A group of protestors who disrupted a lecture at Queen’s have been described by a disciplinary report as “probably Catholic”.

BY BEN FINCH

The report details the investigation into the protest and was used at the disciplinary hearings of three protestors.  It was received from a whistleblower who had concerns about the disciplinary process.

The source said: “The report was so biased and inaccurate.  They tried to paint the students as liars and the claims made are so outrageous that people needed to be made aware of it.

“It’s completely discriminatory and it shows that Northern Ireland Friends of Israel tried to involve themselves in the disciplinary process.”

The report highlights the pressure that was put on Queen’s by Northern Ireland Friends of Israel following the lecture as well as a number of breaches of confidentiality.

In February this year the Palestine Solidarity Society (PSS) and Ogra Shinn Fein disrupted a lecture delivered by Solon Solomon, a former legal advisor to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset).  This was due to his position on the legal standing of building Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

The lecture was stopped after seven minutes before the acting head of the School of Law entered into an argument with Gary Spedding, president of the PSS.  Solomon was escorted from the room by security, who stopped the society from following.  As Solomon left the taxi he was travelling in was slapped by a protestor.

Included in the report are the minutes of an interview with Dr. Onder Bakiricioglu of the School of Law.  In this he is recorded as saying: “The students are young passionate people, they all seemed to be from Northern Ireland, probably Catholics, and there were no international students that he could see. The students were protesting.”

When questioned as why the comment was made Dr. Bakiricioglu said: “I made an observation that they looked like Catholics, I mean I’m not from here.  I just gave my lay opinion, I just know that the Catholic community tend to support Palestine and the Protestant community tend to support Israel.

“I didn’t think it was going to be included in the report, it was just an observation.  This was stupid of them to include it.” Dr. Bakiricioglu is a Turkish national.

The report was compiled by Michael Uprichard of Accomodation and Hospitality Services.  It is assumed that he interviewed Dr. Bakiricioglu and decided to include the statement in the official report.

Spedding is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.  When contacted he estimated that there were ten Catholics and six Protestants at the protest.

The university declined to comment on the comments inclusion, instead releasing a statement that said simply: “The University does not comment on student disciplinary cases.”

Also included in the report is: “[Sally Wheeler] stated she had heard that [Gary Spedding] has Asperger’s Syndrome.”  This was then followed up by Uprichard, who confirmed it with Queen’s Disability Services.

Spedding’s Asperger’s was not public knowledge. Professor Wheeler’s knowledge of this is now under investigation as it may show that confidentiality within the university may not be watertight.  Again the university declined to comment.

“This was something I had tried to keep quiet for some time because people with Asperger’s tend to get treated differently,” said Spedding. “It’s not something I’m ashamed of but I’ve no idea how Sally Wheeler managed to hear this.

“I feel outraged that such comments [regarding religion] were included. I don’t believe sectarianism or external politics should be involved in human rights.  I’m shocked that a university report would include something that implies this was sectarian.”

There were a number of members of Northern Ireland Friends of Israel (NIFI) at the lecture.  Prior to this they sent Queen’s an email to warn of a possible “mass protest” as Solomon was speaking. The email was written by Steven Jaffe and Terry McCorran , co-Chairs of NIFI.

Following the protest Jaffe and another member of NIFI, Sandra Bailie, were awarded a meeting with Helen Hart, Head of the Vice-Chancellors Office and Peter Irwin.  This was “so that [Jaffe] could communicate his concerns face to face.” These were “concerns regarding the School of Law seminar on Wednesday 23rd February.”

At this Jaffe and Bailie expressed: “Shock and disappointment that the University had not issued a statement following the event. He said that such an infringement of academic freedom must contravene the University’s principles and should therefore be a priority for the University”

This was not met with a response from the staff present. NIFI also asked whether an apology had been made to Solomon and what the process was for disciplining students.  The report also contains correspondence between members of the NIFI and Queen’s.

The university declined to comment on whether such meetings and correspondence were appropriate and whether they constituted allowing an outside organisation exert pressure on internal disciplinary action. Steven Jaffe also declined to comment.

Jason O’Neill, Adam McGibbon and Treasa Harkin, President, VP Welfare and VP Equality and Diversity of the Students’ Union respectively, were also contacted for statements. They declined to comment. As did Ogra Shinn Fein, QUB SDLP, QUB DUP and QUB Alliance.

Tyler McNally of the Socialist Society, said: “That is unbelievable.  It’s completely out of the question, it shouldn’t be in there.  That’s disgraceful for a lecturer to be saying that, he should apologise.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say its institutional sectarianism but I would go as far as to attack Queen’s for letting something like that be allowed.”

