Student Unity (Unity), despite the name, are the other main ALP faction – this time for the right-wingers. Under the ‘sweetheart deal’ between NLS and Unity, Unity get NUS General Secretary in return for supporting NLS for President. They usually also get the Welfare NOB, and a few other, ‘minor’ roles.
At UNSW, they’re around, but not in a major way. Up until 2005, they held Presidency and a majority of positions on the Guild (pre-Arc). Indeed, either NLS, Unity or one of their predecessors had held Presidency every year from 1992 until 2009. But nowadays, Unity are somewhat dampened at UNSW. Until last year’s election, they were part of the Voice coalition, but didn’t manage to secure the same deal again. So instead they formed an opposition ticket in a coalition with Liberals.
Where are they going? At last year’s NUS Conference they nearly seized Presidency. At the Special General Meeting of NUS (held in January to make up for the fact the December meeting completely failed to do anything) they came close to taking control of several state bodies, the deal only falling through because of internal Unity personality clashes. As a single bloc, Unity are looking close to taking full control of NUS. But there are internal clashes yet to be worked out.
Hey Rory, just thought I'd correct you on the "either NLS, Unity or one of their predecessors had held Presidency every year from 1992 until 2009". I spoke to a guy at Mardi Gras who was GL/Indie who was pres in '04 or 05'. I can't remember the details but he is a friend of one of the guys in Blitz. I think he was Indian or Sri Lankan, but I can't remember his name. But yeah he said he had read one of your articles somewhere and there were actually a few non-Labor presidents in that time. So yeah, seems as though you are wrong on that claim :P
ReplyDeleteJames!
This is going by what Os told me, so you can blame him for that factoid.
ReplyDeleteUnity didn't fail to get state bodies because of internal clashes, they failed to get them because they don't have the numbers, and their internal clashes are primarily across state boundaries (thus don't affect who's elected at a state level).
ReplyDeleteHere is a reference:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.search.com/reference/University_of_New_South_Wales_Student_Guild
I can assure you that Student Unity will never seek to attain the position of NUS President (so long as NLS don't ever rat on the sweetheart deal). We don't want it.
ReplyDeleteYour reference to Unity 'nearly seizing Presidency' in 2009 is thus unqualified. At no stage did Student Unity waver in its support for an NLS President in December 2009, or at the January SGM.
Your reference to 'control of several state bodies' did not fall through due to internal Unity personality clashes, but rather personality clashes with the now-deceased 'East Coast Independents' faction, with whom Unity had formed (and later justifiably burned) a loose coalition.