Harry has been kind enough to provide us with an official release. And laughed a bit at our website... But cheers anyway.
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Person - Alastair SloanTelephone Number - 07920 401 056Email Address - press@harrycole.netWeb site address - http://www.harrycole.net/
Candidates join together in criticism of Adam RamsayEdinburgh, Midlothian, UK, 7th March
2008
In response to the recent disqualification of Adam Ramsay and his subsequent decision to appeal, presidential candidates Nick Ward, Harry Cole and Gabe Arafa have joined together in their criticism of Ramsay's behaviour.
"Despite a clear decision from Graham Boyack, Adam Ramsay has decided to appeal the decision. Nobody wants a cheat as President and nobody wants the EUSA elections process dragged through the mud.
"Graham has done a fantastic job over the past few weeks and I know he did not take this decision lightly. Adam is on a fool's errand if he thinks he knows better."
Nick Ward, presidential candidate, joined forces with Harry to criticise Ramsay's decision to appeal.
"I am absolutely disgusted. Adam was caught trying to subvert the democratic process. He has been disqualified, rightly so, by the returning officer who recognized that his electoral gains from cheating were too great and now he is trying to worm his way out of his disqualification again.
"I really do not think that the students want a cheat as a President and I cannot see how, if he does win his appeal and election, he will be able to form any relationship of trust with any other elected officials or members of staff."
He added, "It seems that the SNP, Greens and Socialists backed a cheat as president of Edinburgh University Students Association."All the candidates have expressed concern that Mark Ballard, rector of Edinburgh University, sits on the appeals committee and have written to the University Secretary explaining this.
Adam Ramsay is godfather to his son, who is named after Adam. Adam ran Mark Ballard’s successful campaign against Boris Johnson to become the Rector and they both unsuccessfully in May 2007 to become Green MSPs."
Update- Bums. Rumbled. Mr Cole, you jolly old soul, your eyes are everywhere. We thought the press release stood repeating in full, though I dare say my synopsis would have punched up the language a bit. We're glad you're reading this and anything else you can tell us would be most enlightening.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
34 comments:
haha if you want to be taken seriously you'll need to do more than just print the press release "Mr Cicero" if that is your name...
Joking apart I can't see how next years election will ever be able to happen if such blatent disregard of the rules is not stamped out.
All it will be next year is campaign teams dominating pollock and then when the candidate is called up he or she can just say "oh wait I told them not to"
its a dangerous precedent that cannot be set. Yes its tough, yes its harsh but the rules have to be followed..
In reaction to other posts and comments yes I admit my involvement in eusaless was cheeky but I am proud to say that I did not break a single election rule and I am not a cheat.
My girlfriend was wearing an I heart HC tshirt (and I should hope so too!) but she was not conversing with voters or handing out literature.
And so the chat begins again..
I spent hours and hours campaigning for my candidate. I sacrificed loads of my social time and probably quite a few marks off an important essay. And all for some deluded little bully to cheat his way towards winning. As Nick says, he is trying to undermime democracy. It makes me so angry just thinking about it. Adam should not only be disqualified, but they should be having serious words with his DOS about whether he should be allowed to continue to study at Edinburgh.
I honestly despise each and every person who voted for Adam. Shame on you.
I really think this Ramsay incident has been an over reaction.
Campaigning after hours would be important should the contest be for one of the smaller positions where it'd make a huge difference, but for the presidential election I doubt it'd make a dent.
To 21:38, get a life. This election isn't the end of the world, and you made that choice to sacrifice your marks. I campaigned for my candidate too (not Adam by-the-way) and was well aware of the impact it'd have on my course marks.
I think what should be looked at is the turnout more than anything. The real afront to democracy is that someone like Nick Ward could 'buy' an election through being the best connected candidate. His policies are a joke, which is appropriate given the man in question. More should be done to raise turnout, then incidents like this would be even more negligible.
