Thoughts on the end of my time with Queen Mary Students' Union

Over the past three years I've served as an Executive Officer of Queen Mary Students' Union and today my final term of office comes to an end. I'd like to make public the email I sent to all those who served as Executive members alongside me:

To all those I have served with over the years,

Although terms of office last until the end of July, with the Mile End term ending tomorrow (sorry medics!) now seems an opportune moment to write some "finishing remarks".

The last three years on the Executive have been a roller coaster of a time, with spectacular highs and lows. There have been the high profile events, such as the collapse of the Chemistry department, the fight against top-up fees, the attempted College take-over and many more. There have also been the lower key matters, no less important in the grand scheme of things. And there have been the routine things, some of which can seem so mundane but are crucial to an organisation being able to function for the purpose it is there for.

There has been fun too, whether the intentional such as the parties, the unintentionally hilarious moments or the spectacles of academic meetings. Sometimes I believe Henry Kissinger was right when he said, "University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small." My Philosophy lecturer once told how when he was an undergraduate course rep he attended a department meeting with two of the biggest names in British philosophy of their generation. During the course of the meeting (meant to be primarily about logistics), the two highly educated academics got into such a row about the validity of each other's strand of the discipline that they ended the meeting have turned their chairs so as to have their backs to each other!

Disagreements often exist in students' unions too. Many have argued strongly, not because they wish to cause trouble or because of some obscure stricture, but because they passionately believe that the course of action they support is best. Often disagreements can get intense when different people approach the matter differently. But ultimately they have the same basic goal. There is so much more that people agree on than disagree and it is shocking when arguments over small matters get out of all proportion. It is never possible to please all of the people all of the time, but one can seek to understand motivations genuinely and seek to address concerns. At the end of the day people are all human beings, all needing help and safety, feeling pain, seeking understanding and are all still individuals. Many make mistakes - I know I have and am sorry for them - but that does not diminish them in value. To quote one of the best things I have ever heard said on this:

But at the end of the day, your Union is comprised of individuals - not of offices, not of positions, not of titles, not of money, not of committees - but of people. Try and remember that when you deal with them.

There are also frustrations, both at the seeming lack of action and the belief that serious errors are being made. In the case of the former, always remember that Union officers are not all-powerful beings. Much of the work involves negotiations with the College, University, Council and other bodies and the Union and its representatives do not always have the final say. It is very hard to change some things, especially when one also has to provide existing services. As for the latter, sometimes communications fail, even in an error of the internet and mobile phones, and information is not sufficiently disseminated or is misinterpreted, leading to confusion and concern. Also many will take a concern about an issue not because it affects them in the slightest - indeed to ignore it might be to their personal benefit, especially in regards time - but because they are concerned for the effects it can have on the Union and the ability to improve the student experience.

The "student experience" is an ever more diverse thing these days. When I was an undergraduate the first chapel service of each year saw the Chaplain deliver the same sermon about this, comparing it to the way that the way Lyons Restaurants have been succeeded by a plethora of different places with different cuisines offering one the chance to have a meal while in town. There was a time when most degrees were identical but now they are modular. Students used to be by and large drawn from the same narrow band of society - now they are far more diverse in many different regards. They used to primarily live in university accommodation - nowadays many commute great distances and an ever-growing proportion live with their parents. There are far more mature students studying, whereas in the old days the traditions of a single career for life resulted in universities being almost exclusively dominated by the recent school leavers. Globalisation has led to far more students than ever before being able to study overseas. And changes in qualifications and demands have led to a phenomenal expansion in postgraduate education, with far reaching consequences.

