Last week’s Students’ Union elections were voted on by a record number of students, and the results reflected the strong campaigning pursued by many candidates.
In contrast to last year’s elections, in which General Secretary Aled-Dilwyn Fisher triumphed over Peter Barton with a majority of just under 6 per cent, this year’s victor, Charlotte Gerada, secured a majority of 22.4 per cent over her nearest rival, Suraj Girijashanker.
Many students may have been convinced by Gerada’s fervent campaigning methods, which included a cover of The Clash’s “London Calling” incorporating altered lyrics, and a large-scale brand identity which borrowed liberally from the London Underground’s famous roundel.
Girijiashanker and his street team, meanwhile, donned Superman outfits and attempted to appeal to those who might not traditionally have participated in the elections. A similar tactic was used by the Community and Welfare Officer candidates, Hero Austin and Oliver Townsend, whose campaigners were observed around computers in the library, encouraging study groups to have their say and cast their vote.
Townsend is to be commended for his election night performance, given that his supporters were less visible. Further, Townsend’s association with the Athletics Union did him few favours at the Palestine Society’s hustings, where his marked difference of opinion to that of Austin’s was observed and duly noted by all.
What of the other election races? The relatively high number of votes cast for RON in the Activities and Development Officer race could indicate the concerns of many students that such an important role was contested by just one candidate.
Of the non-Sabbatical positions, this set of elections at last brought Michael Lok the role of International Officer which he fought unsuccessfully the previous year. In the Anti-Racism Officer contest, Ben Grabiner won by only 29 votes (incidentally, the identical margin of victory for Hero Austin), a result that was seized upon by him as a chance to aim for an “inclusive” approach. Grabiner, currently the Chairman of the LSESU Israel Society, may be seen in some quarters as a return to the politicized nature of the role, occupied by Joseph Brown in the 2008-9 academic year.
But surely the greatest shock of the night was that of Education Officer – a new Sabbatical role – which was secured by Ashok Kumar with 40.1 per cent of the vote. Kumar pledged to “aggravate, agitate and motivate” in order to preserve the rights of the lay student. Adding that “You can’t just have policies… the question is about power”, Kumar represents a significant show of support for an elected official who believes in mass social action and grassroots campaigning.
Next year’s SU Executive promises altered roles and responsibilities, and a refocusing of priorities on putting students’ concerns first.
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