We note that we are constitutionally and legally obligated to support LGBT students and we are very happy to do so. We firmly believe that LGBT students and Christian students are not mutually exclusive groups. Both can be supported and indeed we support both. The Union has hosted numerous evangelical Christian events in the past. The idea of the Union being anti-Christian is frankly hysterical and inaccurate when one of our largest societies is the Christian Union.

The Students’ Union rejects those self-appointed people who claim to speak for all Christians. We further note the extensive participation of Christian groups in the Belfast Pride parade and the friendly and constructive relations between QUB’s LGBT and Christian Union societies. We also believe that isolating the actions of one person to define a parade of 30,000 attendees is disingenuous.

The Executive Committee of the Students’ Union have met, as we did last year, and have decided that the rainbow flag will fly on Pride Week to support our LGBT members. Whether the flag flies or not, we support our LGBT membership all year round.

We are confident that this is in tune with the vast majority of our membership’s wishes. If not, we expect our membership to use the democratic structures of the Union to let us know otherwise.

Adam McGibbon

Vice President Welfare (su.vpwelfare@qub.ac.uk)

Treasa Harkin

Vice President Equality  (su.vpequality@qub.ac.uk)

Three complaints have been made about the Rainbow Flag hanging outside the Union this week. One was made by a student at the University, the other two by non-students.  The flag is hanging in support of Belfast Pride Week.

BY BEN FINCH

Treasa Harkin, VP Equality and Diversity, described the comments by the non-students as stating that homosexuality was a “disability.” She said: “they were extremely persistent in their arguments and continued by saying they had many friends that were gay but didn’t practice.”

Another of their comments was: “Many people with disabilities can lead happy lives.”

One of the facts to emerge from Pride on the Hill on Monday was that 70% of suicides in Northern Ireland are committed by people who are gay, due to the pressure they felt from society.

The two men are reported to have said that people were committing suicide purely because they were gay and claimed that the flag was therefore promoting suicide.

Another of the remarks made was: “You wouldn’t put a Nazi flag outside or a prostitution one.”

The student that complained called homosexuality a “disease”

Harkin said: “The flag outside is a symbol of support. It was all very draconian.

“Society’s attitude is very, very daunting. There’s a lack of acceptance. Everyone is entitled to complain and to their own opinion but it is dangerous when things are misconceived and myths spread.

“Especially in Queen’s University because the only support for gay people is the LGBT society and this is something we need to improve on.”

Peter Agnew, President of Queen’s LGBT Society, said: “The way we look at this is that we pity them. They’ve such a tunnel vision that it’s embarrassing to themselves. We just think, ‘god love them’.”

Adam McGibbon, VP Welfare, said: “This is an appalling attitude. For every complaint that we get the flag we buy for next year gets bigger.” He speculated that the flag would double in size for every complaint.

The People and Planet Green League have placed Queen’s University Belfast in 53^rd position amongst UK universities, with a score of 33 out of 70 for their environmental management and performance.  Although Queen’s has placed similarly as in academic university guides, Oxford and Cambridge score much lower, coming in 103^rd and 68^th respectively.  In contrast, University of Ulster is in the top 20, placing 19^th with a score of 41.5 and receiving a first class award.

BY EMMA GALLEN

VP Welfare, and member of the Green Party, Adam McGibbon, wants Queen’s to focus more on ethical investment. He said: “Queen’s should look to its fellow Russell Group institution University College London for inspiration on ethical investment.” UCL scored full marks in its evaluation of ethical investment as did Russell Group member London School of Economics, which is the only Russell Group University to have received a first overall.  UCL placed 83rd.

McGibbon said: “In particular, as the Green League shows, QUB’s record on ethical procurement is pretty abysmal. One example of this is the sponsorship of Belfast Festival at Queen’s by Ulster Bank, an RBS subsidiary.” RBS have been involved in funding the exploration of Canadian tar sands in order to extract oil, which McGibbon describes as “horrifically polluting and unethical.”

Although he says he won’t be happy until Queen’s are number one, McGibbon is pleased with the progress, as QUB have moved up 12 places since last year.

Since the year is finished, the time has come for the Hood to look back over the year and dish out some awards to the societies, people and so on that I feel deserve to have the cold light of day poured onto their pimply backsides. Unlike the SU awards, these awards have been well thought out, and will not be awarded based on good relations with staff. The recipients and nominees will not get a dinner, nor will any society receive more than one award. However, in a similar vein to the SU awards however, these are undemocratic, uncounselled and decided by a heavily breathing man sitting in the dark.

