10000 marched their way around for 2011 Belfast Pride. The 21st annual march was watched by 20000 in the city centre.

BY BEN FINCH AND LORCAN MULLEN 

The march left Custom House Square at two o’clock and headed to City Hall. Open-sided lorries carried pole dancing men, while red sightseeing buses were full to the brim with cheering crowds.

Mobile advertising hoardings stated: “Gay, lesbian, straight, we are all people.”  The bystanders watched approvingly as transvestites walked past in towering heels, walking with greater assurance than most girls would be able to in the same shoes.

As the parade passed City Hall there was heckling from an organised group of fundamentalist Christians. There was reports of an assault, but nothing confirmed by the PSNI.

The parade returned to Custom House Square for the Party in the Square, where Lisa Scott Lee and Cubstars performed.

Drag queen Dusty Drawers, dressed in a pink leotard with a rainbow tail and a red feather headdress, said: “It’s fabulous this year. It’s been really well organised.”

Pete Woolfe, a representative from the shopworkers’ union USDAW, was visiting from Manchester said Belfast was “just as lively, but smaller.” He also had some advice for dealing with protests which aren’t limited to Belfast. “In Manchester you get people waving the bible at you but there’s people in the parade waving the bible right back. We get people to line in front of the protests with curtains on their arms to block them out.”

Pride photographer David Hall said that while Northern Ireland is “still behind the rest of the UK”, the day allowed people the space to be themselves, to “get out, be who you are…just being alive.”

Padraig Lawlor said: “there’s still an element of watching your Ps and Qs, about not ‘rubbing it in someone’s face’.” Alanna McCormack felt that Pride has become less political. She said: “most of the political aims have been achieved, it’s much better than it was.” Steven Donnan, chair of the Northern Ireland Green Party’s LGBT group said:“the stigma is changing slowly but surely.”

The SDLP’s Conall McDevitt,  MLA for South Belfast said: “I thought this year was particularly good. One of the nicest things was the number of teenagers walking around and embracing the occasion and the diversity.”

The parade doesn’t meet the approval of all in the city. Some people who were approached for a comment during the parade simply shook their heads and said nothing. However, one ‘born again’ Christian who didn’t wish to be named said, “A man’s supposed to go with a woman. If your parents had been gay then you wouldn’t be here. When god made Adam he didn’t make another man.” He also stated that equality of any sort is impossible: “There isn’t equality. Christ is the head of the man and the man is the head of the woman.” He thought gay people should “just stay single. I mean I’m single and I’m fine.”

McDevitt described people like this as being “such a tiny minority in the city these days.”

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.”

The first SU Council meeting since the sabbatical elections witnessed a number of constitutional amendments passed as well as the inclusion of two new societies. The meeting also featured a number of heated debates between councillors over the proposal of performance related pay (PRP) and an emergency motion relating to the upcoming University College Union (UCU) strikes on the 21 and 24 March. 

BY SEAN AHFORD AND KERRI-ANNE CAMPBELL

SU President, Gareth McGreevy was not in attendance due to annual leave. In addition, it was announced that Ryan Cushley would be stepping down from his position on Council. 

The first new society to be proposed was the Rotaract Society, a fundraising body which has already raised money for diverse causes such as leukaemia research and the Simon community. The second society, proposed by current Council Speaker Joe Corina, was QUB Labour Students. SU Councillor, Sarah Wright took on the role of Speaker for the duration of the proposal. Both societies were ratified unanimously by Council. 

The majority of the constitutional reforms were proposed by current VP Community, Jay Downs. Downs’ first proposal was to delete the constitutional clause which required amendments to be ratified by a Union General Meeting or by Referendum prior to submission to the Senate. The motion was opposed by VP Education, Nathan Anderson. For Anderson, to suggest referendums and general meetings were unnecessary was against the democratic principles of the University. The amendment, however, was carried by 38 votes to 21.

The second amendment was to change the process by which a referendum takes place so as to make it easier for them to garner enough support to get over the lower threshold for ratification (a 10 per cent turnout is required). Despite the fact that this amendment was passed unanimously, a number of senior councillors were unhappy with these two proposals, calling them a contradiction of interests. According to one councillor, whereas the first amendment called for a severe reduction in the number of referendums at Queen’s, the second was designed to make these easier and more workable tools for the Union’s disposal, therefore making the decision to largely remove referendums as “stupid”. 

