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Ker Splat!

Reply to Interview with Mike Carr-Gregg

Your issue of June 11th contains an interview with Michael Carr-Gregg in which he makes reference to the role of the President (VUWSA) in the production of the revue (not "review"). He claims that without the "constant nagging" of the President we would not have "got ourselves together", or got anything done. This suggests that if it were not for the President the revue would not have happened. This is simply not true.

The President was certainly encouraging and sympathetic to our efforts hut his role in carrying its administration was virtually nil.

The revue was planned and underway be before the Executive was even approached. The Executive, through a motion, (which was actually passed "in camera") actually hindered the operation of the revue. The revue club, unlike any other university club at the time, had to pass all its finances through the Students Association office. The President was party to this motion which can hardly be regarded as "getting the revue going."

Michael Carr-Gregg's statement implies that the people in the revue club were totally incompetent, and needed the President's help. Club members find this suggestion ludicrous. The revue, without the assistance of anyone from executive (least of all the President) made $3,500 on a loan of $900 from executive. We had a capping revue which over 3,500 people saw and was financially a Success with only nodding approval from the President and (his??) executive. This is hardly incompetence and we therefore resent Mike Carr-Gregg's implications, and the President's earlier claim that he made the revue happen.

The President's role in getting the revue to Christ church was even less than that for it's production in Wellington. Various promises for assistance were received from Students Arts Council, which got smaller and smaller as time went on. The Executive and President were aware of this two-timing by Students Arts Council and mentioned how they were going to do something about it, but that is as far as it ever got. We eventually had to haggle with Students Arts Council outselves and secure a very poor deal. Like all student politicians, the President and Students Arts Council were full of promises but did little about carrying them out.

However the President did guarantee that Studass would pay for the transport of the revue to Christchurch whether we made a profit or not. He was also enthusiastic about our activities and provided only verbal encouragement. But for Mike Carr-Gregg to claim that the President was the prime motivator in the production of the revue is a gross distortion of the facts. (I am writing as an official of the revue club and not an "ordinary student", as there appears to be a lot of confusion about opinions of officials these days!!!).