To person number 21:50
You are a total an utter idiot. How can you defend someone who clearly has no respect for any of the values which our society holds dear. Adam is a cheat. He hates democracy, he hates choice. He hates people from other political parties, and there is no low which he won't stoop to in order to run our students association into the ground.
Also I don't believe for a second that you're not an Adam campaigner. Or did you vote for Gabe - that pointless, gormless character with no policies and no reason whatsoever for running, except to take votes off Nick? He was clearly put up to running by someone from the Ramsay camp anyway.
oh thank god we have a forum for this sort of chat again.
To 21:58 - I'm actually conservative, so I'll leave you to figure out which one I supported. Also, a little over-the-top don't you think? You must be a Ward supporter...
I disagree with Adam's politics, but what I disagree with more is the level of pettiness that people are stooping too. He was clearly the popular choice or there wouldn't be this debacle. Why can't people grow a pair and accept defeat graciously? As someone living in first year accomodation, I should know that some of the candidates and their supporters have been just as 'liberal' with the campaigning hours...
Adam its disapointing that this has happend but perhaps it is justice for all the cheating that went on last year. Getting people to hand about Pollock for a little longer than allowed did not sway the vote substantially at all and if Adam has won the popular vote he should be elected president. Harry to say it sets a very worring precedent is complete bull shit, next year it would be worse if people standing against you got people to pretend to be your supporters and went round and campaigned outwith the allowed time. Harry I liked your sugestion about lotteries in your manifesto - indeed why don't we have a lottery to select the next President, then everyone really would stand an equal chance!
Clearly, the solution to this is to disallow campaigning in Pollock or the other sites.
Make it focussed on-campus and stop pestering people!
Harry's gfriend is hot!
oi back up!
Well I think Harry Cole is hotter.
The picture of him in the God Save The Queen t-shirt = HOTT!
every close person (mums, girlfriends, best-friends, etc) to the candidates were helping out, nick's, adam's, harry's and gabe's...what is wrong with that? mostly of they were only giving out flyers
rule-breaking in pollock should be taken seriously, it's a major block of voters and %wise a hell of a lot of them vote. if adam won, he won in pollock, and if he cheated in pollock, he shouldn't have won.
everyone leaving messsages of support on adam ramsay's facebook profile and his presidential group should be ashamed of themselves - don't support a cheat you fucking idiots!
this blog is completely over the top and as petty as Cole's EUSAless was
the instance is being examined as we speak so grow up and behave like big boys and girls
the result of voting shouldn't be taken into account in the appeal. Regardless of what happened, if election rules are broken, those same rules state that the candidate breaking them should be disqualified. It is unfortunate but fair.
If it stops Nick Ward getting in on the act then Ramsay should definitely nt be dissqualified.
I don't think that Adam's "cheating" is what is going to discredit this election, but rather this petty ranting and trading of insults.
Do you really think that if someone else got elected WITHOUT him exercising his right to appeal they would have any credibility with the Ramsay voters?
The gracious thing to do is wait to see what the outcome of the appeal is and then act accordingly. This increasingly petty speculation is only going to exacerbate any ill feeling and resignation connected to the elections.
GROW UP!
Is this blog just one enormous troll? If it is then its quite an effective one, but if it isn't then please grow up, Nick and Harry (I don't think Gabe would stoop low enough).
You may be unimpressed with the appeal, but it is all part of the democratic process, and starting personal and hatefilled blogs hardly reflects well on yourselves.
For the record I am unaffiliated, I am very unimpressed with the out of hours campaigning, but it is these horific personal attacks which are why I truly hate student politics.
I'm a Harry Cole supporter and I think it's very two-faced of Nick to be running this blog. Several of Nick's campaigners knocked on my door out of hours. Pot calling the kettle black. Nick thinks he can get Adam disqualified, because he's in second. If Nick wins this way, I think we should appeal to get him thrown out as well - then Harry Cole will win. This whole thing has been one big plot against the truly neutral candidates.
