Irish Times boycott proposal fails by nine votes

A separate measure, mandating TCDSU to lobby College to divest from the arms industry, passed overwhelmingly

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) will not be adopting a formal boycott of the Irish Times, after a referendum on the measure failed to be approved by the required 60% of voters.

398 voters or 58.8% approved the measure, with 279 or 41.2% voting against. There were also nine spoiled votes.

A separate referendum held at the same time, mandating TCDSU to lobby College to divest from the arms industry, passed with 85.3% of voters approving. There were 510 ballots in that vote, including one spoiled.

The measure will now become a “long term policy” of the union, meaning it will remain in place indefinitely unless removed by another referendum.

Other long-term policies of the union include its support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement and its pro-choice stance on the issue of abortion.

It was revealed earlier this year that College’s investment portfolio includes a stake of approximately €2.5 million in the armaments industry.

Voting on both measures took place online from Wednesday (November 24) until today.

Many students’ unions and activist groups across Ireland have engaged in a boycott of the Irish Times, including the unions of University College Dublin; Dublin City University; National University of Ireland Galway; and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology. The effort is led by the Trans Writers’ Union and has received support from author Shon Faye, Community Action Tenants Union, and former Irish Times contributor Louise Bruton.

Trinity News has taken an editorial stance in support of the Trans Writers’ Union campaign and severed its relationship with the Irish Times in August. The print edition of this newspaper is no longer produced by the Irish Times, and Trinity News no longer features its advertising in print or online.

Jack Kennedy

Jack Kennedy is the Editor-in-chief of the 68th edition of Trinity News. He is a Computer & Electronic Engineering graduate, and a former Assistant Editor, Online Editor, and Deputy Online Editor.