Post Race Analysis - VPS

Quite frankly, where do I start on this one.

First off, I'm surprised it wasn't closer. I truly believed that this would go to a second round, and that second preference votes would come into play. Secondly, I didn't expect Tom to win as many votes as he did, nor Stuart to get as low a total he did - even Chris' extremely high vote total (higher than mine in last year's Presidential race) is excellent for a candidate who came into the race 4 days before nominations closed and created a manifesto, website and all the rest at such short notice, whereas Tom/Stuart were planning this assault for months.

However, what worries me is Tom himself. As one candidate put it to me last night, Tom is a case of "tick, tock, tick, tock - a bomb waiting to explode". Tom's performance on stage in his acceptance speech was diabolical, and made Tim Cobbett's comments almost look polite. To be honest, I didn't mind Tom's diatribe against me for the entirely reasonable actions I took to protect my intellectual property (as opposed to the ludicrous accusation that I was trying to divert democracy), and was quite touched to get such a large amount of appluase. What frustrated me (amongst other things) was the fact that he didn't even mention his opponents who had worked tirelessly to make the election something; that he made it clear that one Sabbatical had actively helped him in his campaign; that he suggested that Adam Ramsay was the "rightful winner", when the democratic vote (yes, the democracy that Tom is so fond of) had said otherwise; and also Tom's general behaviour on the night.

This is a man who is meant to be in charge of the Association's finances over the next year, and yet doesn't clearly know how to budget £95. His constant cheating and rule breaking frustrates me (as much as it frustrates me that the Returning Officer did nothing), and I am worried for the state of the Unions over the next year. I do hope that the Committee of Management/SRC manage Tom and keep him in line.

I worry also for the state of EUSA if Tom doesn't get his way - Tom has been seen to act like a spoilt three year old when he hasn't got his way before, and if he doesn't agree with things in the next few months, and during his time in Office, then heaven help EUSA. He has to learn how to get on with his colleagues on the Association Exec, and he will need to learn how to mend/build bridges and not destroy them. Last night's speech was the opening gambit to war, not the opening speech to a better EUSA.

Feel free to agree/disagree in the comments.

Live Results - VPS

The election has been one of the dirtiest on record, and now comes the fun - the election of the VPS.

So after 3 schools, Stuart leads Tom then Chris 140-79-46
So after 6 schools, Tom leads Stuart then Chris 188-183-82
So after 9 schools, Tom leads Stuart 333-251
So after 12 schools, Tom leads Stuart 696-416
So after 15 schools, Tom leads Stuart 939-531

With 5 schools remaining, Tom leads Stuart 1303-770
With 4 schools remaining, Tom leads Stuart 1370-809
With 3 schools remaining, Tom leads Stuart 1442-842

After Round 1, Chris - 739; Tom French - 1777; Stuart - 995

Tom French elected as the next EUSA VPS. His song is Chumbawamba's classic hit about getting knocked down ....

The nightmare scenario - Tom French & Josh MacAllister elected.

A very interesting and very long speech, in which I, Adam Ramsay and half the P&P people got thanked. He even suggests that Adam Ramsay should be the next President, which is booed out. He thanks Anna Davidson for winning "for being the right person to do the job". To a chorus of boos and slow hand claps he refuses to leave the stage.

A Tim Cobbett-esque speech. EUSA should be warned. The Unions should be worried. Oh dear.

The Home Run ...

The final fences are gone, and all that is between the candidates and the 1900hrs voting shut down is the home run. Traditionally this is when nearly every candidate campaigning enters Pollock for one last try at getting votes out of the Freshers ... but it appears quite in Pollock thus far, and from speaking to the candidates earlier today, it appears most aren't going to come down to Pollock, citing the fact that many got a bad reception last night.

So with the clock running down, the runners and riders are approaching the finishing line - but let's not forget that in the Grand National, that last bit of the run in has been the undoing of many - anyone remember Devon Loch?

75 minutes to go ...

Edit (@1830hrs): I was wrong - the last minutes of the campaign brought out Anna, Stuart, Josh and of course this year's election couple - Adam & Tom. I suppose its ironic that having seen them start their campaigns together, they are ending it together.

Clock's Ticking ...

As the candidates bed down for a bit of sleep, and as I start knocking back the coffee for the essay all nighter that lies ahead, a quick commentary on Day 1 of the election itself. With most people now thoroughly shattered, thoroughly exhausted and - quite possibly - thoroughly beyond the point of caring, the voting started.

According to sources over 2300 people had logged on and casted at least a vote for a candidate in a category by shortly after 3pm. How this compares with previous years is difficult to estimate. Who does a high turnout favour? What does this mean for voting through the evening (traditionally the busiest time) over night, or throughout day two? Will people actually care by the end of day two, or will they just say "I've already voted" to every leaflet they are offered tomorrow?

Lunch time outside the main library brought a real host of candidates - some in differently coloured T-Shirts, some who weren't. Also on offer was this year's best campaign gimmick - Will Searle & Frankenstein. This really brought something different to the election. Also amusing that Gordon & Ben chose the same coloured T-shirts from the many on offer; H&M must be doing very well from the many T-Shirts bought, and I'd be surprised if you could get a yellow one anywhere in Edinburgh!

