COC and Elaine hug it out after the historic accord
Ents candidates Elaine McDaid and Chris O’Connor on Friday night came to an agreement that they should focus on the positive in their campaigns as they met of their own volition in the office of TCDSU Education Officer Jen Fox to discuss the increasingly heated and personal discourse in the Ents race. At least two incidents relating to the race have been reported to the Junior Dean, and the tone of the debate has become increasingly angry in recent days. Both candidates acknowledged that the tone of the campaign “set a bad example” and served neither candidate well.
Both candidates agreed to press home the message that personal attacks and abuse from their supporters are not acceptable or desirable using their campaign network, and published an identical message on their Facebook pages following the agreement. The two had composed it together following the meeting.
“[We] met up today and discussed what has gone on over the past week. We both feel that things have gotten out of hand and that personal comments are a step too far. I feel, and [the other candidate] does too, that whoever wins this, they will want to feel that they won on their own merits and not on the faults of their opponent. Keep the campaign clean and fun, guys, these elections can be great craic and [we] both want our campaigners to have fun over the next week. Please spread the word among your friends who have been supporting me, this goes well beyond each of our campaign teams so please make it known that neither of us condones this behaviour, and neither of us wants this to be the kind of behaviour that wins the election. Starting Monday this campaign is going to be clean, good spirited and fun”
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O’Connor said after the meeting “I’m happy to have cleared the air with Elaine. I’m looking forward to the week ahead and building on this week’s great effort from my campaign team.”, while Elaine said “My team and myself are glad things have been resolved, I’m looking forward to next week!”
Both candidates agreed that the accord should not hinder discussion of the ideas and plans mentioned in each other’s manifestos, and as such, they will each be publishing an eight-hundred word argument making their case in the Election Special edition of The University Times, which will cover the SU elections, the Provostial election and the General Election, to be released on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen whether this agreement will stem the tide of personal remarks and antagonism from both side’s supporters – the most abhorrent of behaviour relating to the Ents race has been perpetrated by students unaffiliated with the campaign. However, the public recognition that the nature of their discourse has something to do with it may help.
Tom Lowe, Editor
