The sun was shining on Front Square as Paul Murphy slipped away from the throng, camera held aloft, grin stretching from ear to ear. The Anti-Austerity Alliance TD had been attending a demonstration against the well-documented introduction of supplemental exam fees by Trinity and he looked exceptionally happy with what he saw. He wasn’t the only one, either. Richard Boyd Barrett was also present, David Norris too, both rousing the rabble with powerful speeches. In all, Tuesday’s protest, which started on the steps of the Dining Hall, was a huge success, followed by an occupation of the Dining Hall by 50 students. It was protest the good old-fashioned way, the long-awaited mobilisation of a student population often maligned for its apathy.
Yesterday’s events were more extraordinary still, after College appeared, initially at least, to attempt to force out the students occupying the Dining Hall. Suffice to say, it did not work. For the second day in succession, and this time in thundering rain, students came out in their hundreds, shouting, waving placards and generally making life difficult for College. It was a joy to watch.
The occupiers remained in the building all night. They received – belatedly – food, water and toilet access. Late yesterday evening, Provost Patrick Prendergast tweeted that College will “seriously consider” alternative proposals on supplemental exam fees. These were two major climb-downs from College. Prendergast and his advisors, it seems, knew they were beaten yesterday, unable to take on a movement so vocal and so capable of getting boots on the ground.
Social media has allowed students to discuss ideas and organise direct action. It has also, most enjoyably, allowed for the dissemination of memes
Prendergast’s tweet, though, can also be read as an admission of guilt. For the last week, College has become the undoubted villain of this drama, successfully portrayed by the students as elitist and out of touch. Their campaign has been loud, their strategies intelligent. They have out-witted, so far at least, College’s PR department, both in the fervour of their on-the-ground protests and, in a fascinating twist, in the creativity of their online activity.
Social media, we are constantly told, is now at the very epicentre of activism, a rallying point for dissent, and so it has proved during these protests. Over the course of this campaign, social media has allowed students to discuss ideas and organise direct action. It has also, most enjoyably, allowed for the dissemination of memes poking fun at supplemental fees.
And this, finally, is where Michael McDermott makes his re-appearance in student politics. Last month, McDermott charmed the hearts and minds of Trinity students as a candidate for President of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU). He didn’t win – he was runner up – but for many he was the bright spark in an often drab contest, with his razor-sharp satire and quick wit. McDermott’s claim to fame was his satirical Facebook page Trinity Collidge, and it is from his page that so much of this movement’s cutting-edge meme content has emerged in the last week or so.
The memes are undeniably funny, but they have a political value too, and this is why the page deserves so much credit
Since the advent of these protests, Trinity Collidge has moved subtly but definitively away from its usual observational satire, from lampooning whichever College body has embarrassed itself on a particular day, to the point where it is fast becoming a veritable cradle of memes against supplemental fees. Submissions have come from far and wide, often of excellent quality, in worthy and fitting retribution against College. Unsurprisingly, Prendergast has become the target, singled out in almost all of the multitude of acerbic memes published on Trinity Collidge in the past fortnight. His face has appeared in Father Ted memes, Despicable Me memes, Lord of the Rings memes. Mostly, his face has appeared in Simpsons memes, with Trinity Collidge admitting on a recent post that “this is now a Simpsons meme page”. Vice-Provost Chris Morash, less used to student scorn, has also made an appearance on the meme page.
The memes are undeniably funny, but they have a political value too, and this is why the page deserves so much credit. Trinity Collidge’s offerings, direct and simplistic, have helped put a point on students’ anger, a visual depiction of an enemy everyone seems happy to congregate against. McDermott’s eagerness to accept submissions and credit the creators has allowed people to feel involved, valued. And, looking at the number of likes on each post, it’s clear that students are buying it.
The challenge for students now, as identified by this newspaper, is to ensure that the movement doesn’t lose vitality and retains its freshness and energy. Last night was a huge victory, but what is almost certain is that College will not simply back down from this fight. The war is far from over and Trinity Collidge’s memes have an important role to play in it.