Other motions carried included one to make all questions directed at sabbatical officers or any senior member of the Students’ Union as being “professionally relevant” and the introduction of anonymous questions directed towards sabbatical officers. It has been suggested the latter amendment may have been in response to the fact that so far this academic year there have been no questions directed at the sabbatical officers from Council and therefore they have not been held to account as much as they should be.

The amendment was passed with only two councillors opposing, Jason O’Neill in particular stated that this set a “dangerous precedent” for future years. O’Neill also opposed the introduction of an amendment which would lead the way to performance related pay being introduced for next year’s sabbatical team, stating that it would “open Pandora’s Box”. O’Neill expressed his concern that it could lead to future animosities being expressed at Council. However, the mer otion was passed by 46 votes to 4.

The final constitutional amendment passed, and passed unanimously, was the introduction of end of year reports by sabbatical officers to aid the transfer of future sabbatical teams.

The final major issue of the evening was an emergency motion proposed by NUS-USI Deputy President, Lorcan Mullen, and this passed after a heated debate between certain members of Council. The motion called for the SU to support the upcoming UCU strikes by urging students not to cross the picket line and attend classes. At one point of the debate a councillor accused the motion of being “pure socialism”. VP Downs said that if fees do not increase then the University will cut 400 jobs and that this is why students ought to show solidarity with the unions. After two proposed changes the motion was eventually carried with only 4 council members opposing it.

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.

Hundreds of Queen’s students today protested against the recent Browne review at Mandela Hall and outside the university. Student representatives from NUS-USI and the Students’ Union initiated the Union General Meeting at noon and asked students to back their motion to reject Lord Browne’s proposals. NUS-USI President Ciarnan Helferty

BY SEAN ASHFORD AND LAURA MCANENEY

For more photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=242102&id=193105345291

In what has been described as the biggest protest on Queen’s campus in well over a decade, students gathered at the Union’s Mandela Hall where representatives pledged to fight against the lifting of the cap on fees, currently at £3,290. Last week’s Browne recommendations on higher education funding suggested that universities in England be permitted to raise their tuition charges to anything as high as £12,000. Mr Helferty told a crowded Mandela Hall, “We can’t stand idly by” as politicians set about implementing Browne’s plans for a free market education system.

Proposing the motion in appreciation of the recent Stuart review was NUS-USI Deputy President, Lorcan Mullen, and students were given the opportunity to speak on and in favour of the motion. No one present at the meeting opposed the motion. Speaking on the motion in Mandela Hall was last year’s Green Party European election candidate and former QUB student, Stephen Agnew. Agnew described Browne’s suggestion to raise the fees cap as a policy driven by ideology and not necessity and, emphasising the power of devolution in Northern Ireland, called upon local politicians at Stormont to oppose the Browne review.

Before leaving Mandela Hall to make their way to the gates of Queen’s, students in attendance were asked to raise their student cards to vote on the motion, a motion which was clearly carried; only one abstained. Adhering to health and safety policy, students were then split into various groups and made their way out of the building.

Hundreds of students lined outside the gates of Queen’s University and along the length of the Students’ Union raising ‘Down with Browne’ and other similar placards in the air, chanting, among other things, “Freeze fees – yes please.” Politicians and representatives from the Alliance, QUB Greens, SDLP and Socialist Party lent their support to the protest, and a statement was read out from Independent MLA Dawn Purvis, as well as statements from individual representatives of Sinn Féin and the DUP who were unable to attend.

For over an hour students were continuously joined by more protesters throughout the proceedings, all adamant in their fight against the Browne proposals. A question and answer session with MLAs was expected to take place in the Space area of the SU but did not materialise due to commitments at Stormont. NUS-USI President Helferty and SU President Gareth McGreevy told students they were not willing to stand by and watch the Browne proposals implemented and vowed to challenge elected representatives to justify any increase to tuition fees.

BY LORCAN MULLEN

First off, the support, long-time next-big-(Bangor)-things Kowalski deserve a mention. Topping off a typically polished set with the bittersweet dream-pop of ‘Get back’, they exuded an understated confidence on a (relatively) big stage that (hopefully) signifies a long-awaited, much deserved breakthrough of sorts.

Modest Mouse’s set was a strange one: opening duo ‘3rd planet’ and ‘Black cadillacs’ gained a muted reception, but to his credit, lead Mouse Isaac Brock subsequently threw out enough gulping, snarling, note-twisting passion to conjure up a (somewhat premature) purple patch: successive crowd-pleasers ‘Satin in a coffin’, ‘Fire it up’ and ‘Dashboard’ successfully rousing the lukewarm Open House-goers.