BY THE HOOD

Best New Society:

This award simply must go to the QUB Palestine Solidarity society, not only for managing to post an advert with no address, no contact details and half of the advert in foreign, but also for their ability to compete with the socialists on sheer bloody-minded scrotum-chewing irritancy. However, the main reasons they received this award was for the heckling of a foreign diplomat and the assaults on his taxi, and of course for giving us one of our most easily to caricature figures by making himself president for life, banning all elections within his society, (Alex Redpath would be proud), accosting strangers about bewilderingly titled films, and wearing a tea towel.

Most improved society:

This award can only go to the Canoe club who have risen from last year’s position (being coshed vigorously in a darkened room by Andrew Dodge) to actually being a proper society once again. Bravo team! Another victory for student democracy.

Outstanding club or society:

I think this must go to the law society. Their election team promised to cut red tape, and they showed their working by failing to be registered as a proper society. Cutting red tape indeed.

Event of the Year:

Although there are several events that do deserve nomination for this, I feel it must go to the second UGM, the stillborn event that it was, with an attendance of roughly 30 people (including sabbs). But the Hood was there. Watching. Laughing. Playing with Himself.

Community Contribution of The Year:

This of course must go to Mr. McGrizzle, who spent St Patricks Day serving his community in the best way possible. By being in New York at the time, and managing to disappear with all the grace and smoothness of a hippopotamus covered in talcum powder.  Runner-up goes to Kevin Mulhern, Head of Communications at QUB, who became an honorary member of the police that day, the result being a steward going to the ambulance.

Love Affair of the Year:

For their darling public behaviour, their general cuteness, this award must go to Fiona Kidd and Gary Spedding. Spending all their time in idle chatter, whispering sweet nothings, she coyly playing with her SU magazine, he wiping the dribble from his tea-towel. How sweet.

Sabbatical of the Year:

This award was torn between the beard monster, the crying statue, the SU Mag editor, the evil genius, Nathan Hackett, the Tiny Casanova. However, in the end, it had to go to McGrizzle, the VP for institutional bickering, purely for his stand against the university on our behalf. He risked life and limb by threatening ‘a negative press release’. Fight the power.

Publication of the year:

SU magazine. Much less boring than the Verdict, much more informative than the Gown, much funnier than the PTQ.

Website of the Year:

The Gown Website. Not only can you sling muck, but you can pretend you’re someone else.

Andrew Dodge award for Puppeteer of the Year:

This award goes to DJ Shuffle McKernon, for his amazing looking after the ‘change4su ticket. Being a DJ in Jaxx, using their promotional stuff, ensuring that his candidates (maybe) forced foreign students to vote for their ticket (maybe). bravo. dodge rubs his hands with glee.

Gracious loser award:

This award was going to go to Jay for stomping off before the rest of the results came out, however, the winner is Niall Bole, for asking for an electoral court after he lost. Head full of sweetie mice that boy.

McGibbon award for barefaced electioneering:

The change4su ticket deserve two, firstly for their bewilderingly oft-repeated ‘huge acts festival’, which is different from the May Ball, in that it’s entirely fictional. Secondly to Aidan Hughes for his ‘QUB crew’, which will clean up the Holylands. Special mentions must go to Nuala Mcadams promising to fix QSIS (with her IT skills), and Derek Crosby promising to banish the Ice.

Elected officer of the Year:

Darren Leckey (our NUS-USI education and Welfare officer), for his bafflingly badly spelt, grandad-racist facebook statuses. Showing us the flower of Ulster unionism. Also for managing to look like a damp sack when discussing anything.

Award that was not allowed to be given due to a superinjunction:

Sarah Wright, Chloe Minish, Adam McGibbon, Joe Corina, Nuala Mcadams
Although we can’t say anything about these people, assume what you like about their disgraced faces.

QUB Person of the Year as voted for by my adoring public:

It seems to have gone to Ryan Quinn, that guy who did Evita.  People are idiots, actually voting for someone that did something well.

Sabb of the Year as voted by the public:

We had a clear winner here, a SAAB 9-3.  This was clearly the most reliable Sabb over the past year, it just never breaks down.  Its probably the prettiest of them all too, even though it’s an ugly wee fucker.

On May 28^th, activists protested across the UK against the dismantling of the National Health Service, and, more broadly, against cuts to public spending, the unfairness of which I don’t have to go into here.

