Seachain an duine a bhíonn ina thost

So Glyn didn't win Big Brother.

This is the first year I've really watched it properly. Last year I watched some of it because I was tech op-ing for The Full Score, and only had to press about three buttons in two hours, so I needed some mindless TV to watch. But I didn't really care who won.

This year, though, we had our very own Glyn to cheer for. I know there's lots of cynics (or synics if you're Spencer) out there, but I think it's going to be quite fun having a celebrity in our SU (and University). He seems like a nice boy, and I'd imagine he'll help raise the profile of UMCB considerably this year, which will be nice.

I do think we'll have to watch out for him a little this year though. The SU should be a safe space for any student. He shouldn't feel hassled by anyone in our building and venues. And if any paparazzi can be bothered coming all the way to Bangor, we'll need to keep them out of the SU.

Anyway, the final was an excuse for a nice party chez Carolan. We drank punch out of martini glasses and harvey wallbangers out of any glasses we could find. We had pizza and crisps and dips. And now I'm feeling tired. It's quarter to four and I'm still in my pyjamas. Oh well, it's Saturday, it's raining outside, there's no real reason to get dressed just yet.

And so my extended stint as Acting President comes to an end. For now, at least. And I'm glad.

Not that there were any major crises or anything. I just have far too much to do to be dealing with random people visiting to talk about recycling. That's two different recycling agencies visiting in one week. Perhaps I need another title change: Communications, Societies and Recycling Officer.

I've also spent a large amount of time choosing LogoBugs to order for our goodie bags. I'm not sure that I've ordered 2,500 of anything before; it's startling how much of a difference 1p extra per LogoBug makes. £25, in fact (what a surprise).

And I still haven't finished the Societies Handbook. Has ANYONE got a list of what the new mileage prices are?

One of the reasons I'm really rather excited about the NUS national demo at the end of October is that they're hoping to hold it inside the Westminster protest exclusion zone. Not outside the one-kilometre (look at you Brits going all European!) exclusion zone. Actually there.

How, how, HOW can the British government get away with the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA)? Why aren't people bashing down the doors of parliament, demanding the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Oh yeah, because they're not allowed to anymore.

So anyone planning to protest in this designated area (such as the NUS) must let the police know at least six days in advance. The police get to decide whether the protest can go ahead or not, and can impose all sorts of conditions from when it takes place to how many people may take part, how many placards and banners can be used, how big they are, and how loud the protestors may be.

According to the People in Common website,

Technically the demonstration must be allowed to go ahead. But if the conditions imposed are too strict, then you might as well not be having a demonstration at all -- a silent protest in a backstreet with no placards and only three participants is useless ... Seventeen people have so far been arrested under the legislation, six of whom were doing nothing more offensive than having a picnic on Parliament Square. Sixteen have been charged with participating in unauthorised demonstrations. ... The government's main aim with this legislation was probably to get rid of Brian Haw, who has been carrying on a one-man demonstration on Parliament Square for the last 4 years.

If London wasn't so far away, I'd be there every week, taking part in the Commons Tea Party (read about it on the People in Common website). Every Sunday a group of people gather to hold a tea party/picnic in Parliament Square. Some of them carry blank placards, others are happy just to assemble. Some of these people get arrested (one simply for carrying a copy of Vanity Fair with an article about SOCPA in it). But they do it anyway.

So on the day of the NUS demo, I'm going to take a little time out from marching and stop for a picnic. Perhaps I'll even bring a blank placard.

If you're feeling incensed, go sign up to this guy's pledge. He's trying to get 6000 people to sign up to make a nice human chain around the Westminster exclusion zone. I know it's only a small gesture, but a nice one.

I've been thinking about Quakerism a bit today because I've decided to go to Young Friends General Meeting instead of to the SRA nominations party, being hosted by our very own Storm FM. Which was a difficult decision to make, but I thought it's about time I went and topped up my moral drinking glass.

So I was looking for a copy of the Advice and Queries on the internet, when I came across a couple of Quaker blogs. And I like blogs, so I read them. One of them linked to another, to this fantastic post (November 15 2005) which attempts to explain the "non-negotiable central tenets common to all Quakers". What a difficult thing to do! So I read with interest. It's quite good, actually, despite her being an American Quaker (they're often pretty different from British and Irish Quakers).

In other news, I annoyed the Bangor branch of the UNA last night. Oh well.

I'd just like to say that I'm a genius. An absolute genius.

See I came up with this marvellous plan. I can't remember if I blogged about it, but essentially the plan is to make the new SU building quite tall, and then build a bridge thingy connecting the SU to Main Arts. Absolutely EVERYONE would enter the SU to use our lift rather than walk up the hill. We'd get thousands of people milling through the building every day.

I told Sam. Who mocked me.

But can you guess what Estates are seriously considering doing? Yep, building a bridge thingy connecting the SU to Main Arts.

I should be earning money from my genius. The University should hire me as a consultant. I'm afraid I won't be able to post any more bright ideas here in case anyone nicks them before I have the chance to sell them to people. Sorry about that.

I know this is really cruel, but go have a look. The genius really lies in Miguel's wonderful grasp of English evident from the magnificent captions.