‘Cowboy Dan’ (from classic album Lonely crowded west) was almost worth the ticket price all by itself. Combining sinister lyrical whimsy, passionate delivery and a clattering, heavily chordy momentum, the Mice fashioned a jerky soundscape matching the likes of Springsteen for scale, with none of the hollow, clichéd bravado implicit in the ‘rock songs about the US hinterland’ sub-genre.

Disappointingly, the set sort of died away after this high point. While ‘Dramamine’ and ‘Missed the boat’ were well received, a prevailing air of unexceptional general goodness set in until the end. Even loping crossover hit ‘Float on’ brought no more than a benevolent sway from the sparse-ish audience. The short encore, curtailed by an unexpected curfew, was equally bathetic, though by no means poor.

Put plainly, it was a solid, if poorly paced gig: an undeniably fine way to pass a rainy Thursday evening in Belfast, just, y’know, not very compelling raw material for a review, as I said. Cough.

BY EMMA GALLEN

This proposal is likely to soothe tensions within Cable’s party over the looming threat of higher fees, especially after the last autumn’s Browne review. The Liberal Democrats pledged to phase out the fees system in their election manifesto, but have been accused of betraying students (and their many student voters) after abandoning this position in the coalition agreement.

While the student unions are broadly receptive to Cable’s proposal, student support is not universal. Many see a lifelong tax to be more unfair than fees; others may see university as an investment, with higher debt at a prestigious university worth the risk for a better potential career.

QUBSU VP Welfare Adam McGibbon thinks this mindset values university for the wrong reasons. “University is about learning about life and meeting people as well as gaining a qualification.” For McGibbon, Cable’s other proposals regarding university disregard some of the major benefits of campus life. The VP’s view is that encouraging more students to stay at home to study overlooks the importance of gaining independence.

Cable also dismisses classes with low contact time, claiming that there is “no need for seven hour weeks” and arguing they could be taught in two years instead of three. This proposal undermines the value of most Arts degrees where class time is minimal in order to allow more time for student reading and staff research.

VP Education Nathan Anderson stressed that students must be cautious in their readings of Cable’s proposal, highlighting that the majority of Cable’s cabinet are ideologically opposed to a “tax on the affluent.” He was also keen to make it known that Queen’s will not necessarily be affected by Cable’s proposals as Northern Ireland regulates its own universities and are have to carry out their own review.  However, he does warn that the Browne review will set a precedent that Northern Ireland’s Department of Education and Learning will follow.

NUS-USI Deputy President Lorcan Mullen thinks that the proposals are an overall positive:

“While this is only a proposal, and a proposal facing likely opposition from the vice-chancellors and senior Tories (including ministers in Cable’s department), it is encouraging news. It is my firm view that any settlement that makes education free at the point of access, and brings proportionate post-degree contributions will be fairer.

Of course, the various student unions will make a proper assessment of Cable’s plans when more details are available. However, this should not distract students from the dangers of a zealously pro-market, pro-cuts government seeking to concurrently slash spending in our system.”

BY LORCAN MULLEN

For a public assembly of 50 or more people, (a number which, according to the bill, can be adjusted on the joint whim of the First and Deputy First Ministers) the authorities must be notified (37 days in advance for a ‘procession’, 22 days for a ‘protest meeting’), organisers must be cited and those breaching the terms of the bill would be subject to arrest without warrant.

Protests are, by their nature spontaneous – they often take place in reaction to sudden, shocking or unifying public events. There can be no doubt that this new oppressive administrative framework will drastically reduce the number of protest rallies held in the North (hardly that many) for no discernible public gain.

The planned spectacle of police Land Rovers circling passionate, if only loosely planned protests is objectionable. A police commander counting to 50 under his breath from his vantage point, and sending his constables wading into a peaceful throng to make scores of arrests, all for the sake of insufficient paperwork, is a chilling, looming travesty.

Under the Human Rights Act 1998, all decisions of UK public authorities are subject to the terms and case law of the European Convention on Human Rights – laws and decisions of politicians and office-holders can be quashed if they are incompatible with the precepts of the Convention.

The Convention holds that:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others…no restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society…”

Does the Public Assemblies Bill feel compatible to you? Anyone would imagine human rights law would have been contemplated at the drafting stage.

The question is, were the DUP and Sinn Fein bigwigs involved too customarily thick to consider the human rights implications of their actions, or did they simply not care?

