Discriminatory Bath Lib Dem Students
The Lib Dems often like to claim that they are against discrimination in any form. Of course, the vast majority of people realise that in light of their actions, what they claim is far from the truth.
It certainly is therefore particularly illuminating to see the local Lib Dem students prove the above point in their latest campus newsletter by making jokes about the ‘old Tories’ on the local council. Tell me again, just how old is their leader Menzies Campbell..?
When their own leader has one foot in the grave, it is frankly saddening to read their hypocritical and intolerant spiel condemning those older themselves just because of their age. This is yet more proof that the hypocritical Liberal Democrats preach against discrimination, but actively advocate it themselves – another one of their great many deceptions.
Best of all however, by their own argument, no student should vote Lib Dem at the forthcoming General Election because, due to his age, their ‘old’ leader does not really represent students. Brilliant advice that we can wholly recommend – though not necessarily the discriminatory reasoning behind it!
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Hi Chris,
Any chance you could show me this please? It’ll be useful for further reference when trying to get our own stuff through the SU.
March 22nd, 2007 at 4:51 pm
I will bring it along tonight.
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:02 am
As usual, it’s always the ones who claim to be the “defenders of democracy” that turns out to be it’s gravediggers.
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:19 pm
How much do you guys actually know about the history of the local Tories and Bath Uni? For starters they didn’t support the polling station on campus - despite the fact that before it was introduced as little as 25 students actually ended up voting in the elections. They’ve always been markedly absent from events the university has held with the local community & cllrs. The local Tories are pleased that they’ll get your votes but they have no record of helping students on the campus as they don’t actually like you! I don’t think what the Uni Lib Dems did was very smart but they’re right in that the local Tories in Bathwick don’t support students and never have.
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Whilst in my time at Bath Uni the Bath Conservatives have not have seemed actively interested in the Students, neither had they had a particularly good Prospective Candidate. Sian Dawson was not a very popular Conservative candidate, in both her own ranks, or that outside the conservative party. This makes her gain of +4.6% impressive. However, not all the local Conservatives were absent from student lives. Chris Watt, from Wansdyke Conservatives played a very active interest in the Students, and could regularly be seen visiting the campus talking to students. In addition to this, There have been visits by senior party members over the years, for example the Shadow Higher Education Secretary gave an interview to Impact. Meanwhile, all the Lib Dems seem to do is to encourage Don Foster to talk (who supports lowering the age of consent for sex to 14, and lowering the age to both view and take part in pornography to 16) or Lembit Opik - with no moral values, preferring his “cheeky girl”.
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:33 pm
As far as the Polling Station was concerned I believe, as I’m sure the some Bath Councillors felt, based on the evidence at that time, that there was no need or general student demand for a polling station on the campus. There was one just outside the University Entrance at Claverton Village Hall which was close enough and probably helped to integrate students at the University with people in the ward. At the time it was seen as a Lib Dem publicity stunt without any evidence of a great demand from students.
What’s more, to say that Conservative Councillors have not done anything for students is frankly ridiculous. I am lead to believe that it was the Conservative Bathwick councillors that supported the conversion of the Gas Office Buildings in Sydney Wharf to student accommodation. Also, this year at the Mayor’s reception for new overseas students attending Universities and Colleges in Bath, apart from the Mayor the only Councillors who turned up to support the Mayor and meet and talk to the students were Conservatives. Further, one of the Conservative Bathwick councillors has also devoted the last 22 years of his life as a University Lecturer – so I fail to see how you comment that he has done nothing for students.
I would make the point, Jasmine; how much do you know about the local Conservatives and Bath University? With a Bristol IP address, you are clearly not currently at the University.
March 24th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Hey, I think a couple of corrections are needed!
Well, “grave-diggers of democracy”. I have personally, and with the Liberal Democrat Society, won two ‘Outstanding contribution to the union’ awards for work registering students to vote in the last election.
As for visitors to the university, during my time here Don Foster MP, Lembit Opik MP, Stephen Williams MP, Graham Watson MEP, Lord Paddy Ashdown, Cllr Paul Crossley and Cllr Colin Darracott have been to events which we have hosted which were advertised and availble without charge to all students.
On a similar theme, did David ‘Dave’ Cameron actualy meet any students when he visited? I was on campus all day and I can’t say that I noticed him. Did you advertise this at all? In fact, was Bath CF involved in any way?
Finally, that polling station was fought for and got by Liberal Democrat Councillors. To say that a station which serves 2,000 electors is not needed is frankly ridiculous and illustrative of the contempt with which the Conservative Party holds young voters.
Which brings me to the point of the article: we go two years without a single piece of Tory literature and then we get “New Carrswood care complex for the elderly takes shape”. It’s a commendable project which every single Conservative councillor voted against, but in what way is this relevant to an audience of 18 year olds?
March 26th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Nick, with regard to your point about David Cameron’s visit – perhaps you weren’t in the right place at the right time? Other people I know saw him as he walked across the campus and as he visited the research departments. In fact, he was interviewed by Bath FM just outside the Wolfson and Brendon court campus accommodation at lunch time.
Apparently David Cameron’s timetable changes practically from hour to hour, so Bath CF only heard about the visit a few days in advance. We advertised the visit in the events section of this website prior to Friday. I also personally told others about his impending visit and suggested that they watch out for him. Mr Cameron met at least myself and three other members of Bath Conservative Future. However, he is a busy man and on a tight schedule. His visit was specifically to discuss and acknowledge the work done by researchers and students at Bath University. At the end of the day, ‘Dave’ has made more of an effort in this department than Ming, eh.
Also, you need to read what has been written before making a comment. The polling station at Claverton Village Hall was, as I pointed out, perfectly adequate and helped integrate the students of the ward with the other residents. Therefore, I saw no reason for the move, and as is quite usual with the Lib Dems, the move was a publicity stunt.
Nick, perhaps you would like to tell me in what way was the ‘New Carrswood Care Complex’ article not relevant to students? (Also, that was of course not the only article featured on the newsletter that was sent out.) If the University and students truly want to be a part of the community, then segregation through targeted political literature will not help that cause. I am sure that some students may have been interested in what was going on elsewhere in the wider Bath community. Not everyone is quite as enthusiastic as the Lib Dem members in seeing yours and Mr Edwards’ grinning egotistical self-publicising faces staring back at them in black and white.
Actually, I think the original point of the article, Nick, was the highlighting of your discriminatory behaviour and remarks. I can’t imagine that the non-student electors of Bathwick that you are hoping to represent would be that impressed. So, as you have found our site, how do you (as the co-editor of the newsletter in question) defend your discriminatory remarks?
April 1st, 2007 at 10:15 pm
“The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.” says my party’s constitution and that’s what I believe in.
‘Old’ is simply an adjective which your own prejudice has turned into a perjorative term. Discrimination (actions based on prejudice) doesn’t come into it.