BY ADAM MCGIBBON

UK Uncut is one of the most exciting protest movements of our times. Good-humoured, imaginative, attention-grabbing and effective, it has thrust issues of corporate power and tax avoidance – and the deep inequalities that they perpetuate – into mainstream political debate.

But why has Northern Ireland largely missed out on this wave of activism so far?

After all, our Assembly has passed a £6bn cuts budget. Our universities and colleges are being cut. Belfast Health & Social Care Trust alone is cutting the equivalent of 1,755 full-time staff this year. The consociational nature of the Assembly means that parties in mandatory coalition can blame each other for cuts in individual departments. Nationalists blame the ‘British’ cuts coming from Westminster. Parties can even vote against budgets and still remain in coalition. They all attempt to elude the fact they are all culprits in this.

And while all this is going on, those most able to pay remain untouched and there is a disturbing consensus about cutting Northern Ireland’s rate of corporation tax. All but a handful of MLAs in the Assembly – and all the parties in the Executive – have pledged to cut corporation tax from the current rate of 28% down to 12.5%. Not only is the logic of doing this flawed in the extreme (as has been argued convincingly here), but it’s going to cost money – around £300m a year – which we’re giving to aid corporations when we should be aiding the most vulnerable in our society at a time when they need it most. Corporation tax cuts, slavishly supported by everyone from the DUP to Sinn Fein to Alliance as the false panacea to our economic woes, mean even more cuts to vital public services.

The opposition to corporation tax reduction in the Assembly is almost non-existent, but strangely diverse. In fact, it’s perhaps the only time ever the Greens have shared the same view as the hardline unionist TUV. In Westminster, Mark Durkan is the only NI MP to have signed Early Day Motion 1146, supporting UK Uncut.  Sylvia Hermon came out against it this week too – and she should know, being a member of the parliamentary select committee that’s taking evidence on it.

Surely this calls for opposition outside the chamber – that is why we need Northern Ireland Uncut.

We need a movement of ordinary people to stand up to cuts and the prioritization of big business over everyday need. It can’t be owned by any one grouping or faction, and the decentralized, good-humoured nature of UK Uncut protests can draw in people beyond the usual left political sphere. It’s very simple – we pay our taxes. Why shouldn’t corporations?

There has been at least one action in Belfast so far, but it seems to have escaped the media attention that helps the concept gather public support in other parts of the UK. Others have started – we should join them. It’s really quite simple to list an action, gather some friends and post a Facebook link.

This is not at all a criticism of all that’s been done so far, but a call to participate in some friendly competition with our friends in England, Scotland and Wales. The picture is not complete until every part of the UK has consistent, regular Uncutter actions.

But who am I to say this to you? Nobody. Just some guy.  But that’s the beauty of it. The decentralized nature of this movement means that literally anyone can do it.

So, people of Northern Ireland  – get organised. I’ll see you on the high streets.

www.twitter.com/belfastuncut

Two men were arrested and a viable device was defused in the early hours of Friday morning in an alley opening on Eblana Street, just off University Street. The alley opening lies just behind the headquarters of the Alliance Party. This building also doubles as the constituency office of Anna Lo, MLA.

BY LORCAN MULLEN

Police scene-of-crime officers are still working at the scene of a failed dissident bomb attack in the university area.

The Alliance Party’s leader David Ford serves as the Justice Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive: in this role, he is nominally in charge of the police’s anti-dissident efforts, and has also been at loggerheads with a number of

republican groups over alleged ill-treatment of prisoners.

In a statement issued by the party, the deputy leader Naomi Long MP acknowledged that Alliance HQ was the target:

“Over the years, Alliance has faced many threats and we say to those who wish to cause instability that such acts merely strengthen our resolve to deliver peace and stability and build a society free from division and prejudice.”

Ms Long also condemned the perpetrators, stating they have “utter disregard for the lives of local people.” No representatives from Alliance could be reached for further comment; a party worker at headquarters was unwilling to give any comment beyond the issued statement.

Details of the circumstances of the failed attack remain unclear. While two men were arrested at the scene, a further two men and a woman were also arrested for suspected dissident activities last night at undisclosed locations elsewhere in Belfast. A taxi used by the Eblana Street suspects was also seized by the police for further examination.

A police spokesperson acknowledged that the Eblana Street arrests were made as part of that broader anti-dissident operation, and not as a result of local patrols. The police were unwilling to explain why the suspects still managed to successfully deliver a viable device to its apparent target.

While no group has claimed responsibility, the Republican Network for Unity staged a recent protest at the Alliance offices, attempting to deliver a letter calling on David Ford to stop alleged strip-searching of republican inmates at Maghaberry prison.

