed new students center?
Eamonn Horgan: Well I think its a great idea.:D

Best line of the night.

djnr8

Skintwin wrote: »

VP Academic
Unfortunately, I had to leave early, so I missed the Presidential hust, but I'll re-read the manifesto's tonight and make a decision in the morning.

Audio from the hustings is available on TST

leaoj

Ginge Young wrote: »

To the comments on how David was talking this evening, in that he sounded arrogant and a know it all. Having worked with him closely this year I would ask anyone who is judging their vote based on that to actually go and talk to him tomorrow, one on one and see what you think before you vote.

In reality, I will be talking to Adam tomorrow just for my own curiosity, but I still feel certain based on manifestos and having known David that he is the best candidate for the job, between his experience, his intelligence and his know how surrounding the University.

I would have no problem seeing him standing up in Governing Authority or any other committee in UL and ensuring that our issues are raised and heard and he wouldn't back down. I cannot be sure on the others as I have very rarely heard them speak in public, or to a forum or to a group. Adam I have somewhat, but I still feel David would do better in that sense.

I hope there are no hard feelings Adam based on what I've said. I just don't feel people should be judging this solely on how someone spoke alone.

Edit: I'll be clear that I have worked closely with both. Adam through Executive and David through the working group.

I disagree. The hustings is there to show you how your candidate can present themselves and engage publicly to a section of the student body. Lest we forget public interaction will be a crucial part of each sabbat's role. No point any sabbat being a nice guy sat at a keyboard but then a dickhead in real life. I don't want to have someone representing me in engagements with the public or the university who comes across as such an asshole. (no offence, that's how he seemed tonight). Derek Daly had an issue three weeks ago with public engagement. I shudder to think how David would have dealt with a similar situation.

I did actually speak to David twice this week and got a similar vibe. An aloofness, a snottiness, can't quite put my finger on it but just an air of arrogance surrounding him. Hubris is a trait I don't like to see in any potential sabbatical officer.

I'm sure he's a nice guy outside elections, maybe it was the stress of the week or something.

Gael23

=djnr8;77710373
Thought Kelly's answer to the Suicide question was a massive no-no. To say "if somebody is dead-set on suicide they're not much you can do" is something I don't think should be in the vocabulary of a welfare candidate. It certainly got a reaction where I was sitting. (Fantastic question btw)

Utterly unprofessional and ill-thought comments such as this are what turn me off Kelly. She is genuinely a really pleasant girl, and I honestly think that but she just somes out with stupid comments like this far too often.
I'll probably be voting for, Adam Moursy, Cathal Ronan and Paddy Rockett

Ginge Young

leaoj wrote: »

I disagree. The hustings is there to show you how your candidate can present themselves and engage publicly to a section of the student body. Lest we forget public interaction will be a crucial part of each sabbat's role. No point any sabbat being a nice guy sat at a keyboard but then a dickhead in real life. I don't want to have someone representing me in engagements with the public or the university who comes across as such an asshole. (no offence, that's how he seemed tonight). Derek Daly had an issue three weeks ago with public engagement. I shudder to think how David would have dealt with a similar situation.

I did actually speak to David twice this week and got a similar vibe. An aloofness, a snottiness, can't quite put my finger on it but just an air of arrogance surrounding him. Hubris is a trait I don't like to see in any potential sabbatical officer.

I'm sure he's a nice guy outside elections, maybe it was the stress of the week or something.

Well entitled to your opinion.

cjthecrow

reunion wrote: »

Welfare:

I think Cathal was the best but by the sounds of it wouldn't ever be at his office. Kelly close second, William Jennings far off tbh.

Hi Reunion,

I can see what you mean by out of the office but of course this wouldn't be all the time. The run/jog would take place roughly around 6 a clock once a week so wouldn't hinder too much . The going out at night to hand out condoms would be once every week/2weeks and the couch is once a week for 1/2/3 hours. Also note that I would be available at weekends as I'm from Limerick so I am always around. And if students would want to meet a bit later in the evening that's fine I'd be more than happy to oblige.

Hope that solves any of your doubts and thanks for the support.

wnolan1992 wrote: »

VP Welfare

Cathal, I dunno. There's just something about him that would make me uncomfortable going to him with an issue. I think he'd have made a great CSO, or maybe even a great VPA or President, but I have my doubts about him for welfare. This idea of Welfare on Wheels is great in theory, but how likely are people to walk over to a dude on a couch rolling around the place if they're feeling sad/lonely/depressed?

