Leaked: Former Labour WarwickSU DDO denounced as 'right wing', amid reversal of his Democracy reforms
The Democracy Exec is Warwick Students Union's most important Exec committee; it underpins every SU democratic process - from facilitating elections to deciding official Union policy.
In 2015, Exec committees were brought in to both support and hold SU Sabbatical Officers to account - during the term of Democracy and Development Officer (DDO) Oliver 'Olly' Rice.
Near the end of Olly's term, he led a Democracy Review in the SU. It covered three major issues; one of which included, increasing student engagement by raising quorum - the minimum number of votes for motions to become SU Policy.
At the time, quorum was set at 1% - meaning 240 students could decide Warwick SU's official Policy representing 24,000 students.
Unsurprisingly, 85% motions were being passed with 2-3% turnout, which Olly told the Boar, 'is simply not good enough, we must aim higher than this, and to engage more students'. Olly had held the notion that 'the very fact that 5% of the student populous would have to be persuaded of a policy means that motions would be properly campaigned for, and we would enjoy truer democracy in our SU'. Such wishful thinking...
Overlooking the fact that, five was no where near double digits (unless you rounded it up to ten) and similar referenda turnout at Oxford University was around 14%, it was none-the-less a well intentioned statement...
Almost to prove a point; in Term 3 2015-16, Warwick voted NOT 'to sabotage the NSS' at 10% turnout. However, - months later - in Term 1 2016-17, Marie Dams proposed a motion to 'boycott the NSS', passed at 3.7% turnout! So, isn't 3.7% less than 5% quorum? And isn't having a 2nd referendum immediately after one - to overturn a previous result appear a bit dubious?
Well... staunch left, WFFE activist, Marie Dams also happened to be Chair of the Democracy Exec. Before the referendum, she craftily proposed a By-Law change to lower quorum from 5% to 2% - reversing Olly's reforms, which meant this was neither introduced via a Democracy Review, nor was it voted on or ratified by all students in a referendum. Marie's 'NSS Boycott' motion subsequently passed with 3.7% turnout. If the Boar hadn't reported it or there weren't minutes, you'd probably think we were making this up!
However, The Eye has been told of an alleged extraordinary conversation by a source in the Democracy Exec at the time - that was excluded from the minutes. The then-Democracy Voice Coordinator Jamie Roberts (staff) and incumbent DDO Rebecca 'Becky' Gittins (student) had described Olly's reforms as 'right-wing' to the Exec, which was then promptly agreed by Democracy Exec Chair Marie Dams. The rest is history.
The last the Eye checked, Olly was a member of Warwick Labour, endorsing Labour in 2017 under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. If he is 'right-wing', then the Eye wonders... what is left-wing!?
P.S. The Boar reported Sam Carter, Deputy Chair of the Warwick Tories said, 'This is a blatant conflict of interests case. Dams supports a motion unlikely to receive near 5% backing at an ASM, and has used her position as Democracy Executive Chair to alter SU policy to the organisation she support’s benefit'.
P.P.S. You may also remember in a previous article - the Eye reported that Democracy Exec Chair Marie Dams (Wrygdwylife) told SU Student Council it did not need directly elected members, because she feared '7 straight, white, cis males could be elected'...
By Warwick Eye
Sources:
Warwick SU Democracy Exec (link)
Warwick SU Exec committees (details)
Warwick SU Democracy Review 2016 led by Oliver Rice (link)
Warwick SU Referenda Quorum Lowered (link)
Warwick SU 2015-16 Term 3 Referendum Result at 10% Turnout (link)
Warwick SU 2016-17 Term 1 Referendum Result at 3.7% Turnout (link)
Warwick SU Democracy Exec Minutes 02 Nov 2016 (link)
Warwick SU Council votes against having directly elected members (link)
In 2015, Exec committees were brought in to both support and hold SU Sabbatical Officers to account - during the term of Democracy and Development Officer (DDO) Oliver 'Olly' Rice.
Near the end of Olly's term, he led a Democracy Review in the SU. It covered three major issues; one of which included, increasing student engagement by raising quorum - the minimum number of votes for motions to become SU Policy.
At the time, quorum was set at 1% - meaning 240 students could decide Warwick SU's official Policy representing 24,000 students.
Unsurprisingly, 85% motions were being passed with 2-3% turnout, which Olly told the Boar, 'is simply not good enough, we must aim higher than this, and to engage more students'. Olly had held the notion that 'the very fact that 5% of the student populous would have to be persuaded of a policy means that motions would be properly campaigned for, and we would enjoy truer democracy in our SU'. Such wishful thinking...
Overlooking the fact that, five was no where near double digits (unless you rounded it up to ten) and similar referenda turnout at Oxford University was around 14%, it was none-the-less a well intentioned statement...
Almost to prove a point; in Term 3 2015-16, Warwick voted NOT 'to sabotage the NSS' at 10% turnout. However, - months later - in Term 1 2016-17, Marie Dams proposed a motion to 'boycott the NSS', passed at 3.7% turnout! So, isn't 3.7% less than 5% quorum? And isn't having a 2nd referendum immediately after one - to overturn a previous result appear a bit dubious?
 |
| Warwick SU Democracy Exec 16'17 - Chair Marie Dams (Wrygdwylife) [Back, Mid-Centre], DDO Rebecca 'Becky' Gittins [Front, Far-Right] |
Well... staunch left, WFFE activist, Marie Dams also happened to be Chair of the Democracy Exec. Before the referendum, she craftily proposed a By-Law change to lower quorum from 5% to 2% - reversing Olly's reforms, which meant this was neither introduced via a Democracy Review, nor was it voted on or ratified by all students in a referendum. Marie's 'NSS Boycott' motion subsequently passed with 3.7% turnout. If the Boar hadn't reported it or there weren't minutes, you'd probably think we were making this up!
However, The Eye has been told of an alleged extraordinary conversation by a source in the Democracy Exec at the time - that was excluded from the minutes. The then-Democracy Voice Coordinator Jamie Roberts (staff) and incumbent DDO Rebecca 'Becky' Gittins (student) had described Olly's reforms as 'right-wing' to the Exec, which was then promptly agreed by Democracy Exec Chair Marie Dams. The rest is history.
The last the Eye checked, Olly was a member of Warwick Labour, endorsing Labour in 2017 under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. If he is 'right-wing', then the Eye wonders... what is left-wing!?
 |
| Warwick SU Democracy and Development Officer DDO 2015-16, Oliver 'Olly' Rice - now OUSU Trustee 2016-17 (Image taken from Wayback Machine) |
P.S. The Boar reported Sam Carter, Deputy Chair of the Warwick Tories said, 'This is a blatant conflict of interests case. Dams supports a motion unlikely to receive near 5% backing at an ASM, and has used her position as Democracy Executive Chair to alter SU policy to the organisation she support’s benefit'.
P.P.S. You may also remember in a previous article - the Eye reported that Democracy Exec Chair Marie Dams (Wrygdwylife) told SU Student Council it did not need directly elected members, because she feared '7 straight, white, cis males could be elected'...
By Warwick Eye
Sources:
Warwick SU Democracy Exec (link)
Warwick SU Exec committees (details)
Warwick SU Democracy Review 2016 led by Oliver Rice (link)
Warwick SU Referenda Quorum Lowered (link)
Warwick SU 2015-16 Term 3 Referendum Result at 10% Turnout (link)
Warwick SU 2016-17 Term 1 Referendum Result at 3.7% Turnout (link)
Warwick SU Democracy Exec Minutes 02 Nov 2016 (link)
Warwick SU Council votes against having directly elected members (link)
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