It is a changing world and the Union, like all students' unions, has to keep pace with changes in the nature of the student population if it is to successfully support and represent its members. For those facing reviews in the near future, I would this advice - try to ensure that the nature of a problem is identified and do not apply the wrong solution. One can divide the problems facing students' unions in their governance structures into a number of broad areas:

*Physical geography - i.e. things like whether the institution has a single campus or many sites miles apart, whether places are easy to get to, whether the bulk of the student population lives within spitting distance or spread out across the entire region and so forth. Such things are almost impossible to change.
*Building structures - such as where a facility is located on a campus or the capacity of rooms available. The opportunity to make these changes comes along probably much less than once in a generation.
*Technological developments - sometimes technology changes so fast and changes the way in which people interact that it is a struggle to keep pace.
*Constitutional and regulations - these can sometimes feel a pain but they are drafted the way they are for a reason. Sometimes they do need modification, but do not assume that all problems can be solved by a constitutional amendment.
*Cultural - not only changes in society, but very specific cultures exist in each university, with different emphases and expectations.
*Individual - you do sometimes get problems from particular individuals that make you feel things need to change. However, problem individuals happen all the time no matter what.

Food for thought for the future. If any of you are facing changes, I am willing to offer whatever help I can.

Finally I would like to thank all those that I have worked with. During my three years, there have been no less than forty-four other people serving on the Executive, all of whom I thank now:

Aran, Charis, Charlotte, Cindy, Dan, Dave, Dave, Ed, Emil, Faisal, Freddie, Gemma, Grace, Gugs, Hannah, Hari, Helena, Jason, Jeremy, Juliet, Karen, Kat, Kayleigh, Kish, Laura B (RIP), Laura BW, Martin, Michael, Michalis, Paddy, Paul, Pete, Punam, Rhiannon, Rinki, Rob, Rory, Sam, Somaya, Steve, Tom, Vicki, Vicky and Vina.

Some of you are now moving away from university, others still have study to go on their degrees, others are embarking on new course and others still have sabbatical posts to take up (and some of you aren't rid of me yet!). Some have already Whatever your path, take care.

One day I shall come back. Yes I shall come back. Until then there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxiety. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.

Never believe something until it's been officially denied?

Charles Kennedy has denied reports that he is planning to challenge for his party's leadership again. The old adage of never believing something until it has been officially denied seems very apt. Ever since he was stabbed in the chest, Lib Dems have been wondering if this was a mistake. And Kennedy has certainly dropped hints that he would like the members to be able to consider him, whilst reminding the world he is still about and is even being lined up to head the Lib Dem campaign for the Scottish Parliament. With so much speculation about Ming Campbell's future due to a constant stream of disaster with things getting worse, surely the time is coming for the Lib Dems' "king over the water" to come back and smite the Campbells?

Also in the news is a reminder that Friday was the eighteenth anniversary of the election of Paddy Ashdown as leader. Ashdown has the dubious distinction of having been the only Lib Dem leader to offer his party a sense of direction and leadership. And he's only three months older than Campbell. The Lib Dems must all be kicking themselves that he's no longer their leader.

Is Northern Ireland really bigotted?

There's an interesting post on Slugger O'Toole that I felt the need to blog about as it links to a report in the Belfast Telegraph that challenges the myth that people in Northern Ireland are generally homophobic:

Commissioned by the Lesbian Advocacy Services Infinitive, it found 75% of those questioned were very accepting of gay people, dispelling the myth that Northern Irish society was intolerant.

Almost 90% believed lesbian, gay or bisexual individuals should not be discriminated against and supported changes to current legislation.
...
Of 1,009 people interviewed by Ipsos MORI, 59% shared the perception that Northern Ireland was intolerant but only 21% of those surveyed actually were.

Much of the media reporting of gay issues in the province has been heavily negative. And yet the first gay civil partnership in the UK was enacted at Belfast City Hall. There have been a number of reports about the hypocrisy of some, especially the DUP, in opposing inoffensive gay rights marches when supporting the rights of rather more offensive marches to go where they please, but this is only one very small part of the story. And it seems even the Paisleys & co are not going far enough for some homophobes, who picketed the last DUP conference protesting the party's response to civil partnerships.

How far is the Treasury from Parliament?

Not So Very New Labour activists like to make big noises and pretend that lesbian, gay and bisexual voters should only vote Labour for one reason or another. When inconsistencies on this score are exposed they tend to go silent. We've already seen the furore over Ruth Kelly's voting record but there's an even more senior Labour figure whose record is hard to explain. This week it was revealed that Old Man Brown has never voted on any gay rights issue since Labour came to power despite no less the fourteen separate opportunities to do so.

