Wednesday, 1 April 2009

FFS

Now TB knows that some of you get grumpy when he blogs about Edinburgh University, well more specifically about

EUSA,
but this is in an issue that goes far beyond local student politics. It has come to TB's attention that the outgoing leaders of the organisation are... wait for it... as a parting gift... attempting to have the Daily Mail banned on campus.
As TB commented to a eager Edinburgh journo last night, it's as if they want an uprising on their hands and do these things to make people go militant. Well luckily the plans have gone down like a cup of cold sick on both the left and the right and TB will now turn to his old sparring partner, a Labour hack and blogger
Super-Man-Can-Fly
. While TB has few problems with the Mail, it's often light relief, even the left are up in arms at this ridiculous move:

"If I do not like a publication I do not call for its removal but instead exercise my democratic rights and do not purchase it. I give my money instead to papers and organisations I agree with. Taking the choice away from students smacks of intolerance and totalitarianism. Trust in your constituents instead of trying to ban them from engaging with such garbage.

Engaging is what must be done and is a much more mature approach, than going in a huff and stamping ones foot. We must challenge the Daily Mail. We need to demonstrate where their hate goes, the weakness of their arguments, the falsehoods of their evidence and examples. You do not win debates with censorship. We, on the left, should trust in the power of our arguments to defeat the Daily Mail. We can demonstrate that what they put forward is wrong with faith in our beliefs. To try and ban it is a sign of weakness and ideological deficit.

I believe that true political people do not hide behind bans and censorship but have the faith in their politics to fight for their cause. Not simply make the opposing viewpoint disappear because that is the route of the tyrant.

EUSA must not attempt to ban the Daily Mail but instead have faith in student's ability to decide for themselves what is right or wrong."

You can read the rest of the rant
here
. This piss take course of action defies all logic. It tacitly says that students are morons and therefore their glorious student union must decide what they read and what views they should subscribe to.

It's getting to the stage where TB can't even be bothered to get angry with this lot any more. Time and time again ridiculous and unnecessarily patronising ideas are banded about. Whether it be the need for "liberation officers" (welcome to the 1980s!) to attempts to ban a student society on account of the fact that they were pro-life. Two more months and he is in the real world and away from this farcical control.

TB just feels sorry for those he'll leave behind.

UPDATE: 18.38: TB just had to bite his tongue while speaking to an extremely hostile and rude hack at the Scottish Daily Mail newsdesk about this. You know if you listen before going off on one you might have realised TB was defending your rag you bloody idiot!

6 comments:

workingclasstory
said...

My thoughts: https://workingclasstory.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/this-isnt-the-ussr/

Anonymous said...

Being a mature student at Edinburgh with some experience of the real world, it continually amuses me how immature and self-important the members of EUSA are.

I watched one particularly nice young chap turn into a complete trumpet within two months of being elected into some minor, unimportant position. Despite the decent services they undoubtedly provide for students, they are definitely a poison in some areas.

Anonymous said...

I don't think they sell the Daily Mail in the Strathclyde, Caledonian or Paisley shops. Then again the daily mail doesn't care about proletarian universities and its a load of right wing crap.
The daily express is worse for right wing crap though, I can't go outside after reading it because i'm to scared about homosexual rapist immigrant pedophile tv license evading poles but it is 10p cheaper.

Jess The Dog
said...

Err...is this an April Fool?

You think they'd ban the Sun, Nuts, Zoo and all these magazines that exploit wimmin first!

Jess The Dog
said...

As an afterthought, this is what the student hacks are actually up to. What happened to the spirit of 1968?!?!?!?

https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/voice/news/2998

1. Warm plates in the Library Bar
From now on you can expect your food (unless it should be cold) to come out on a warm plate, keeping your food tasting better for longer.

2. Hooks in the toilets
Over the Easter break we will be putting up coat hooks in the Teviot and Potterrow toilets, making that bit of your visit a little more comfortable.

3. Another Scrabble set in the Library Bar
The board games in Teviot have been a massive success. And one Post-it note wanted another scrabble set, so it should be with us by the end of next week.

4. Food ticket system in Pleasance
As of Monday this week, everyone should be getting a receipt with their food to help them claim the right grub.

5. Nut warnings on the menus
Most outlets should have had these already, but we’ve now made sure the last few offenders have got nut allergy warnings on the menus.


Having said that, when browsing the minutes of student politics, I noted with approval that they had passed a general meeting motion against ID cards last year.

Adam Ramsay said...

Hello,

I'm coming a bit late to this post, but, one clarification:

No one is proposing to ban the Daily Mail from campus. No one is suggesting students shouldn't be allowed to read it in Student Union buildings, or anywhere else round university. The only question is about whether it should be sold in the EUSA shops. The debate will be had at the relevant committee, but I want to make it clear that no one would support banning it from the campus.

Oh, and to the person above who says we are all very self important, I can't comment on my colleagues, but that's probably a fair criticism of me.

Thanks,

Adam

(EUSA president)

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