This evening, Pollock Security decided not to allow any flyering outside the JMC, so it was door-to-door knocking for all the candidates, including Stuart, KT, Anna and various members from other campaign teams. How effective is doorstepping? We'll wait and see.

So the questions begin - will MyEd run ok tomorrow, or will the servers crash? If so, when? Will the Registry problem that plagued last year's Sabbatical results happen again? What results will come first? In fact, what time will the first results appear?

Debating Hall, starting sometime after 8pm, is where you'll find out first. And if you're really lucky, I may do some live blogging of the results, and quotes that start coming out.

But that depends on this essay going well ...

Fresh Air - VPS

And onto the Vice President Services candidates ... well two out of the three of them. I don't know if Tim Johns forgot about Chris Arnold, but he wasn't there leaving Tom & Stuart to answer the questions. Irony of ironies, he asked them if they came from different part of the political spectrum - which neither could answer ... because they've both been members of the Labour Club.



Usual bank of weird questioning - including one about Rust. And Tom admitted to smacking children with a paddle ... again make up your own minds.




So Arm Wrestle time ... and Stuart was victorious ...

And that's that ... obviously the VPAA candidates are of no interest to Fresh Air, because it seems none of them were invited ... or Tim forgot! Still, he has been up for the better part of 24hrs.

Do donate at www.freshair.org.uk and www.myrednoseday.com/radioday

News, Gossip and Rumours

A quick posting before I sleep, nearly 5 posts in one day should keep all those who read this blog happy!

Posters are coming up ... and down: Lots of candidates had their posters up today, including the first major tranche of posters from Kwan Ting Chan, Bruce Golding & Josh MacAlister, and a second batch of posters from Adam Ramsay. Photos to follow. However, the afternoon brought more disconcerting news as it appears that Josh's posters have come down in Pollock, whilst all the posters on the West and North sides of George Square suffered the same fate.

The Anti-Labour Webpage seems to be causing a stir, but at the same time are people just not bothered?

Manifesto Detail: One sources has told me that the reason that Josh is delaying his website's detailed manifesto because Adam hasn't been bothered to launch a proper website yet. However, this evening brings signs of a manifesto on Josh's site. Is Adam really bothered by a website or is he just relying on a P&P vote?

Real candidate gives his views: In what is surely a first in the EUSA Elections, Will Searle has decided to go with a web interview on YouTube (and syndicated through his website and Facebook group) to explain to people who is really is. A really new an innovative idea and something no other candidate can do without just seeming to be copying. No doubt this is a vote winner. Kudos where its due for the new idea.

Funny story of the day: I was in Tesco's this evening, which is itself not unusual. I was recognised by the check out assistant who thought I was standing in the elections - after I had corrected her (and told her she was a year late), she asked for my thoughts on this year's race. After mentioning some of the candidates she asked me about Tom & Adam .... asking if they are "always together" and if they are "together". I asked if she meant that they were working together on the same 'team'. Apparently not - she was asking if they were an item, because people only ever seem to see them together. Seems EUSA has its latest couple ...

Looking at ... The Association (Sabbs)

So with the nominations closed, and whilst the candidates are furiously working away touching up their manifestos before the Monday deadline, and everyone pouring over the details in everyone else's battle plans, now is the time to consider the election at hand. Who's standing, what does the initial out look mean, and the rest.

So President first. Well, whilst I'd like to suggest it would be a three way battle, Adam & Josh do have the front running ground. Josh's teaser campaign might leave it late for him to show who he really is, but I've no idea if there are sufficient hits to his website to make up for this. Adam's website is "still coming" (I was in this position last year, so won't throw too many stones), but it does currently look like an extention of the Mark Ballard factory. It looks tacky, and compared with what has been so far a very poor poster campaign (more of which later), it must be hurting. Chris Williams - well, who is Chris? No website. No posters - although there are some rumours circulating about why. Chris however has one key advantage - no political slime that comes with Josh or Adam. If he can get a message out to the voters that he doesn't have the messy political background of the two "heavy hitters" this may play well with people who are sick of EUSA hacks.

Vice President Academic Affairs comes next. It is still very difficult to split any of these candidates. KT's website is now online, and is looking very smart and sleek. No posters are up as yet, but the website makes up for this - especially a very interesting section showing his comparative perfomance against the other candidates. Anna's site is more bare bones still - flash driven, it'll no doubt annoy a few people, but it does lack in content. Bruce's site is also now online, and is very simple, but very effective. There's a lot of stuff about Bruce and its presented in a simple easy manner (like KT's) which will make a lot of people a lot happier. Ben's site is moving slowly, and now includes the yellow used in the Joshesque Teaser posters.