Hey wnolan,
thanks for the feedback. If you would like to come talk to me tomorrow to discuss the doubts you have I'd be more than happy to address these with you. As for the welfare on wheels as I mentioned at the husting I did it today and got a great reaction from the student body I have people come over talk to me ask about what was going on and I was told it was a good idea by the alot of students. Also I wouldn't be constantly rolling around I'd move from different locations around campus and settle there for a bit but of course I can see where you're coming from. My hope is that people would see me as approachable and friendly and have a quick chat just to get to know me and visa versa and if they were feeling sad/lonely/depressed then they would ask me to meet in later with a bit more privacy. It's a new idea and from today I have alot of faith in it working.

Thanks again. I hope this clears up some doubts.

Skintwin wrote: »

DP/Welfare

Cathal came across well, but it seems to me like he'll never actually be in his office with the running and the couch on wheels, again, I probably wouldn't feel very comfortable going to him with a problem either. And as someone already said (Sorry, just scanned through the posts) he would be more suited to CSO or president.

Hi Skintwin,

Thanks for the feed back, I answered that concern in full above this quote so hopefully that will settle your doubts. Feel free to call up tomorrow if you'd like to discuss it more and thanks for the support.

Of course you're all entitled to your own opinions and I appreciate all your comments.
I would also like to say thank you to every one here for their support throughout and wish all candidates the best of luck tomorrow.

Kind Regards,

Cathal.

Nokia08

Hey Guys,

Appreciated all the comments over the past couple of days,

I'm just wondering why are you counting me out of this race?

Would love to get some feedback.

William Jennings

Cadroc

Ok so

Academic:
Rockett came across stronger, but his digs at Jackie who was clearly nervous lost him my vote. Also while the Forums are a great idea, again we heard him talk about 'Entertainment'. I thought Academic was about education.

Welfare:
William had some good points, but he wasn't as charismatic or endearing as Cathal.

Cathal was very strong, and had some good points. Clear hustings winner.

Kelly, disappointed in her again (ULFM's interview also disappointed me). I expected more and I'm shocked by her comments on the suicide question. She also seemed to struggle at times.

President:
I thought Eamonn was hilarious, like most people.
David seemed good but his arrogance put me off him. Also the way he held himself surprised me considering he is a recognised debater.
Adam was my clear winner here, had some good ideas and spoke well, has a good understanding of what's going on (david too) but most of all he seemed the second most approachable (after Eamon of course) with the most to offer.

Not sure on how i'll vote tomorrow, but I think it's a battle between David and Adam, Cathal and Kelly and Paddy will win regardless of not getting my vote.

cjthecrow

Steeevvyb wrote: »

Our audio-only recording of the Hust will be within the next 2 hours.

Other than that, I thought my question about suicide prevention was a little bit fobbed off.

Who did people think won?

Hey Steve,

I'm really sorry if you felt like that. As you are aware that is a huge issue amongst young people and especially in Ireland. As you can imagine 30/45 seconds isn't enough time to address such a serious issue.

Regardless win/lose get on to me Friday and we can meet up for a chat about it.

Cheers,

Cathal

djnr8

Nokia08 wrote: »

I'm just wondering why are you counting me out of this race?

Would love to get some feedback.

William Jennings

No offense Will, but I just think the other 2 seem to be more experienced and have a greater knowledge of what the role requires.
As I am on a campaign team, people don't tend to talk to people on other teams so I haven't spoken to you or any of your team.

In fairness, I think you spoke well in hustings; but beside the other 2 you didn't really stand out. I mean this as creative criticism and honestly no offence meant. Just because a few people are counting you out of the running on this doesn't mean you aren't in with a shot.

I keep referring to Boland last year, but for somebody who was seen as a joke, he took a huge chunk of votes. Best of luck in the election btw

Cadroc wrote: »

Rockett came across stronger, but his digs at Jackie who was clearly nervous lost him my vote. Also while the Forums are a great idea, again we heard him talk about 'Entertainment'. I thought Academic was about education.

I thought Paddy was only referring to Entertainment as a topic on his University forum. His videos or his previous post states that these are for UNION transparency He's not fronting ents at all in fact he openly states that it is going to be Keith Quinlan and that kid Reiss (Who is the Ents Councillor).

(This is directed at everybody really as a few people have said it)
If you think Paddy is the stronger candidate, but came across badly because of his "digs", would you vote Woods just for the sake of not voting Rockett, or would you not vote at all?

IMO, Paddy did not attack her he highlighted how naive her idea was - he knows his stuff and hearing something that has had no real visible investigation must be annoying. As a student I am glad to hear what he said because it showed he genuinely thought about his points and investigated them.

I may sound bias, but I have already stated my support for Rockett so don't be surprised

Nokia08

djnr8 wrote: »

No offense Will, but I just think the other 2 seem to be more experienced and have a greater knowledge of what the role requires.
As I am on a campaign team, people don't tend to talk to people on other teams so I haven't spoken to you or any of your team.

