Guild’s Response
At last night’s Guild Council:
Tom Guise, Labour Students: BUCF, one of our most popular and sucessful societies, has disaffiliated from the Guild. Do you think it is a sad indictment on the Guild that they were turned away by buracracy and paperwork?
Vice President Student Activities and Development: No I don’t. Turning up to a few Guild Councils isn’t much to ask. The paperwork is minimal, there are ways around doing risk assesments for everything. One hundred and sixty other groups all manage it, and if they had a problem they were always welcome to come and talk to me or any member of student development staff- they’d have sat with them and worked through it til it was sorted out…
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I’ll certainly give BUCF more assistance if they disaffiate.
Why?
I think that BUCF should be more involved in the local community and I like independence.
As Kenny Everett might say ‘Kick the crutch away’.
Are they not already? BULS is affiliated to a number of local constituencies and campaigns in most of them, especially Edgbaston and Selly Oak. It’s a shame if they thought being in the Guild would stop them from doing that.
Thought maybe you’d offer something more practical, like the use of your front room for meetings, since they can’t use the Guild any more… or some funding, since they can no longer get it from the Guild…
‘Thought maybe you’d offer something more practical, like the use of your front room for meetings, since they can’t use the Guild any more… or some funding, since they can no longer get it from the Guild…’
Who says I won’t?
it would be a waste of money PT. A new society will be formed in the Guild no doubt before xmas, by students who wish to get involved in conservatism whilst at Uni, they won’t know about BUCF.
Wait and see tom, wait and see
what are you going to do about advertising to students who come to birmingham?
Tom we have thought of many ways round this issue. I wont let you in on all of them naturally but one of the ways of getting new members is that we have been in contact with the ERI POLSIS Dept who have agreed to let us send out an email to all first and second years on their mailing list. Incidently I did not find out about BUCF through the freshers fair but by word of mouth.
Also a fresher wouldn’t dream about setting up a new party when they hear a successful one, one that feels it is strong enough to ‘go it alone’ already exists. You don’t have to worry about us tom its your society id be worried about I mean its going to be a very brave person who comes to uni and is willing to admit that they are Labour in this political climate! Your poll ratings are worse than ours were at the height of our ‘sleaze’!
I don’t doubt you’ll get a number of members. It does sadden me that you haven’t given the Guild a chance- you never did say whether you has actually attended a Guild Council or spoken with the VPSAD about any of this.
What is your response to the VPSAD’s assessment, Dan?
And out of interest, how big is your front room, Dom?
The Guild whist being essential for many societies to function, is for a politcal one sometimes abit burdonsome.
the funding system (i applied for our funding last year) was geared against the sort of events we wanted to put on. politcal socities evolve around campaigning and often drinks evnings with politicians. we couldn’t get funding for food or drink and we couldn’t get it for venues outide the guild. this made things diff. we did however manage to secure money in otherways which gave us the freedom to function as we chose too.
the UMS has a stand at freshers and is not a guild society, there is no reason why BUCF couldn’t aswell, a precident has been established.
remember you cant keep your name.
Does the Guild own the name?
remember you cant keep your name.
I sincerely doubt this… and what are they going to do?
Its laughable
Of course they can keep the name, what are the Guild going to do about it? Thats the point, the guild has no control now. Its BUCF – a name known not just in Birmingham. How about BULS…..
i think its a very sad and unfortunate that BUCF have had to resort to such an extreme measure, but it is evident that BUCF has long been subjected to descrimination by a few hostile members of the guild year after year who seem to forget their role as elected student representatives and let their political beliefs influence them in the treatment of student bodies like BUCF.
obviously politics is about being passionately defending your beliefs but i feel this passion descends into personal attacks far too often with certain individuals. Fortunately the majority of individuals affiliated with the guild put their personal feelings aside when carrying out their job as a student representative.
Please cite evidence of the following:
1) Both the current VPSAD and President’s political allegiance (considering they are the ones who have political responsibility for societies, and through whom all decision are made), and how such allegiances have prevented BUCF from operating
2) The actions of the Hughes Presidency that prevented BUCF from operating
3) The political allegiance of the last years VPSAD and how such allegiances have prevented BUCF from operating
4) The actions of the Angell Presidency (under whose tenurship I *think BUCF was established via the Society Recognition Committee)
5) The political allegiance of the then VPSAD Stu Mathers, and how such allegiances have prevented BUCF from operating
Any empirical evidence of how the campus Conservatives have been systematically discriminated against is certainly welcome, and I’m sure if it does exist, should be utilized in a full investigation by the Committee of Independent Chairs to establish a full picture of the events that have unfolded. Forgive me however, if I, like most, balk at such a suggestion that you are actually a discriminated against group.
I can guarantee that outside of the Guild (and I speak from a degree of experience that no one else on this blog can at this point):
You will not be allowed to have a freshers stall
You will not be permitted to advertise yourself using the title University of Birmingham lest Senate approves such a request
Get any money to finance the society from the Guild or the University
Get continued access to Schools and Departments to promote yourself
Please, for all our sakes, for a healthy political atmosphere (Brewer et al after all did bring diversity to the Guild), swallow your petty childish pride, fill out the appropreate forms, attend Guild Council and keep your toys, firmly, in your perambulator.
Peter Mason – you’re an embarassment to red-brick graduates everywhere. Did you mean Angell’s tenure or leadership? There’s no such word as tenurship. Empirical evidence normally means scientically-based research, so what are you on about? You make a list of ‘guarantees’.
You will not be allowed to have a freshers stall
You will not be permitted to advertise yourself using the title University of Birmingham lest Senate approves such a request
Get any money to finance the society from the Guild or the University
Get continued access to Schools and Departments to promote yourself
Is that it? Why should they give two hoots about the above? Also loving this charming request?
‘Please, for all our sakes, for a healthy political atmosphere, swallow your petty childish pride, fill out the appropreate forms, attend Guild Council and keep your toys, firmly, in your perambulator. ‘
PS – I note that this blog advertises BUCF in the blogroll ‘using the title University of Birmingham’. I assume disciplinary action is being prepared as we speak.
Well, one wonders if Dominic possesses a basic education given this latest outburst, and demonstrates his sincere lack of knowledge of Guild or University politics, rendering his comments here unqualified.
The term empirical refers to knowledge that is demonstrable rather than an idea without demonstration. In this context, I call for the writer to give demonstrations of discrimination, rather than the deluded notions that exist only in his mind. I further enjoy your discrediting my error with one of your own. I think I have already commented before regarding you, “pot – kettle –black”. Scientically.
The only embarrassment on this blog is an armchair tory who takes joy surfing the net, spewing filth based on nothing other than their own self deluded notions of self importance and distorted interpretations of realty. The more I encounter you, the more I loath web 2.0, and its ability to give a platform to any nonsense individual who can punch at a keyboard.
“Embarrassment to red-brick”. Embarrassment indeed. It is not even “red-brick”. Its either Red Brick, or Redbrick.
So now we have established the correct use of grammar and the English language, anyone fancy answering any of Peter’s actual questions?
Here’s my next load of ‘filth’.
Peter didn’t ask questions, he issued demands. I am astonished that anyone would work himself up into such a frenzy over a club of which he is not a member. He seems to suggest some personal association with The Guild. I would urge any club of which I was a member to do its utmost to avoid contact a chap like him.
- ‘own self deluded notions of self importance’
Thanks Pete – that’s a collector’s item – a 3 way tautology.