Apologists for Brown are trying to claim that Brown has a busy workload. But even Tony Blair has been in the lobbies more times than Brown - and whereas Blair is going around all over the place pretending he can save the universe, Brown's department is within walking distance of Parliament! Nor does the claim that ministers have heavy workloads bear much fruit - on "flagship" votes Ministers will rearrange schedules to make a point of being in the lobbies. Brown's absence is nothing but deliberate.

Ming's leadership enters the endgame

In one of the most public blows yet for what Ming Campbell calls his leadership, Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly Member Peter Black has spoken out, "Time for Ming to shape up". He has had the courage to say publicly what everyone has been admitting for ages - under Campbell the Lib Dems are going nowhere:

The debate will, of course be critical but so too will Ming's performance at the Conference. We need to get some bounce in the polls out of that week in Brighton. When Simon Hughes said that Ming had until the end of the Conference season to prove himself he was absolutely right. So far the only people who appear to be totally content with the leader are the MPs. They have to realise that, important as they are, they are not the Party. Having experienced a coup de grace at the top, we are entitled to expect results. It is now time for Ming Campbell to start delivering on his promises and the expectations of success that are associated with him.

Peter Black has been the first to go public and already the storm is generating headlines and he won't be the last. Campbell's leadership will not be able to sustain a stream of public criticism and he has two choices - step down with grace or hang about and get slowly dragged out of the leadership bit by bit. Truly things have got worse.

Is Raynes Park posh or not?!?!

Whilst glancing at blog stats, the one that made me think was "raynes park posh or not" on Google.

I've probably travelled through Raynes Park thousands of times (the railway station is the junction between the main Surbiton line and the Epsom branch on whatever South West Trains are now called) but I've only ever set foot outside the station either to get a rail replacement bus or to pick up a bottle whilst interchanging for Kingston. Otherwise I've never seen very much of the area at all. The only thing I can think of on this point are the stories that people living in Raynes Park claim they live in "West Wimbledon". I suppose by the same silliness I live in "South Wanstead"!

The 41st anniversary of disaster

On this day in 1965 Edward Heath became Conservative Leader. As is so often the case with these things, he was not the frontrunner in the contest. But the next ten years are perhaps the period above all others that most Conservatives would like to wish out of history.

Why anything thinks Ted Heath was ever a Conservative is beyond me. Conservatives believe in the rule of law and order, not in giving in to militancy. Conservatives believe in a strong approach to the economy, not chickening and U-turning at the earliest sign of problems. Conservatives believe in parliamentary democracy, not in imposing dictatorship on part of the country. Conservatives believe in the sovereignty of nations, not in submerging national identity into artificial constructs. Conservatives believe in giving clear leadership to the nation, not in making it a serious question as to whether the country is run by Parliament or the National Union of Mineworkers. Conservatives believe in traditional communities, not in ripping up and redrawing the map of the country.

Truly this is not a day to remember greatly.

Liberal Democrats losing here

The latest ICM poll shows the Conservatives advancing - and the Liberal Democrats at their worst in four years:

The level of Lib Dem support is the lowest for over four years in an ICM poll, despite the fact that Ming Campbell's own ratings did appear to be rising. A foreign affairs crisis is seen by many as an opportunity for Campbell, who is considered an expert on foreign policy, to shine - but yet the Lib Dems are down to 17%. I had thought that the figures in the ICM poll last month, which showed the Liberal Democrats on a lower level of support than during their leadership crisis in January, was likely to be a blip - it simply seemed unlikely that they would be in worse position now than when they were leaderless and embroiled in sex scandals and infighting - this poll however does support ICM's findings last month.

Maybe Ming's own stock is rising because major international stories often bring out the best in him, but his party remains directionless and it needs real leadership, not a detached statesman. One wonders just how long Campbell is going to last.

And who will be the third in The Year Of The Three Leaders? Could we soon be seeing Sarah Teather on the television even more than we do now?