In fairness, I think you spoke well in hustings; but beside the other 2 you didn't really stand out. I mean this as creative criticism and honestly no offence meant. Just because a few people are counting you out of the running on this doesn't mean you aren't in with a shot.

I keep referring to Boland last year, but for somebody who was seen as a joke, he took a huge chunk of votes. Best of luck in the election btw

Sound for that, Like I said all the feedback is welcome ,

I'll be around tomorrow so if you'd like to talk sure come up and talk to me.

All the best with your campaign.

Will

lkionm

Well it think will was a bit too slow getting up and running, same as Horgan. Cathal and Kelly an paddy hit the ground at full pace but I feel Kelly is getting stressed out.
It will be far too close for Kelly and Cathal so I hope Cathal has something good for tomorrow.

Maybe will just didn't have the determination?

Cadroc

Did paddy not want an undergrad room with printing facilities?

I would definitely vote for Jackie, while Paddy spoke better, that's his forté. He is good at 'rallying people'. He is charismatic. The only people up there today that rival that charisma is moursy and Ronan. Ruan was also similar.

Does his ability to rally people and public speak mean he is better suited to the job? No.

lkionm

Cadroc wrote: »

Did paddy not want an undergrad room with printing facilities?

I would definitely vote for Jackie, while Paddy spoke better, that's his forté. He is good at 'rallying people'. He is charismatic. The only people up there today that rival that charisma is moursy and Ronan. Ruan was also similar.

Does his ability to rally people and public speak mean he is better suited to the job? No.

Surly ability to rally people would be good for welfare officer, now with 2 sabbaths down we need that office to take on more roles and get people coming to that office for week long ideas?

Cathal seems to have the people and himself willing and able to support causes?

Cadroc

lkionm wrote: »

Surly ability to rally people would be good for welfare officer, now with 2 sabbaths down we need that office to take on more roles and get people coming to that office for week long ideas?

Cathal seems to have the people and himself willing and able to support causes?

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Moursy, Ronan and Ruan didn't come across as arrogant and ruthless. I think Moursy and Ronan would both be excellent. I think Ruan WAS excellent. Paddy just hit a nerve with me tonight that I do not like.

djnr8

Cadroc wrote: »

I would definitely vote for Jackie, while Paddy spoke better, that's his forté. He is good at 'rallying people'. He is charismatic. The only people up there today that rival that charisma is moursy and Ronan. Ruan was also similar.

Does his ability to rally people and public speak mean he is better suited to the job? No.

Could you answer my question as to whether or not you would vote for Jackie even though you thought Paddy was the stronger candidate?

cson

Eamonn's a mate of mine so I'd encourage anyone who's voting to side with him. I think there's a limit to the amount a Sabbat can achieve in a 1 year term so I think being there for and representing the student body in a positive manner is huge, I know Eamonn is very capable in this regard.

Anyway best of luck to all the candidates and I'd urge everyone to vote - it's your union at the end of it all.

Cadroc

djnr8 wrote: »

Could you answer my question as to whether or not you would vote for Jackie even though you thought Paddy was the stronger candidate?

On the day I thought Paddy was stronger, as i've stated previously he is more suited to this kind of scenario. Just because he husted well, doesn't mean he is the better candidate in total. So yes, I would vote for Jackie even though Paddy was stronger tonight.

J_E

It's just a shame that Jackie's nerves let her down. Thought that little dig Paddy made was a little distasteful too. Not sure if I see Paddy as a credible Academic Officer. He's got the charisma but can he back it up?

Definitely a close one between Cathal and Kelly for me. I think I'm going to go for Cathal though, he had some great ideas and he seems to know what he's doing. Kelly has the experience and drive but when I heard that comment on suicide prevention my faith was definitely shaken. Not exactly the kind of attitude that a welfare officer should have. I'm also aware that chances are Paddy is going to get the job and I don't believe for a second that himself and Kelly will kiss and make up. Last thing the SU needs is another year of petty fights and drama.

The hustings was actually the first time I heard or saw Eamonn Horgan. If there was a campaign it seemed non-existant. I just feel like I haven't really seen or heard enough of him to know what he's about. He seemed like the most genuine out of the three though.

OhMSGlive

Everyone else here has said what I wanted to say, basically. I'll just give my predictions and leave it at that.

First things first though: All these opinions are my own, not those of Boards, ULSU, UL Music Soc, UL FM or anyone else.

For the sake of neutrality, I'm referring to everyone by their last names. Also, spoilers have been put in in case you don't want to see my predictions.

VP Academic
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Woods means well, but she needs a confidence boost. It's obvious she was shy going up today (not saying that necessarily is a bad thing), and that had an effect on her performance. Plus, I hadn't heard of her before Thursday.
Rockett, well, was himself, energetic and confident. The good points he raised were sort of tarnished by the dig at Woods he made.
Who should win: I'm inclined to go with Rockett on this one, purely because he has the experience.
Who will win:

Rockett by a landslide.