According to a statement issued by RNU, Alliance refused the activists entry and called the police. RNU reportedly have close links to Óglaigh na hÉireann, the dissident group responsible for the attack on PSNI officer Peadar Heffron, amongst others.

The university area has seen a number of similar incidents recently. Last night’s events follow the planting of viable pipe bomb at Queen’s Officer Training Corps, and the sectarian intimidation of a QUBSU sabbatical officer at home following the ratification of the Republican Congress society by the student representative council. Both incidents happened in this academic year. A police spokesperson insisted that the investigation of the OTC device is still active.

Speaking for the students’ union, VP Welfare Adam McGibbon said: “Queen’s Students’ Union utterly condemns this senseless act. For it to happen at any time of the year is bad, but endangering and stressing out students during exam time is completely unacceptable: these people have no support among students and the community.”

Just under £40,000 of docked wages of the staff who took part in the UCU strike in March will be put into the Student Support scheme, a discretionary fund available to students who get into financial difficulty during their time at Queen’s.

BY EMMA GALLEN

VP Welfare Adam McGibbon met with representatives from UCU who agreed that the wages should be given to struggling students. They told McGibbon that this has been done previously.

McGibbon then met with the university’s Director of Human Resources, Sean McGuickin, who agreed to place the £39,276 in the fund for students.

McGibbon said to McGuickin: “The money transferred will make a huge difference to the lives of those students most in need, and can you please pass on the thanks of the Union Executive to all involved in making this decision. It’s good to see this precedent continue, especially given the huge pressure that many of the students that the Support Fund helps are facing due to the economic situation.”

This brings the total McGibbon has secured for the Support Fund up to £339,276.

In one of the final acts of student democracy this year, the sabbatical officers were successful in getting the support necessary for a number of constitution amendments passed via referendum.

BY EMMA GALLEN

VP Equality Samantha Tan was pleased that the equality policy was passed.  She said that: “this will mean it is set in stone that equality and diversity is there.  This is something to show a commitment to equality and diversity.” This amendment received 180 yes votes, the highest number of yes votes in this referendum.

VP Clubs and Societies Niall Bole was delighted that Rule 8 was added to the constitution.  He said that these changes “define how clubs and societies are formed and governed. The old one was an out of date patchwork that didn’t mention sporting clubs as separate entities.”

The amendment which received the most “no” votes was the changes to the rules on gambling with 43 votes.  This referendum required only a simple majority of more people voting yes than no and can only be over turned by another referendum ,after it goes through the formality of being accepted by the Senate.

Adam McGibbon, VP Welfare, was particularly pleased that anonymous questions are now available and there are set rules on officer protocol.  He said that: “Both amendments mean that officers are more accountable to students and gives them set working hours.”

BY ADAM MCGIBBON

Northern Ireland isn’t much different. Despite the Green Party here being severely hindered by the onset of political violence in the province, every election since the Good Friday Agreement has seen the Green vote grow and grow, culminating in the election of the first Green councillors in 2005 and the first MLA, Brian Wilson (North Down) in 2007.

The lazy tree-hugger stereotyping of the past has now largely disappeared; the Greens are now recognised as providing a serious and well-considered social, economic and environmental alternative. Party leader Steven Agnew has become well-known over the last few years and has developed a higher profile than many sitting MLAs, the ranks of which he intends to join, standing to replace Brian Wilson as the Green MLA for North Down on May 5th.

The ‘Green New Deal’ is the Greens’ main priority in the next Assembly; to push for mass investment in public transport and renewable energy to create badly-needed jobs, restart a shattered economy and deal with the problems of depleting fossil fuels, fuel poverty and climate change. The plan has received widespread support and boasts diverse supporters, from the CBI to Greenpeace.

So credible is this idea that many of the other parties attempt to sing off the Greens’ hymn sheet, while on the other hand trying to discredit them as ‘hippies’. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, voters are smarter than that. At a time when they are the only party in the Assembly that refuse to take donations from business, they benefit from the shattered credibility of the big parties.

Despite predictions 4 years ago of the Greens being a flash-in-the-pan party, they look set to increase their representation in the Assembly and local councils. With the mechanics of the NI Assembly meaning that the Green Party were the only party not in the NI Executive at the end of this Assembly term, the Greens have an important opposition role to fulfil.

