Council Meeting Report: 29/04/2010

The Space last night played host to the latest in a series of fractious meetings of the Union’s student representative council. While the prevailing cliché casts students as apolitical layabouts, successive spirited meetings of the body have shown ego clashes and institutional bickering at least to be clearly transcendent of both age and stereotype.

Speaker Alex Redpath addressed councillors’ concerns after the last meeting’s failed vote of no-confidence; votes of no-confidence have been scheduled for VPs Barry Duffy and Paul Lilly at a planned Extraordinary Meeting on May 12th; The Gown’s office suspension was debated and President-Elect Gareth McGreevy’s controversial SUTV plans were reaffirmed.

BY KERRI-ANNE CAMPBELL AND LORCAN MULLEN

Current President Shane Brogan’s extensive overhaul of student-staff consultative committees (SSCCs) and in-school accountability was also passed.

Speaker Redpath told The Gown: “It was a disappointing night… I don’t think anyone would claim that this was an easy Council meeting to chair.”

Redpath faced strong criticism from the floor at the beginning of the night, defending his decision to remain despite a majority Council vote to strip him of the post prior to March’s sabbatical elections. A two-thirds majority is required to oust the Speaker.

Redpath, a second year law student, countered his critics, claiming “a couple of big wins this year”, making it clear that he is “perfectly happy to stand on”.

“With regards to my own resignation, I have made it clear that I will complete my term until the constitutionally mandated number of councillors remove me from office. I owe this not only to myself, but to my successors in this role. A speaker needs this constitutional protection to make the controversial decisions that are demanded of the chair.”

He went on to say, “Two thirds of the Council are required to remove the speaker, which would mean 51 members out of 77. There has never been a record of this many at a Council Meeting this year.”

A palpable sense of frustration only increased with discussion of the absence of vice-presidents Lilly and Duffy. Duffy did not send his apologies. President Brogan informed Council that Lilly cited illness earlier in the day. A number of councillors were confident that the duo had skipped the meeting to attend last night’s GAA formal. Lilly however spoke to The Gown on Facebook after the Council meeting. Post-formal revellers at the Eg on the other hand told The Gown that Lilly and Duffy were “across the street”. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

Concerns about the attitude and work ethic of the two VPs have been a recurrent theme in QUBSU politics this year, and councillors were not long in moving towards respective motions of no-confidence. President Brogan spoke out in unusually strident terms, stating that “some action needs to be taken here and now.”

Ponderous moves towards a confidence vote, led by Ryan Cushley, were unexpectedly derailed by councillor and management board member Anne Pauli, recurrent bête noire of the “Chuckle Brothers.” Pauli’s alternative proposal, the May 12th meeting of the Council, where Duffy and Lilly will learn their fate was passed instead.

Brogan told The Gown that he was “happy with what came from the floor” and confirmed that he had signed the Pauli petition initiating the Extraordinary Meeting process.

Councillor Colin Sloan stated, “It’s good to know that Council has decided to do something about the worst sabb [sabbatical officers] offenders of the year. They seem to be more concerned with working with GAA than the Council.”

Clerk to Council Dominic Doherty stated that this has “impacted upon their status” however, “no apology is not deemed to be a sackable offence”.

Last night, a seemingly stressed Lilly did not wish to make an on-record comment on the proceedings. Brogan confirmed this evening that the VP contacted him regarding his absence from work today, citing a scheduled doctor’s appointment.

In other news:

-A motion proposed by Cllr. Colin Sloan censuring the Union for its actions against The Gown this semester was deferred to the next meeting, pending today’s planned meeting between Brogan, Andrew Dodge and the Gown Trust, led by former Irish Times foreign correspondent Conor O’Clery.

While Sloan and assorted Gownies criticised the SU leadership in emphatic terms, Cllr. Pauli condemned the language of the motion (“an attack on freedom of speech”) as “ridiculous.”

In a separate discussion concerning redevelopment of Union facilities, Brogan told Council that the current Gown office will become a “society storage space”.

-A motion brought by Cathy Corbett and Darren Leckey calling for SUTV’s suspension pending “further research” was defeated.

-VP Paul Courtney dismissed claims from some QUB GAA members, recently aired on a Facebook campaign page, that the current redevelopment of the Dub sporting facilities somehow prejudiced the organisation.