DP Welfare
As someone who is affected by depression and suicide in ways that I won't go into on Boards, I was shocked at O'Brien's dismissive answer to the excellent question put to her about the topic. It sort of implies that she doesn't care. (Might not be her intentions, of course, but that's how it came across to me.) Aside from that, she seemed to have it under control.
Ronan raised some valid points during his hust, and seemed to have thought his manifesto and ideas out.
As for Jennings, well, not taking into account his book of a manifesto (no offence), I thought he made a decent presentation, but don't think that the job would suit him. Just from the vibe I'm getting, to be honest.
Who should win: Ronan, he seems at the moment to be the right candidate for the job (although anything's possible really).
Who will win:

Probably O'Brien, with Ronan a close second (or vice versa).

President
Going into the hustings, Hartery seemed like the strong favourite to win this. Coming out, I'm not so sure. The fact that he had his arms crossed the whole time kind of made him appear to be the kind of guy you wouldn't want to approach. (I know from experience that nothing can be further from the truth but I'm trying to be neutral here!) That said, he IS very knowledgeable about what needs to be done, and he does plan on bridging the C&S divide (which is badly needed).
While Hartery seemed to be the most well-spoken of the three, in my opinion,Moursy was the more welcoming of the three. He seems like the kind of person who (were you not involved in the SU at all) you could easily approach and have a chat with. He also had some good ideas, particularily the "C&S Day" that me mentioned.
And of course, where do I start about Horgan. It was a bit cheeky that he got extra time to finish his points, and his points (in my opinion) weren't that convincing, but his presentation skills were brilliant.
Who should win: I honestly don't know. It's hard to pick a clear winner, both Moursy and Hartery raised some very valid points during their husts.
Who will win:

I'm suspecting Hartery - he does have the edge on Moursy in the form of an extra year of experience.

So yeah, that's what I think.
Best of luck to everyone tomorrow, it shall be interesting to see what the end result is!

Jester252

Spoiler tags? o_O
Do you own a time machine? :pac:

DR.Magoo

Cadroc wrote: »

Does his ability to rally people and public speak mean he is better suited to the job? No.

Really?

- Active Class & Faculty Representative Recruitment
- Class rep training
- Engaging with the University re: online results
- Trying to boost the image of the ULSU as a transparent, welcoming student facility.

Now, would you think that a shy, quiet person who has failed to clearly get her points across both on video with Thomand Student Times and at hustings today, with idea's which are inevitably lacking and coming across as not having adequate research done beforehand would suit this vital position in the SU?

Paddy Rockett's enthusiasm, planning, research and innovativeness for the task as Education officer (Or whatever it is called now) is what I would deem as necessary for such a position in the SU. Hence, why he is getting my vote and deserves yours.

Harsh words some may think, but true.

Just my 2cents, all IMHO.

djnr8

Also, surely the ability to speak in front of a crowd is a prerequisite for somebody vying to become a public representative of appox. 17,000 students?

Jester252

djnr8 wrote: »

Also, surely the ability to speak in front of a crowd is a prerequisite for somebody vying to become a public representative of appox. 17,000 students?

17,000? That can't be right.

djnr8

Jester252 wrote: »

17,000? That can't be right.

Approx. I'm not sure what the official number of students is. (17k on wiki)

OhMSGlive

Jester252 wrote: »

djnr8 wrote: »

Also, surely the ability to speak in front of a crowd is a prerequisite for somebody vying to become a public representative of appox. 17,000 students?

17,000? That can't be right.

More like 11'000.

Cadroc

_Active Class & Faculty Representative Recruitment

Are you saying a quieter person who is not used to public speaking can't recruit class reps? A timid, quiet person can be just as influential if not more so to recruit class reps. A person like paddy will recruit people, but a person like Jackie would too. They would recruit different kinds of people, and Jackie's group would probably be more influential.

- Class rep training
I don't see your point here?

- Engaging with the University re: online results
Or here? Just because you aren't as comfortable speaking to a crowd doesn't mean that you can't sit in a meeting and hammer out a deal

- Trying to boost the image of the ULSU as a transparent, welcoming student facility.

Yet Paddy was a sabbat during a time when most students became disillusioned with the current regime. He was also perhaps THE most controversial Sabbat, with rumours/allegations/libel over his expenses. So yes, I think I'd prefer Jackie to be my representative.

Also, lets not forget Paddy doesn't like desk jobs. He can't hold a public forum every day. If 'we can't see him he's not doing his job', well I'd put it to him, 'if we can see you, you're not representing us to our university so therefore, not doing your job.'