Doctor Who - The Hand of Fear

Following on from my previous reposting of my review of Inferno, here is my review from the Doctor Who Ratings Guide of this week's DVD release, The Hand of Fear:

A strong departure for a good companion

It is incredible just how small a scale this story takes place on, given the traditional perceptions of nuclear power being a threat to the entire Earth. There's a tiny guest cast, with only three additional actors credited for the final episode, two of them in the same role! The result is a story driven very much by characterisation and individual struggles than by a grand sweeping scale.

The opening scenes are initially confusing as it's not entirely clear just what is happening but this just adds to a strong sense of mystery. When the TARDIS materialises on Earth in a quarry there's a strong temptation to wonder just what sort of alien world this is but instead it's a visit to contemporary Earth. For once there are virtually no references to UNIT at all, with the air strike in Part Three being undertaken by a more generic military, and the result is a refreshing change from many years of the UNIT stories. The basic concepts underlying the story of an exiled and trapped being using others in order to restore its physical form and then return home to reclaim its position of power is not exactly new and could so easily become a cliché but it is done sufficiently differently here not to notice. The moving hand of the first two episodes is scary and surprising it is realised extremely well with relatively few obvious CSO shots. Also done well is the location work at the nuclear power station which gives a good sense of its scale and prolongs the fear. Kastria is less well realised, being obviously a studio based alien world, but wisely there are few attempts to show the remains of Kastrian civilisation on a grand scale.

Most of the small cast are not particularly memorable, although given that very few appear for more than a couple of episodes at most this is not that surprising. Glyn Houston manages to bring a strong sense of believability to Professor Watson, especially in the scene where he phones his family whilst believing the plant will explode and is determined not to make his daughter's last memory of him one of him being frustrated with her. Of the two Eldrads Stephen Thorne is probably the stronger since he has some good scenes such as Eldrad's realisation that he has been so spectacularly cheated of his destiny. Rex Robinson is weaker as Dr. Carter, at times seeming heavily out of place. But it's the regulars who steal the acting honours. For her final story Elisabeth Sladen gives a strong performance that shows all her best skills even when in situations when Sarah's more traditional independence has less of a chance to show itself.

Lennie Mayne's direction is competent and superbly complements Bob Baker and Dave Martin's script, as does Dudley Simpson's good score for the tale. As with many stories from this period there's a strong sense of co-ordination throughout the story which enhances it immensely. The result is a story in which the weaker elements areas outweighed by the stronger parts, especially in Sarah's departure.

Given the time they have spent together, it is surprising how quickly the Doctor and Sarah depart from one another. Nevertheless Sarah's reasons for leaving make a lot of sense, reflecting a weariness with repetitive elements in the series but nevertheless she leaves still wanting to see further adventures and is only denied them because it is forbidden for her to go to Gallifrey. The story ends leaving the viewer wondering what the Doctor will find on Gallifrey but also noting that in typical sign he hasn't even left Sarah in the right place! All in all this is a good story and a fitting departure tale for a good companion. 9/10

Oh and this is the story where the Doctor says that weapons don't work in the TARDIS because it's "in a state of grace" and somehow the occupants don't really exist.

The Hand of Fear can be purchased from here.

Bye bye Mark Oaten

In a move widely expected, Mark Oaten has announced he will be standing down as an MP at the next election. With all the other problems the Lib Dems have been facing recently they will no doubt be glad that "coprophillia" will not be a word heard during the next election campaign. But for Oaten personally this is a sad end to his career. In 1997 he was the darling of his party for first scraping home by two votes and then winning the largest Lib Dem majority in the subsequent by-election. I remember Paddy Ashdown doing a tour of media appearances to proclaim Winchester as a rock solid Liberal Democrat constituency. How times have changed when Winchester is widely considered vulnerable precisely because of Oaten and the local Lib Dems lost control of the council. Oaten has not helped himself either, by bringing the scandal back into the public eye and frankly one has to ask if he would have won an open reselection (I don't know how the Lib Dems handle candidacies).

All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs.

So wrote Enoch Powell. But has any career ended in such personal humiliation as Oaten's? Truly this is political and personal tragedy.