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President bows out

Many people have asked interesting questions about me in the last few months. I thought this would be an appropriate time to speak about what I have learnt since taking office.

One of the first misconceptions most people have is that a president of the Victoria University Students Association is voted into office and immediately has the right, according to his mandate to introduce his policy; this is incorrect for he has to have everything he does approved by SRC — the strength of the vocal left-wing groups. A suggestion for any future moderate president is to do away with SRC for it is controlled by the few who have the time to go to a meeting, with it comes a series of ideological [unintelligible] who when they cannot hear their ideology — of pig trough economics or unrealistic foreign policy or what ever it may be — think their group has gone to sleep and immediately stand up and start dribbling more of their "crying shame" views. Many students laugh at them and their ideas. Don't! Question them for yourself and see how little they know about what they are saying. A prime example is debates on Israel, the left stutter and stumble through like a sinking ship in a storm.

I could go through and discuss various members of the executive and others showing them to you as I see them, their ambitions, aims and inconsistencies — their worth?

Then again we all have our own individual views on people in that type of activitiy.

To the 1016 I thank each and everyone of your for the confidence you show in me, many of you realise pettiness of student politics, and understand when I say: with these words I resign.