Quote:
Originally Posted by Damien
Student unions politics is nuts. It's a playground for aspirating future Labour politicians and fringe activists. Their motions and debates rarely resonate with the wider student body who let them get on with it. Honestly very few students care about these Unions and even the politically motivated students will largely get involved elsewhere.
I remember my Uni had nonsense elections for it and the only vote I remember was when they tried to ban for Coca-Cola on campus for various stupid reasons I cannot remember. Like 99% of the rest of the student body I didn't vote but they did fail to get it passed, I assume 3 or 4 coca-cola addicts turned up and had a majority to vote them done.
They are often bizarrely illiberal as well. Chris mentioned the 'no-platform' policy but this has grown to the stage where they will interrupt and protest speakers they don't like who've been invited by other groups. I don't really have a problem with the Union itself deciding not to invite people to their own private platform - it's their choice - but preventing others from speaking in environments that are nothing to do with you is pretty objectionable behaviour.
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It was the same at my uni - a militant bunch of idiots who spent far more time causing trouble than studying. Maybe that's why certain unions think it's great to strike on the basis of a paltry turn out.