The student movement in Ireland has historically been associated with activities such as protests, demonstrations, and overall agitation. In 2010, the “Education not Emigration” march, organised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), saw between 25,000 and 40,000 students descend on Dublin – albeit, not without controversy.
In recent years, however, certain student groups have tried an alternative to taking to the streets: lobbying. By definition, lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by top officials in different institutions. This new approach has been used by a variety of groups including USI, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and student campaigns such as Fossil Free TCD.
This change has been part of a wider shift away from student protest in recent years. In an unexpected move, USI cancelled its annual demonstration in 2015, replacing it with a voter registration drive. Speaking to The University Times, President of USI, Annie Hoey, defended the union’s decision to cancel the demonstration, stating that “with an upcoming general election, registering 10,000 students in 24 hours made more of a measurable impact than taking to the streets”.
When up to 40,000 students attend a protest to prevent the introduction of a registration fee and ultimately fail in their goal, it is time to try a different alternative
USI’s demonstration had become something of an annual tradition in recent years. Replacing it with a voter registration drive suggests that USI is beginning to recognise the limitations of protest. Even this year, while the national demonstration is to be revived, it will “not be labelled as a student protest” but will instead aim to highlight “the consensus and support” for a publicly funded higher education system. Arguably, this is a sign of the student movement maturing and realising that in order to effect greater change, shouting at politicians from outside the gates of Leinster House often isn’t as effective as having proper discussions with them inside of it.
When asked about this shift towards lobbying, Hoey pointed out that “In the last two to three years the student movement has taken a more serious approach to lobbying”. She went on to add “students are becoming aware that they need to talk to people about getting things done”. She says she sees this as a “positive shift”.
Lobbying has also been increasingly embraced by TCDSU. The union’s first-ever student lobby group was set up earlier this year by its President, Kieran McNulty. The group has eleven different positions, with responsibility for a variety of issues such as student accommodation, drug and alcohol policy, mental health and higher education funding among others.
In an interview with The University Times, McNulty discussed the “amazing student base in Trinity who are engaged in a wide range of issues”. McNulty wants to tap into the knowledge that Trinity students have on these issues and “present them to politicians”. He stated that the lobby group’s goal this year is “to get politicians to warm to the idea of it, in the hope that it will effect change in the future”.
The lobby group will only act on mandates given to it by the TCDSU Council, and will lobby exclusively on student issues. Trinity Senator, Lynn Ruane, told The University Times that the lobby group is a “great idea” as it “allows for not only one single issue to dominate the student space”.
Sometimes activism on a certain issue is longer than a college term. When you come into college, all is not going to be changed by the time you leave
With the funding crisis likely to dominate the student political sphere for the next year or so, the lobby group will be able to concentrate not only on this issue but also on many other issues that are relevant to Trinity students. It will hopefully give voice to the concerns of students within Leinster House and has the potential to effect tangible change. It is a welcome initiative.
It is not only students’ unions that have tested this new approach. Certain student campaigns have also begun to use lobbying. Fossil Free TCD – set up to pressure Trinity to divest from direct ownership of funds that include fossil-fuel equities and bonds – has been warmly received by College authorities in its attempt to lobby them on this issue. Áine O’Gorman, who has helped lead the Fossil Free TCD campaign, told The University Times that the campaign is “progressing really well”. She said that the group has been “successful in speaking to College management and boards” who were “open to talking from the get-go”.
O’Gorman also outlined the reasons for the divestment campaign choosing to lobby rather than protest. She said “all [members of the campaign] agreed that lobbying was the best way to start off. Don’t protest if you don’t know someone is going to say no to you”.
Trinity’s Fossil Free campaign stands out from other universities who have struggled to get college management to engage in similar high-level discussions. For example, in Queen’s University Belfast, fossil free campaigners staged a sit-in and occupation of a building of the university for six days last December. When asked about this approach, O’Gorman sympathised with the protesters, stating that “they had to do it because they weren’t getting any response from the board”.
It is important to note that this move towards lobbying is not an attempt to replace student protest. It is simply an alternative method. USI has reinstated its annual demonstration this year and well over 300 students took part in “The March For Choice” on September 24th. Furthermore, The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) staged a protest outside Leinster House on September 27th, in response to the government reversing its decision to recognise nursing internships. Protest is by no means dead within the student movement. However, the movement is changing.
Groups such as Fossil Free TCD show that lobbying has the potential to be successful in starting a dialogue with those who can actually implement change
When asked whether lobbying was the direction that the student movement should take in the future, Senator Ruane told The University Times that “both [lobbying and protest] have their merits”. She continued: “sometimes activism on a certain issue is longer than a college term. When you come into college, all is not going to be changed by the time you leave. Changing public attitudes takes time. Lobbying people needs to be persistent. However, if it is not going anywhere, protest needs to be used”.
Lobbying, for the student movement, is still in its early stages. It is hard to gauge how successful student groups will be in using this practice to advocate for different issues. However, groups such as Fossil Free TCD show that lobbying has the potential to be successful in starting a dialogue with those who can actually implement change. When up to 40,000 students attend a protest to prevent the introduction of a registration fee and ultimately fail in their goal, it is time to try a different alternative. Lobbying may end up to be largely fruitless for the student movement in achieving its goals, but it is certainly worth a shot.
