Editor's Note - Issue 31
Barty Roberts, Editor-in-Chief, BA Politics and International Relations 03/02/2025
Elections are back next term - and with the return of polling we can also expect the return of some of the nastier side of SOAS politics. Last year’s elections were marked by disqualifications, intimidation and general vapidity. The majority of candidates were interested in an ego-competition, which prioritised popularity and did not recognise the importance of these elected roles.
The SOAS Spirit does not endorse candidates. As the only newspaper on campus it would be unfair to give support to candidates and as a team of thirty-six it would be impossible to have a candidate that represented all our opinions. The elections do provide a massive opportunity for us in terms of our own coverage so please keep your eyes peeled on our digital channels for this.
There is an important point to raise about how we, as students and those involved in student media, evaluate what a ‘good’ candidate is. This year, the Students' Union has struggled manfully, but only having two sabbatical officers (after the dismissal of two before the commencement of their term) has exposed the need for hardworking and serious candidates.
SOAS students love to moan. Particularly about stuff that the SU can change - the bar, the junior common room, the shop, society budgets, room bookings. These are constant sources of whinging yet the turnout in SU elections peaks at 25%. The average is nearer 15%. The part time roles barely exceeded 5%. The elections are the way to fix these things.
The message from the SOAS Spirit with regard to elections is simple - remember to vote. There are no candidates for us to endorse yet but just remember to vote. And importantly vote for someone you actually think will do a good job. Look for people with experience running societies, experience within the rep network rather than the candidates who will give you sweets if you vote for them.
This is our penultimate issue of the SOAS Spirit for this academic year. We have all the articles one would expect - like an exploration of why so many British Pubs are serving Thai food or an excellent summary of the Syrian Civil War. If there is one article I would particularly urge you to read it would be Jacob Winter’s excellent Roaming Reporter column in which he highlights the difficulties experienced by so many Muslim students at SOAS.
There is, unfortunately, no coverage of the welcome news of a ceasefire in Gaza. Our International News Articles had already been commissioned by the time it was announced. However, we will have detailed analysis and coverage in the final SOAS Spirit of the academic year as well as the second issue of our new magazine - ANIMA.