A truly ‘post-conflict’ party has emerged. Peter Robinson said at the start of the election campaign that Northern Ireland was about to enter its “first everyday issue election,” then followed that by pandering to the same old nationalist/unionist division to lobby for votes. However, the Greens have fought every one of their elections on everyday issues, and it has to be said that the growth of issue-based parties like the Greens can only be healthy for Northern Ireland politics.

The Green Party’s manifesto is available at:http://www.greenpartyni.org/documents/Green%20Party%20NI%20Manifesto%202011.pdf

Eddie Izzard began a whistlestop tour of the UK in Belfast today in an attempt to garner support for the Yes to AV campaign. The comedian met local campaigners and explained to the gathered press why he believes that the people should vote yes to the alternative vote system on Thursday, May 5.

BY BEN FINCH

Izzard left the Black Box to canvass punters at the Duke of York and had a swift mouthful of beer, much to the consternation of his PR, before walking to the big fish by the Lagan for a photocall with marathon runners and local ‘Yes’ campaigners.

Izzard said: “I think we should vote yes to AV because it is fairer and I think fairness is a central part of what we human beings are about… I think it’s fairer, I think it’s as simple as 1,2,3 , it’s better, it gives more power to individual voters.

“It makes MPs work harder for us because they not only need to talk to their core vote, and sometimes they don’t even do that, but they’ll also have to talk to other people as well as other parties because they could put them down as second choice. I just think it makes it wider for us, more power in our hands, makes the MPs think about everyone in their constituency.”

A poll on the referendum, carried out by ICD and the New Statesman, left the Yes campaign lagging behind the rival No campaign by 14 percent on Friday. Izzard was confident that this wasn’t an issue saying: “Well they all change, it’s very difficult to poll. There was one where we were two points behind so the polling is all over the place.”

He added that he wouldn’t like to see a move to full proportional representation stating that: “I don’t think we should go all the way to PR, this keeps the direct link with the MP and I like that,” he said.

Izzard appealed to those voters who would see themselves as liberal-thinking, saying: “I think [AV is] a good thing for us, the real people who care. The people who change the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, the progressive people you know. It’s what we’re about I think.”

A letting agency in the South Belfast area, called QUB Student Rentals, has raised alarms in the Students’ Union.

The company is completely unrelated to the university which VP Welfare Adam McGibbon says may mislead students.  He says, “It’s important to underline that ‘QUB Rentals’ have nothing to do with Queen’s or the Students’ Union, and students shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that their name implies any extra security or reputability than any other letting agent.”

BY EMMA GALLEN

Using the term “QUB” is contentious, as it signifies the university.  Declan Boyle, from QUB Student Rentals, sees no issue with using the term, saying, “I don’t believe we have to [be associated with the university].”

QUB Student Rentals say the initials stand for Queen’s University, University of Ulster and Belfast Metropolitan College.

Adam McGibbon, along with  SU Director Andrew Dodge and Mike Uprichard of QUB Accommodation, have been in contact about the situation and are seeking legal advice on the matter.

Declan Boyle, however, states that, “The Union hasn’t been on to me about anything.”

Plans are in place to open an SU Letting Agency next year, and there is concern from the Union that students will be misinformed and confuse the two.

BY SEAN ASHFORD

It has recently emerged that three candidates will run for the post of VP Education. Louis O’Neill of Accountancy and of the GAA has in recent days declared his candidacy and will face Council Speaker Joe Corina and councillor Nuala McAdams for the post. Mr O’Neill is the latest of candidates to declare he will run in the upcoming elections and it is possible that others may come forward before nominations close next Monday.

A split in the current sabbatical team sees VPs Jay Downs, Niall Bole and Adam McGibbon standing against fellow officers Fiona Kidd and Samantha Tan. This marks a turnaround from last year when all five of these candidates campaigned alongside each other.

Thus far there appears that three major groups will contest this election, it is not known whether more candidates will be added to each ticket. The most complete group so far is the team of Jay Downs, Niall Bole, Ethan Loughery, Nuala McAdams, Adam McGibbon and Lorcan Mullen. The other group containing current sabbatical officers consists so far of Samantha Tan, Fiona Kidd and Joe Corina. The third group in this year’s election will consist of a mixture of candidates from the Law Society and GAA which includes candidates Jason O’Neill, Niall McShane, Aidan Hughes and Treasa Harkin.

There are at the moment three confirmed candidates for the role of SU president. Current VP Community Jay Downs will compete against fellow VP Samantha Tan and Jason O’Neill, president of the Law Society at Queen’s.

The contest for Clubs and Societies at the moment appears to be a straight contest between incumbent Niall Bole and the GAA’s Niall McShane, on the same ticket as the Law Society.