We're not Nick Ward.
Haha and Eusaless wasn't Harry Cole!
21.50 - Nick didn't buy anything, yes he has EUSA friends - because he has been involved for so long and done so much. However alot of his friends were running or supporting other sab candidates so he was workin bloddy hard because his team was not very big. His polices and track record are impeccable so wheesht
22.05- There is no time limit on anywhere but Pollock, having your door knocked on at all hours is annoying but legal (im in 1st year accom too.)
23.15 The reason that girlfriends and close frieds giving stuff out would be wrong is because if they're not from this uni its illegal but I don't think anybody is saying that happened.
13.10 I can tell you for a fact that all Ward's team sat and waited until the allotted time because we didn't want to in any way be tarred by the Ramsay cheating brush. Most didn't show up at the JMC until a wee bit before the door knocking hours just incase and all took their t-shirts aswell. In no way did Ward or any of his team cheat, far from it.
Trust me this blog isn't Nick Ward or his supporters either, I don't think it'll be any of the candidates or their supporters, they're all too tired
Also now Adam will now either be a lame duck President or the man who tarnished the entire election
Just Quit.
14.20 - A KB Sabb?
Extra-curricular credits? C'mon, tell me they aren't there ramblings of the misguided.
Oh, and lets not forget the legendary "Wanker Ward" tale of him trying to promote masturbation awareness when he was involved with the Welfare Committee. Shame he got laughed out of town for it, I mean, easing Ward's consciousness is obviouvly more importnat than the growing mental health problems (something which would undoubtedly grow should a poorer student that has to juggle work and studying be assessed on their outside contributions made in their limited free time too).
To 14:20. Haha you're typical of Ward's typical high-and-mighty type supporters, thinking you've got the moral high ground. Funnily enough, every time we up Harry Cole posters at Dick Vet, they vanished immediately, while the Ward ones got taken straihgt down.
Edit: I meant the Nick Ward ones stayed up.
16.32/37, I've not been to Dick Vet so I don't know, but I did notice several Ward posters I put up disappearing. One I saw even disappeared within the space of a 50 minute lecture, while the Oliver Mundell and Phil McGuinness ones next to it stayed up. I have my suspicions.
And for some ridiculous reason I saw one at Kincaids Court disappear in the early hours of the morning!
I'm not saying Cole's posters didn't get taken down (I don't know who by, but not by me), but Ward was affected too. Although I did see a LOT of Ramsay posters...I'm sure someone targetted him as well.
I saw Harry Cole take down a Nick Ward poster.
Well I put Nick Ward posters up on the backs of toilet doors. While I was washing my hands, a girl in a heart HC T-shirt came in. I walked out of the toilet and waited till she'd gone (she didn't know I was campaigning). When I returned, each and every one of the Nick Ward posters had vanished. I found them in the bin, so I put them up again.
I say disqualify them both. Harry Cole is a cheat and a disgrace. Adam Ramsay is a nasty piece of work.
thats odd because the harry posters in loos appeared long before the days when the teams were allowed to wear tshirts.
Some people are total fucking idiots. You can't assume that when you see someone taking down campaign posters that they a) are doing it on behalf of your opponent(s) or b)even support your oponents. I have as much right to take posters down as you have to put them up.
If anyone saw Harry Cole, or any of the other candidates, taking down posters then they have done their felow students a great disservice by failing to gather evidence and then report the situation to the authorities. And given that they didn't do it, shut the fuck up and stop making slanderous allegations.
fuck off ramsay you cheating cunt. nobody wants a cheat as a president, you slimy p&p tit.
Well some of us coulnd't care less. I saw Nick Ward posters in the bathrooms weeks before the elections. They kept vanishing, and new ones kept getting put up.
But I also know firsthand someone from Ward's campaign team who admitted to me that they covered over Cole posters on notice boards. Didn't take down, mind, just covered over...
Post a Comment