Oh no, they’re baaaaack!
Yes, those bloody annoying student elections are on again at the ANU. I still don’t know why we have to have them twice. I don’t really care either. All I know is that the union square at ANU is now full of annoying students trying to get us to vote for crap that we don’t give a crap about. It would be funny if not for the people who take it seriously. I mean like this woman came up to me today totally invading my personal space with a glint of glee in her eye and started telling me about policies.
So I stopped her in her tracks and asked: “Are you going to do anything about the week long wait to see a doctor on campus?”
“No.” Apparently not.
“What about the 3 week long wait to see the counselling service?”
No, not going to fix that either.
“What about the fact that if I get here after 9am I can’t find anywhere to park? What about free parking for car pools”
No, that wasn’t a priority for her either.
“What about affordable accommodation for students on Centerlink benefits who get less than $300 a week?”
No, but she did mention her parents paid for her accommodation.
“Well can you at least get rid of the quidditch team that seems to be soaking up all the clubs and societies funding?”
She didn’t know what quidditch was.
At that point I was demotivated enough that I decided that apathy and not voting were my number one candidates for the upcoming poll.
Seriously, why do these people get so hyped up about what is basically a popularity contest. Why can’t they understand why we don’t care about this attention getting stunt? They don’t make a difference on the things that matter. If they did have realistic policies about things that mattered, I’d probably vote for them. If they were going to make a positive difference in my life I’d vote for them. If they had an inkling of an idea of what really mattered to uni students, I’d vote for them.
Instead I have to put up with a week of annoying students wasting my time and wearing t-shirts that were probably funded by me some how. Plus, get this, they’ve been banned from giving out free food. Now how about a policy to overturn that ban. If they gave me free food I’d vote for them.
Elections, if voting changed anything they’d make it illegal. If they were real revolutionaries they would be arranging a sit in of the vice chancellors residence,
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creative_canberran said :
Oh, whaaait a minute. You mean there were seperate parties involved? I just thought they were all from the same ‘you piss me off go away now or I’ll hit you’ party. Sorry, I’ll pay more attention next time.
So you’re like a law or pols student hey? I bow down before your obvious supremicy for I am a lowly arts student. But, at least I’ve seen Cape Man, even if he won’t speak to the lowly ilk like me.
/sarcasm
knoobs said :
People have known she would be the sure winner for months, it’s akin to Labor at the last election not bothering to run candidates in certain seats where no reasonable prospects existed.
And I don’t think being the only candidate for months is a terribly good explaination, it surely doesn’t do the whole process any favours. In fact there’s some Middle Eastern countries who recently though that excuse didn’t sit well.
My point is about the whole routine though rather than individual tickets of candidates, so read comment #25 again.
creative_canberran said :
Yeah that’s because Fleur was the only presidential candidate for months, mate. The only other ticket (Stimulate) running a full competing executive only popped up in the last few weeks, and after the initial postponement of elections. Mate.
@ thatunistudent:
Dude, you wrote the original post! And for some reason had a thing about Harry Potter games that really are insignificant. And you didn’t even name the ticket you trashed, tarring all the pillows the same. Some candidates did have policies on those health and welfare services.
neanderthalsis said :
Agreed. Student politics os for those students who don’t enough work to do. Like Arts students, for example.
creative_canberran said :
Dude, it’s friggen student elections fro crap’s sake. What are you getting worked up about? Unless you’re banging that flower girl, who cares?
angrymonkey said :
Are you Luke?
Doubtful that anyone else cares…. maaaate.
Having said that, the more acronyms starting with ANUS* the better (tee hee).
jodogne said :
Three months of Woroni basically declaring her the winner before the polls even open… wouldn’t you be cynical… mate?
But I admit my comment did focus on the winner (and prior to that focus on the perceived winner) so I’ll add some balance:
The progressive left and their candidate Callum Brindley declared student money should go to funding activism on social and political issues. He is of course the office bearer of the ANU Socialist Alliance, so basically he wanted to channel funds into extremist campaigns, so thankful he didn’t get the nod.
Raveena Toor was on the Activate ticket for NUS position. I must admit some of her past comments in the media have been poor and were widely rejected by members of the ANU student body who wondered just were the packs of rapists were in the 7:30 Report story. Having said that, she struck me as an articulate and considered candidate and Activate’s policies were stronger than the other tickets.
The Stimulate ticket was a shoddy, amateurish effort, whose education policy consisted of among other things, a pledge to eliminate software detection of plagiarism because it “breaches student copyright.” Oh please.
So the point is the individual who won is a shoddy choice. But it’s the nature of student politics that despite being such a shoddy choice, she probably wasn’t the worse choice.
jodogne said :
Three months of Woroni declaring her the winner before the polls even open… wouldn’t you be cynical… mate?
creative_canberran said :
All I took out of that was that there was some weird dude with a painted face, and what looked like an Angry Bird on a stick, sitting behind the candidates for some reason.
These elections are obviously very serious business.
Fleur is the French word for flower.
That is all.
New Yeah said :
Yeah, and if any single one of that sad bunch get anywhere near real politics, god help us.
There are a lot of smart young people at the ANU. Clearly, none of them want to be involved in politics, and we will be the poorer for it.
.
All right, mate, we get the picture – you have some issue with Fleur and you have some issue with Woroni. It’s getting a little old.
New ANUSA president is Fleur Hawes it was announced today.
No surprise at all, when you throw enough money around, get front page puff pieces in student media and manage to run a campaign with no substantive policies to confuse people with, it’s a given. Particularly as the current president had “groomed” her to assume the role.
Here’s an idea of what’s in store: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuXfQRVllU4&t=5m23s
Notice how she doesn’t actually answer the question, instead, she lists heaps of issues and gives a broad answer about “engaging” with students on them.
Even more amusing is despite having her answers written, she still trips up every few words.
Sorry, but this just seals the stereotypes. Student politics never rewards the talented, it rewards who ever is out on the piss getting their name out there enough. That’s why so many good people speak of not even bothering to run.
Quidditch? What sort of grown man or woman plays dressup and pretends to ride a broom? The only activity we had with broomsticks when I was at uni involved office chairs, bin lids and a long hallway for a spot of broomstick jousting. Quidditch forsooth!
Honestly, student politics is so fierce because the stakes are so low and has all the backstabbing, branch stacking and intrigue of a Labor Party branch preselection. No-one really cares about most of the student services, as long as the bar is stocked and there is parking available.
For the less-politically inclined among you, there remains some merit in student elections. Take note of the names of the more ambitious candidates and watch where they end up in the years to come. You will be able to regale your peers with tales of “Oh, I remember that when that <> was a student politican” and claim some vicarious connection to those that are probably more powerful and influential than yourself. I’ve been doing this for years.
ThatUniStudent said :
I do apologise, and retract my ire. It has been a few years since I studied there – getting forgetful about the right to whinge part….don’t remember what these assignment and lecture thingies are that you speak of…. 🙂
Sounds like some heavy s*** going down at the ANU!
“Well can you at least get rid of the quidditch team that seems to be soaking up all the clubs and societies funding?”
WTF? Seriously, running around with a broomstick under me isn’t my cup of tea but a lot of people really enjoy it. Lighthearted, fun, exactly what we should be encouraging.
You want to know what is really soaking up the money… retreats. And many tickets are proposing more of them. For those unaware, these are silly junkets done under the guise of “team building” and “training” but really involves getting on the piss at some location out of town.
Golden Ticket is strongly advocating to have more of them, which means they’re channeling more funds into the few students who get an invite when they should be doing more for all.