I've been moving to near anger over the last few days by the reaction to recent event at UCL. What appears to have happened is that the Union voted on a motion to ban all student military organisations from union events. That means that OTC, the TA and other such groups can no longer have a presence at freshers fairs at the like. I don't want to wade into the details of this event but more to talk about the larger issues in the response. Following this decision there has been an outcry
here and
here. The first thing that really struck me was the abhorrant aroggance of some members of these groups. To quote:
'Something that was done at another university where they voiced doing something like this: OTC established when the next AGM of the SU would be run, turned up with every person they had at the university, presented a motion to remove the current president of the SU and replace them with one of their own blokes. Seconded by another member of the otc and voted upon by all in attendance. Due to the fact nobody really turns up to the AGMs except those that have to, and the number of otc representitives brought in, they had no option to follow the rules set down by the SU guidlines and pass the motion.
Coincidently the Officer put into power stood down a week later from the presidency with a message not to fuck with long establiched institutions/societys' by
Dan Smith 'It's a good thing I'm not at that uni... Much as I would hate to reinforce the stereotypes firmly implanted in their tiny little minds, I don't think I could resist having a *ahem* quiet(?) word with one or two of the chaps responsible for this...
I don't think there's a court in the world that would convict me, either.' by
Alex Blackford Now I'm the first admit that these are some of the worst but their sentiment is one echoed through all the posts, the idea of 'how dare they do this to us? US!?' There seems to be an assumption that the very existence of a military force demands our respect. Demands our thanks. Well I won't stand for that. Believe me, I can only imagine how difficult the life of a solider is and I am well aware that they do a job I could not. But I won't accept is this belief that somehow they are better than me. That somehow they are more worthy than me. Being in the army is a job. A choice. We don't live in a age of conscription so anyone who joined the army did so knowing what it entails and choosing that life. And now they are asking for an armed forces day. I thought we had Rememberence Day.... We don't give days to other high-stress, high-risk jobs, there are no doctor days, no police days, no fireman days. The military is a career. A good and needed career, but just as much as choice as a career as a waiter or scientist.
The other sentiment that seemed to running beneath the responses was that ti was unfair. That the union, that no union, had no right to vote like this. As I said I'm not going to wade into the specific of this case as there are accusations of misconduct in achieving this motion, more looking at the idea of this motion. We live in a democratic political society, a structure reflected in our university politics. Democracy means we sometime will not like what happens. That sometimes we will be in the minority. That sometimes we will not agree with what happens. But accepting that is all part of living in a democratic society. And if a change, any change, is the resultant will of the people (and by that I mean the people interested enough to vote), that is the change that is to be applied. I can't imagine that many of these people were so up-in-arms when Christian Unions were being banned across the country, that many of them would be leveling such accusations if it had been the Veggie Society who were banned, or the Green Society. They are setting themselves up as defenders of democracy and freedom, as long as the democracy gives them the decisions they want and the freedom lets them do as they please.
And they wonder why public opinion is so low of the armed forces...