Birmingham AGM postponed after electoral fraud
By Charlie Winch
The University Of Birmingham Guild Of Students AGM was postponed yesterday evening after allegations of widespread voter fraud emerged.
The AGM had already been criticised as an attempt by left-wing students to hijack the Guild as their own political tool to cause further disruption on campus. Motions included reducing the number of students needed to initiate further AGMs (making it easier for small minorities to over influence decision making) and kicking off the University appointed member of the trustee board – bound to further sour relationships between the University and Guild.
On Monday evening however, a facebook screen shot emerged (pictured below) of a conversation between numerous members of the ironically named ‘ReclaimTheGuild’ group plotting obvious electoral fraud to win the AGM. Those in the conversation, mostly from the University Broad Left Society, under the campaign name ‘ReclaimTheGuild, included the Vice President of Democracy and Resources, Leander Jones, and numerous elected members of the Guild council.
(A higher resolution version can be found here)
You couldn’t make it up – in black and white language these left wing ‘pro democracy’ students celebrated “electoral fraud ftw” and told each other to “not hand in the [proxy] forms where they voted against”. One even boasted of having “scribbled their names with my left hand and made up a few mobile numbers”.
We will update further as events unfold. A full investigated has been launched by the Guild President, David Franklin.
We, however, believe those elected Guild officials involved should be immediately suspended, and if necessary sacked. They are meant to represent the voices of the student body – ignoring those they disagree with and faking votes in such a way is not compatible with that. Rumours have it some of the “Reclaim the Guild” group are planning on standing for further elected positions in the upcoming Sabb elections. Their nominations should be scrutinized with extra vigour, and students should ask themselves who we really should be reclaiming the Guild from.
