Democracy crumbles as Guild Councillors resign en masse

Democracy within the Guild appears to be falling to pieces, after 8 Guild councillors resigned tonight at the latest Guild Council meeting.

The Councillors have staged a ‘walk out’ in opposition to the referenda currently being voted on by students, which threatens both their roles and those of the non-sabatical officers.

The fallout has arisen over the Referenda’s proposed Democratic Structures Review and Officer Review, which would scrap the existing model and both the Guild Council and non-sabs alike.

Despite opposition put forward by several members of the Council, the Trustee Board which holds ultimate sway in the Guild’s decision making, and on which President Poppy Wilkinson sits, opted to veto several measures put forward by the Council.

Not all so ‘green and pleasant’ in Guild Council

Speaking on behalf of the 8 councillors who have quit with immediate effect, James Bowker told the Tab that ” the Trustee Board have acted totally illegitimately in overturning democratically decided amendments.“

In support of Bowker’s comments, another resigning councillor, Rio Dougherty said: “The actions of the Trustee Board show how they do not represent the student’s best interests.”

Another councillor, frustrated with the entire process added: “This is not the referenda that we voted for but what the Trustee Board pushed through.

“The Trustee Board are not elected and this is not the first time that their actions have been called into question.”

That’s right Mermaid… ‘who do the Trustee Board think they are?’

This latest development has only added fuel to the fire, in what is turning out to be a disastrous year for the Guild.

Following a record low voter turnout in the Guild elections last term, it appears that the proposed changes to the Guild are unlikely to even go ahead, as a similar turnout for the Referenda has forced the Guild to extend the vote for six weeks.

Whilst many of the councillors accept that there are problems within the Guild, several believe the Referenda is a “sham”, and does not provide any promise of the positive reform that the Guild “so desperately needs.”

Branded ‘illegitimate’ by Councillors

According to the resigning councillors, the walk out is a public demonstration designed to show the Trustee Board that “Guild council will not tolerate them acting in this way.”

Only time will show whether the walk out will hold any sizeable repercussions on the future progress of the Guild, though for now it is likely to herald considerable disruption for the foreseeable future.