Neither party has any credible legacy of valuing human rights: the hang ‘em all, knee-jerk authoritarianism of the DUP is now working in tandem with the barely-fathomable moral ambiguities of Gerry Adams’s post-ceasefire Sinn Fein. One grew out of waging a devastating war on the state, the other gathered strength as a vehicle for bleak and pitiless whataboutery. It would be madness to trust either with the sane handling of our civil liberties – they had better just keep their grubby fingers off them.

From the student perspective, this bill is potentially disastrous. Direct protesting and picketing have largely died off in recent times; the vast majority of students gladly embrace their ignorant, consumerist, drink-addled cliché-ride though university life, curiously proud in surrendering their lives to the decisions of others.

However fundamental, unacceptable changes to the education system are on the horizon for this year: the noxious cocktail of savage Con-Lib cuts (a 25% cut in the further and higher education budget come October) and default Stormont fecklessness will have a noticeable impact on university life: the cap on fees is likely to be lifted without significant protest and dissent from students.

I would hope at some point in the coming year, for these reasons, we student leaders could summon more than a meagre 50 people in one outside area, registering a righteous fury at such measures. I would hope the state would allow those student leaders to mount a peaceful, public protest under laws happily adhered to in the vast majority of fellow-European states. I would deem a state that doesn’t do this dictatorial.

Wouldn’t you?

(Lorcan Mullen is the new Deputy President of the NUS-USI)

Union vice-presidents Barry Duffy and Paul Lilly have survived no-confidence motions brought before last night’s special meeting of the student representative council. The Space played host to a vigorous debate over the efficacy of the sabbatical officers, with councillors Damien Corridan and Anne Pauli presenting well-reasoned, well-researched critiques of the work of the ‘Chuckle Brothers’.

BY LORCAN MULLEN AND CONNOR DALY

NOTICE: The comment thread on this post is now closed and no more comments will be moderated.

While a majority of councillors voted in favour of the no-confidence motions, the constitutional threshold of three-quarters was not met. Duffy and Lilly, in conjunction with familiar faces Martin Lilly and Seamus Óg MacGiolla Cheara successfully marshalled the support of their Law/GAA power base, with an unusually large delegation in attendance. Speaker Alex Redpath quipped to councillors, “some of you I’m meeting for the first time.”

Redpath relinquished the chair, alluding to earlier accusations of partisan support for Duffy and Lilly during the performance related pay saga. These allegations led to a similar failed no-confidence vote in Redpath earlier this year. Ryan Cushley took his place, in an effort to avoid the intrusion of “vested interests.”

The VP Education’s hearing came first. Cllr. Pauli opened the debate, citing the behaviour of officers like Duffy as a reason for student political apathy. She stated that Duffy was “taking the mick out of this institution”, deeming his prospective dismissal “no loss to us.” In support, Cllr. Corridan made a powerful case for the council’s duty as a scrutinising body:

“…when the Union is failing its members, council has a duty to step in and do what is morally just…personality alone cannot stop us from discharging our responsibilities.”

Corridan explained that examination of Duffy’s officer reports showed scant evidence of effort; in totting up his claimed hours, the Union Senator could find only 3.6 months of work, at a rough estimate, out of 10 in the job so far.

In response, a pharmacy student defended Duffy, describing him as “professional and diligent” when he needed urgent help over academic hearings. The student also cast Duffy’s response to his troubles in a very positive light compared with last year’s VP Education, Kevin Kelly.

Corridan summed up Duffy’s hearing, urging councillors to “stand up for a strong union, [to] fight for a strong union.”

Lilly’s turn in the firing line came next, and the debate followed along almost identical lines. Lilly, like Duffy, opted to conduct his defence with a bland, endlessly platitudinous reading from a pre-prepared power point presentation. He told councillors that he, like Duffy “had always given my level best.”

In a dramatic moment, a visibly reluctant Laura Hawthorne (VP Community) took to the floor, speaking for the motion. Hawthorne stressed that her stance was not personal, and that “no officer is perfect, but there is a standard to be set.” Hawthorne cited her “inordinate amount of time” working on the International Student Society, apparently Lilly’s biggest achievement of the year, as an example of officers being forced to fill in for the habitually lazy or inept duo. Hawthorne told the council that “you are not asked politely to scrutinise, you are required to scrutinise.”

A secret ballot was then taken, and the results were soon announced, leading to a raucous bout of triumphant clapping from the assembled Law/GAA contingent. These members then walked out en masse, completely uninterested in dealing with the subsequent business of the council. Incoming VP Campaigns Fiona Kidd visibly lost her temper, shouting to the sneering departing councillors: “That says it all!”