Vice President Services - well this is where it gets dirty. Tom French seems to be having a go at anyone and everyone on the EUSA forums, and whilst this won't play out on a larger scale, the more people that become interested in the elections the more will find out. His website is up, and it is already causing controversy. There is so much on this that needs discussing, I'm not sure where I should start, so this time round I'm going to simply say that using photos of Tom and current Sabbs almost seems like endorsement from them (especially on the front page), and that using supporting quotes makes it seem like the hard sell. I'm not sure. Stuart on the other hand looks to be winning a softer kind of vote, with his interesting slogan. I've seen some of the forthcoming publicity, which does look interesting and could be a vote winner - how good it is can't be judged yet, and if it really will engage people at all is more difficult to guess. However, Tom & Stuart are ahead of Chris Arnold, who's website isn't up as yet, but is promised by this weekend, along with a manifesto thereafter. However - much like the other Chris - if it is a non-political student people want, then Chris is the choice. However much Tom bleets on about not being a Labour member, the choice is stark between "Green-Labour" (Tom), "Tory-Labour" (Stuart) or something non-Labour, non-party poltical.

Vice President Societies & Activities is probably the most difficult to really work out. Gordon's website is still coming - all we have is all we've seen for nearly two weeks with "Flash Gordon". Will Searle may have stolen a slight lead with a fresh looking, very different website. Although not much is there, it looks a lot cleaner, and I can imagine some content will bring it to life.

Societies Convenor has been returned unopposed, which means Katherine Sellar won't have a tough race like Tom French & Steven Lauder did last year. That means no surprises either.

Finance Committee is a mixture. For the first time in years, there is an election for Senior Member of Finance Committee, and with the previous post holder no longer able to stand, the man who took his place at the Bye Elections will face off against the Sabbatical who is probably disliked the most in recent times. Neil versus Tim Cobbett will be interesting - as I've said before the influence on "Diana" on this election will be a deal breaker. What is really disappointing is that for the Finance Student Members, there are only 5 people standing, compared with 10 last year. There's a distinct lack of Sabbatical candidates taking this as 'fall-back' option and so this will be a tight race.

This being the top of ballot, there's going to be an awful lot of development and it will no doubt happen very quickly.

Quiet Wednesday

Traditionally the last day and a half of the elections is when it really hots up. Really really hots up. More candidates stand. More people are nominated. Not today however - just a mere 7 candidates.

The biggest news from today is Chris Arnold - http://www.freewebs.com/chrisarnold - standing for VPS. A Potterrow regular, Chris is someone I know very well from my work in Accommodation Services. VPS now has a "non-EUSA" candidate which will really shake up the elections. Tom French & Stuart MacLennan now have some opposition which 'ordinary, non-EUSA' people might well connect with and steal crucial votes. Chris can also tap into the lucrative 1st Year voting market, and this will be a shaping factor in the elections.

Elsewhere its been a quiet day, and I have to say I am really surprised at why people aren't standing. With nominations closing 4 hrs earlier than normal, are there going to be lots of seats unfilled in the SRC? That would really be a disappointment, and I hope that the push of me and others to get these seats filled does pay off.

A footnote to this is something that was pointed out to me by a friend. As things stand, there is only 1 female candidate for Sabbatical. Looking down the list, there are moderately few female candidates. Now, this isn't something that is going to deeply scratch my soul: I've always believed that the best candidates will make up their own decision to stand, and will do so regardless of gender or any other discriminator. I'm only mentioning this here, because someone else mentioned it to me, and it may spark some debate or interest.

The main message is this: if you aren't standing, and think you might want to, then do. You'll only regret not getting involved. The clock is ticking - forms are available online at the EUSA Election site, and nominations close at 12noon sharp. Get involved.

Up and Running

Well, its been the busiest opening two days in EUSA's election history according to the office, and the main talking points have been Sabb candidates and Facebook.

First thing first, Sabb candidates. On Monday, Adam Ramsay made the Presidential race, a race, by deciding to stand against Josh, in the most predictable, most 'known-in-advance' race in a while. Adam's website - http://www.adamramsay.org.uk/ - is not up and running yet, and all that it currently shows is who's hosting his domain.

Whilst Facebook tells you about the election candidates before they declare, Tuesday brought the 'official' declarations from Stuart MacLennan and Tom French - New Labour versus 'not quite' New Labour. The most Tory Labour candidate versus the Green Labour candidate. Label it however you want, all that is clear, is that the battle is going to be a tough one. Tom has taken the very unusual step of unveiling his manifesto now (and not waiting until the manifesto deadline), allowing everyone a good view of his policies, including allowing the undeclared James Wallace a chance to take an attack on them. I'll go through Tom's Manifesto later.

Website wise: Tom French's http://www.tomfrench.org.uk has a place holder of him outside McEwan Hall with his strap line of Better Unions. Delivered. Stuart has gone for Pints not Politics, which is an interesting choice, although his website (at http://www.stuartmaclennan.co.uk/ ) is much more developed and seems to contain a lot of information, although he too originally had a photo of him outside McEwan Hall.

Facebook is a new ball game, being underused by the candidates last year, and only now really seeming to be effective. I've been invited to all three VPS Facebook groups although no Presidential ones.

Other candidates are starting to declare, which I'll cover in later posts.