The role of VP Campaigns will be vital in the coming months and current VP Fiona Kidd will seek to retain her role against NUS-USI Deputy President Lorcan Mullen. For the post of VP Community, student councillor Derek Crosby will stand as an independent candidate against Queen’s Radio station manager Ethan Loughrey and the Law Society’s Aidan Hughes.

Thus far no candidate has been put forward to take on Adam McGibbon as VP Welfare. McGibbon has enjoyed a high profile due to his performance as a Green Party candidate in last year’s Westminster election. At the time of print there appears to be no one willing to challenge McGibbon.

Finally for the position of VP Equality and Diversity, Lucy Griffin, Treasa Harkin and Damien Edgar will contest what is perhaps the most open position available. All three candidates have kept quiet about their campaigns so far, but with the elections rapidly approaching do expect each to begin their campaigns in earnest within a matter of days.

Nominations for the seven student officer positions will close on Monday 21 February at 5.00pm, and polling will take place via Queen’s Online from Tuesday 1 March until 5.00pm on Wednesday 2 March.

BY CONNOR DALY

VP Community Jay Downs stated that the Union “heavily condemns” binge drinking and any bar or nightclub that may entice school leavers to drink irresponsibly. Contrasting recently blasted ‘All you can drink’ promotions with the Students’ Union’s offer, Downs maintained that the 3 for £5 promotion on Thursday night at the SU does not encourage young men and women to drink large amounts of alcohol. In addition, Downs stated that the Union has a “duty of care” and that bar staff are ordered not to serve drink to intoxicated customers. VP Welfare Adam McGibbon also claimed that Queen’s Students’ Union has the highest proportion of security staff to customers in all of South Belfast’s bars and nightclubs.

According to the Queen’s Students’ Union’s Alcohol Policy: “When students engage in high risk drinking, academic performance, health, personal relationships and safety can suffer.” VP Education Nathan Anderson, however, denied that the Speakeasy’s offers encouraged excessive drinking. Anderson claimed that “tensions will always arise” when planning similar events. He stated that the Union “attracts anyone”, students and non-students, and “it’s not a member’s club”. Anderson described the Students’ Union as “a business, a service, and also a union”, and added that here in Northern Ireland “drinking is just a part of the culture”.

The Union’s Alcohol Policy states: “Queen’s Students’ Union has a significant commercial element and, as such, will be required to promote its events to its students and other regular users.” Promoting business, this same Alcohol Policy states that the organisation “uses its internal mechanisms such as posters, flyers, and chalkboards. It also uses alternative communication means such as Queen’s Radio, SUTV and “Student Stuff””. It is, however, unlikely that many disincentives of irresponsible drinking have been advertised via SUTV, given that QUB students are still without access to this forum, and the future of the facility remains clouded by uncertainty.

VP Welfare Adam McGibbon pointed out that everyone attending Thursday’s party would be over 18 years of age and thus of legal age to consume alcohol and avail of the drinks promotions.

VP Campaigns and Communications Fiona Kidd and Student Union Director Andrew Dodge were unavailable for comment.

VP Welfare Adam McGibbon and MLA Anna Lo have spoken out about the latest alleged sex attack in the University area. Police are investigating an alleged rape which took place on Saturday morning. It was reported that a woman was viciously attacked by two men in an alleyway between Cromwell Road and Ireton Street between 12:30am and 1:30am. PSNI are currently appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward.

BY KERRI-ANNE CAMPBELL

Anna Lo has urged women to be extra vigilant when going home at night in the university area, and has also called for PSNI to step up patrols at night.

She also stressed that the area is currently very quiet as most students have left for the summer holidays and this could make young women even more vulnerable to attack.

Sexual assault in the university area of South Belfast has been a continuing issue. VP Welfare and chairperson of the South Belfast Green Party, Adam McGibbon said, “It is a big concern. The university area is becoming more and more of a dangerous place.”

McGibbon stated that he is currently planning a number of campaigns in order to combat the problem and is hoping to work alongside Belfast City Council. As part of the campaign, it is hoped that in the near future, students will be able to use their student card in order to pay their taxi fee at a later date if they do not have the money at the time. If the campaign is successful, this would certainly ensure that every student has a safe way of getting home. McGibbon also encourages students to use the personal safety alarms which are available in the Students’ Union.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, last year 1,943 incidents of sexual assault were reported to the PSNI, of which 381 were alleged rapes. However, a report published earlier this month has revealed that only one in fifteen alleged rapes reported in Northern Ireland ends with a criminal conviction. As a result of this many rape victims refuse to report to the police.