After this exodus, council once again slid inexorably into quorate, meaning a number of constitutional amendments could not be properly dealt with.

A visibly tiring council then voted through the officer reports, an impressive policy on the environment and sustainability in the Union, and, after much confused debate, affirmed the President’s reading of the Constitution on the subject of constituencies for the next council elections. Schools will now have a specific seat, in addition to open faculty constituencies. Council also passed a motion condemning the Draft Public Assemblies Bill which attempts, for no apparent reason, to restrict citizens’ rights of assembly with an inordinate amount of prior consultation and permission.

Ever the loyal apprentice, Martin Lilly, brother of Paul, took to the walls of Facebook last night, saying in a number of places, very simply, “we won.”

Students may ask themselves whether they fall under Lilly’s definition of “we”.

Photos from the council meeting can be found at The Gown’s Facebook page.

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.

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.”

Illustration by Niall Mooney (click to view)

The Gown’s news editor, Lorcan Mullen, had a report published in today’s Education Guardian. This report stemmed from The Guardian’s interest in the front story of The Gown’s last issue (‘Leaked Government report: freeze fees, raise grants’).

To read The Guardian’s report online click on the link below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/feb/23/university-tuition-fees-cap-northern-ireland

BY LORCAN MULLEN

Student union leaders in Belfast, Northern Ireland and across UK are, according to sources, delighted with the interim proposals, deeming them the best possible in the current political and economic climate. A similar review in England and Wales led by Lord Browne is currently gathering evidence in advance of its own report.

The review was designed to offer a neutral examination of the evidence and submit a reasoned factual basis for the coming political debate on the future of higher education in Northern Ireland.

Stuart’s review has, after painstaking examination of statistical and anecdotal evidence provided by the universities, unions (led by the NUS-USI) and other concerned parties, recommended that fees should not rise, and that access to grants should be widened to encompass more students from middle-income homes. Such findings deliver a crippling blow to the vice-chancellors’ clamour for annual tuition fees of up to £7,000.

Pleas for an effective doubling of the cost of university learning have been led by the elite Russell Group of universities (of which Queen’s is a part). This campaign has been granted ever greater political momentum through the effective endorsement of the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson (responsible for UK university policy) and the (almost equally influential) bosses’ lobbying group the CBI. The Stuart review does not just recommend retention of the cap on fees (in the teeth of such powerful counter-argument) – the whole rationale behind the existence of fees as a source of funding is notably undermined.

In paragraph 19 of the document, the review body admits that “it found it difficult to link the additional income generated from the introduction of variable fees with an improved student experience.”

Also: “It is difficult to measure improvement in teaching quality through these audit reports. If serious consideration is to be given to increasing the fee cap, then the HEIs will need to be able to show the improvements to the quality of the student’s educational experience.”

“In essence, students are customers and will rightly demand a high level of service and the ability to see how their money is being spent.” The review confirms the dubious nature of systemic benefits gained from a fees system: previous Gown reporting on the latest results of the National Student Survey revealed stagnation and some slight decreases in quality in numerous aspects of academic life at QUB.

As QUBSU president Shane Brogan stated in a report to council earlier this year: “Last year’s participants were the first to reach final year since the introduction of top-up fees in 2006, and the scores across all 22 questions indicate no significant improvement, and in fact some deterioration in the quality of teaching and student experience at Queen’s since the survey was started four year ago.”

The review document highlights a common complaint amongst student campaigners; that the verifiable income from fees has not been identified or honestly accounted for in the huge general expenditure of the universities:

“Currently, only a portion of the income generated through the increase in student fees in 2006 has been ring fenced for reporting purposes…it is therefore difficult to report exactly on how the revenue has been spent and any improvements that have been made as a direct result of the additional income. There should be greater transparency of how additional income from fees is being spent.”

While the rationale for a fees-based system excused by a new “excellence” is seriously undermined in the text of the report, arguments that fees restrict access to lower-income students are not seriously entertained. The draft review finds that: “there is no evidence of an adverse impact on participation or in subject areas as a direct result of the introduction of variable fees.”

The final report will be read by the Executive minister responsible, the department for employment and learning’s Sir Reg Empey, and will also be presented to the Assembly’s DEL committee. An extensive consultation period will follow the report’s publication, ahead of any decisions on the future shape of the system. Any optimism stemming from the findings of the Stuart Review must be read in the context of drastic proposed cuts, as outlined in the last edition of The Gown.