Last week, RTé News played Brian Cowen off with a blast of Razorlight’s Before I Fall to Pieces. What then should the resignation of former USI deputy president Conán Ó Broin been met with? Moving on Up by the M People perhaps?
As the Irish Times reported back in October, “There’s nothing to be won this year for USI. It’s all about holding ground and with the recent decision by the department to scale back the eligibility criteria for post-grads, the student movement has lost some ground.” From a career point of view then, not the most advantageous time to be a member of the USI team.
However, though this year may be more difficult for the USI than most, it is also one of the most important in recent history. At a time when government is in such turmoil, we need strong student leaders to represent on a national level. Ó Broin’s resignation shows both a lack of integrity as a student leader and base careerist motives.
On the USI website, Ó Broin stated, “As the country continues to deal with the consequences of the economic collapse, there is no doubt that students face a difficult year to ensure that their interests are protected. USI will be fighting hard all year to ensure that students interests are well defended at a national level.”
These words seem like empty rhetoric now.