Adam McGibbon, the recently elected Union vice-president for welfare, is set for a second daunting electoral challenge this semester, successfully landing the Green Party’s nomination for Belfast South in the upcoming UK general elections. Queen’s University is situated in this constituency.

BY LORCAN MULLEN

The current MP, the SDLP’s Alasdair McDonnell, will be defending a slim majority against McGibbon, the UCUNF’s Paula Bradshaw, Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey and Alliance’s Anna Lo, among others. In 2005, McDonnell won with 10,339 votes. In the 2007 Assembly elections, Green candidate Brenda Cooke secured a tally of 737 votes.

A postgraduate politics student at Queen’s University, McGibbon joined the Green Party in 2007 at the age of 19, becoming the youngest member of the Party’s Executive Committee and is currently the Chairperson of the South Belfast branch. He was elected unanimously at a meeting of the branch, and has already begun canvassing in the area.

Speaking to The Gown, McGibbon insisted that such canvassing, so far confined to non-student areas, had elicited an “excellent response”, with the Greens’ flagship ‘green new deal’ proving popular on the doorsteps. This ‘green new deal’ would see an estimated 38,000 jobs created in the renewable energy sector, with a particular boost for the beleaguered construction trade. Initial investment would go towards home insulation and indigenous forms of power generation, like woodchip farming and burning. McGibbon pointed out that these new blue-collar jobs would be largely immune to outsourcing, the consistent scourge of the North’s ever-faltering economy.

In South Belfast, McGibbon will be pushing a “20 is plenty” speed limit in built up areas, while also supporting free home insulation for any house that needs it. According to the Young Green, the apparent malaise over environmental campaigning after the failed Copenhagen summit, coupled with the murky media hype surrounding leaked emails from the University of East Anglia, has not reached the doorsteps of South Belfast. Rather, “people are more convinced that action has to be taken by them, not just governments.”

Apart from environmental and economic considerations, McGibbon stressed the power of the Greens’ untainted “new” politics, outside the bickering of sectarian division and unsullied from the various recent political scandals at Westminster. He asserted that the Greens are the only party in Stormont who do not accept corporate donations.

When pushed on the charge that his movement is a strictly middle-class pursuit, McGibbon reported a particular warmth from working class constituents when told of the Greens’ absence from the oft-repeated ‘heads in the trough’ behaviour of a large number of incumbent MPs and political leaders.

McGibbon also refuted the argument that a Green vote would increase the chances of the UCUNF (Conservative) candidate defeating Alasdair McDonnell. McDonnell and the SDLP typically vote with Labour at Westminster. He questioned the true progressive impulses of McDonnell, but also the Alliance Party, stating that “they aren’t honest in how they present themselves.”

Most importantly, McGibbon encouraged students to participate in the elections, primarily through registration at their place of study, “where they spend most of their time…let’s talk about cold houses, fuel poverty, student fees.”

With more than 20,000 studying at the university, a significant Union voter-registration drive could well see students dominate the political debate in this constituency for years to come, leveraging votes to commit the MP for South Belfast to policies that are good for students and young people, not just “permanent residents.”

BY ADAM MCGIBBON

Agnew, who left Queens with a degree in Philosophy in 2001, spent his post-university years as a Support Worker for the homeless with a well-known charity. He joined the Green Party in 2003, not primarily as an environmentalist, but as someone more interested in the Greens’ policies on social justice.

To a room full of interested students, Agnew talked about his experiences in the European election. The ‘Green tide’ which led to a 31% increase in the Green vote from 2007 and a dramatic 300% increase in the vote since 2004, was hard-won. He spoke of the mad rush of a European election campaign during which he was the subject of a documentary about elections, interviewed by Catalan Radio, and overwhelmed by the amount of people who turned out to support the Greens – “We even had a lemonade man in North Belfast delivering leaflets and canvassing!’

Asked by students what his plans were for the future, he responded that the Greens were looking forward to the 2010 Westminster elections, but were mostly setting their sights on the 2011 Local & Assembly elections. Agnew spoke about the importance of young people to the Green Party, saying that The Green Party needs younger members to take it from modest beginnings to a Green future. He anticipated future gains for the party, which currently has 3 councillors and one MLA in the Assembly.

For someone who didn’t become an MEP last June, Steven Agnew’s profile remains high – he has recently been named as one of the nominees for Slugger O’Toole’s ‘Up and coming politician of the year’ award. Whatever happens in the future, it seems that Steven Agnew will be one to watch.