‘No’ Campaign Team
USI Referendum
You may have read that disaffiliating from the USI does not mean abandoning the vision of the union, the vision shared by federations of unions across the world.
In some fundamental way it does, since the USI’s vision to be the national body which represents both students’ interests and the interests of the students’ unions themselves. Disaffiliation undermines this fundamental mission of the USI, the idea that as Irish students with a common interests, we can best serve our interests on a national level if we operate as one single unit.
This isn’t out of some sense of desire to monopolise, nor out of a perverse control-freakism – but out of firm belief that in solidarity, we are stronger.
We can share expertise across institutions, find support for rights issues in all corners of the country, pool resources to provide international-quality training of affiliate members, and, most importantly, advocate on national issues with the credibility that you are hearing so much about.
Political credibility in a democracy is derived, yes, in some sense from integrity, but also from the democratic weight behind any political actor. Just as ICTU, and other federations, USI’s political credibility – be it at the HEA, with the Minister for Education or elsewhere – comes from the democratic force behind the statement: ‘We are the national union of students – we are the voice of over 200,000.’ Neither the reason for our unity (studentship) nor the structures themselves (modeled in the manner of thousands of similar federations) are unworthy of support.
If credibility in the sense of being answerable to students nationally is the issue, then the onus is on both USI and TCDSU to provide a transparent and open channel of communication right down to their student membership. We ought to work together to improve these deficiencies, otherwise the consequence of their resolution is moot.
We can be brief about our major campaign points, because in many ways they speak for themselves. There is one recognised spokesperson on student issues and that is the president of the USI. The USI is the only legally recognised channel for formal student engagement with their political representatives. The USI provides dedicated professional training to your sabbatical officers – most crucially your welfare officer – as part of your membership and is on hand to offer advice at any stage.
Voting Yes compromises the democratic force of the national student movement, in a time where both the idea and the pragmatics of the university movement are under attack.
Our opposition speak of an accountable, credible, and democratic alternative to the USI. Our national union has all these qualities, and talk of a home-grown alternative seems based on the myth that, standing alone, Trinity students and their needs have a clout equal to that of the collective influence of 235,000 students nationwide. It must not be stated that this is what we as a student body believe, as to engage with so bloated a self-perception would be at the detriment of our credibility.
Voting No to disaffiliation next week reaffirms the positive values of solidarity and the union movement, and acknowledges, that together we are stronger, more representative, and thoroughly more credible.
Read the thoughts of the ‘Yes’ campaign team and why they are advocating disaffiliation here.
