UT editor candidate Peter Caddle to abstain from Equality hustings

Caddle has said that he will spend the time reaching out to students rather than “appeasing the SU niche”

This afternoon, candidate for editor of the University Times Peter Caddle announced on Twitter that he would not attend tonight’s virtual Equality Hustings.

He claimed that he and his campaign team would use the time instead to “focus on producing more content expressly for those students so often ignored during campaigning”. 

This statement cites a claim that, while his campaign team had “always been highly critical of the SU establishment for not effectively engaging with the student body”, Caddle’s attendance at previous hustings demonstrated “appeasing the SU niche” and having “left the ordinary student member out of the conversation”. 

Caddle’s campaign has so far focused on a single policy of cutting the print edition of the paper. He has faced criticism during the campaign for articles that he has contributed to during his time at the right-wing online publication, The Burkean. 

When questioned by incumbent UT editor Cormac Watson at last night’s Editorial Hustings about comments he had made that had appeared critical of women and minority groups, he claimed that in many cases, they had been “jokes”, and he had “worked with many women in the Burkean in the past and with many writers I disagree with”. 

Caddle’s opponent in the race to become the next editor of the University Times is Emer Moreau, the paper’s current deputy editor. 

Tonight’s equality hustings is due to start at 6pm and will include questions from TCDSU’s Officer for Students with Disabilities, Ethnic Minorities Officer, Qsoc, and Oifigeach na Gaeilge, among others.

When Trinity News reached out to Caddle for comment, he referred us to the statement that he posted on social media. 

Finn Purdy

Finn Purdy is the current Deputy Editor of Trinity News. He is a Junior Sophister English Studies student, and a former News Editor and Assistant News Editor.

Audrey Brown

Audrey Brown is a Senior Fresher English Studies student, and the Deputy News Editor of Trinity News.