Unofficial Guild

New Year Resolutions

2010-01-08T12:13:00.003Z

Unofficial Guild is challenging each Sabb to make a NY's resolution related to their role.

Answers on a postcard or more simply to unofficialguild@ymail.com

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In other news, a few Sabbs haven't blogged for well over a month; getting a bit slack really.

President - Not blogged since 27th November

VPDR didn't blog between 23rd Nov and 5th Jan.

VPHC didn't blog between 31st Oct and 5th December.

HOWEVER - Unofficial Guild did really appreciate this post from the VPW;

"""""""monday, 4 january 2010

End of Term Report
I have written an end of term report but for some reason I cannot copy it into blogger. I will try and resolve this issue as soon as possible and get it posted on here tomorrow hopefully. For now though I even though I have had two weeks Holiday over Christmas I wanted to make sure I blogged within a month as Guild Policy indicates.

Happy New Year Everyone

Johnny"""""""
In other other news,

Current Sabbs to re-run

2009-12-19T12:26:00.004Z

Unofficial Guild has learnt that 3 of the current Sabbatical team are seriously considering re running in the March elections.
President Fabian Neuner, VPSAD Emma Packham and VPEA Brigid Jones have all spoken privately to allies about their chances of success if they re ran.
No Sabb has ever successfully been re elected, but this is unlikely to deter these three. Forming a slate they would be difficult to beat.

What are your thoughts?

Should they just let someone else have a turn?

Or are they rightly opting to let students have some continuity from their Guild?

Guild Taxi Company UNSAFE?

2009-11-02T23:27:00.002Z

On Saturday night at around 11pm, a horrific car crash took place on the Bristol road, outside Rooster House.

The incident involved a Castle Cars taxi, and the driver and one student passenger, on their way to Fab N' Fresh, had to be cut free from the wreckage by the Fire Service.

Is the Guild going to launch an investigation into the safety of its newly affiliated Taxi company that also provides the transport for the recently relaunched Night Bus?

Gender neutral toilets would help the environment

2009-10-18T16:35:00.001+01:00

Fab and Fresh – It’s getting a bit silly now

Unofficial Guild has discovered that at last week’s Saturday night (10th Oct) flagship Guild club night, the notorious Fab and Fresh, over 19 separate incidents were reported, all concerning girls being found in boys toilets.

Surely this just proves we need gender neutral toilets, and think of the paperwork it would save!

£300,000 over budget on Guild Build Phase 3 – Exposed

2009-10-15T01:17:00.003+01:00

Unofficial Guild can exclusively reveal that in high-level meetings last week between Guild Management and Sabbs, the shocking bombshell was dropped by contractors as they explained that the building work was due to come in £300,000 over budget. The multi-million pound redevelopment of the Guild building has suffered many minor hiccups already but surely some heads have to roll for this utter cock-up.

Senior staff at the Guild are reportedly taking home salaries nicely approaching six figures, yet the main project under their stewardship is now potentially not financeable and significant corners will have to be cut, ultimately hitting students where it matters most by reducing the provision of, and facilities for, membership services.

Builders abandoned their tools at the start of freshers week and were due to recommenced building work on 28th September. However, budget blunders have meant that no builders have as yet returned to the project and are not expected to be back till early November at the very earliest.

The new bar area, located above the Underground club, is the current work that is causing the problems, and it is certain that the opening date of February 2010 is now impossible to achieve. Student Development, the heart of the Guild’s membership services is set to move upstairs into where Joe’s currently resides, yet this is now not set to happen until Easter.

Unofficial Guild would like to thank our two anonymous whistleblowers for this scoop. Let’s hope someone can get their act together and actually deliver the promises for a fresh, innovative and responsive Guild building that have been so forcibly made to all Birmingham students over the past 18 months.

Unofficial Guild would welcome any voice of Guild authority to clarify what the hell is going on and be frank and up front with its members. Emailed explains to UnofficialGuild@ymail.com will be published on this blog with absolutely no editing.

EXPOSED- MORE FRUIT OF LOOM BLUNDERS BY GUILD

2009-10-12T14:43:00.004+01:00

The Economics Society are holding a bar crawl tonight - and yes - you've guessed it - the t shirts are made by Fruit of the Loom -

Can someone get their act together on implementing Guild policy please?

Quotes of the week - suggestions welcome

2009-09-06T19:57:00.002+01:00

Ed Bauer (EEO) keeps up the great blogging work with a fantastic line to describe the difficulty people often have getting motions through the 'organ of change' that is Guild Council and the lasting effects the experience can have on both campaigns and fitness freaks alike;

"Passing a motion through guild council - had the same effect on the campaigns momentum as a 20,000 ton train traveling east at 86mph would have on 12 stone 3lb jogger traveling east."

http://edwardbauereeo.blogspot.com/2009/09/stuck-in-bottleneck-of-representation.html

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Fabian Neuner (President) clearly wanted to bring some realism back to the goals of the new climate change campaign 10:10

"I don't think 10:10 is a conspiracy to put pressure on China and India"

http://fabianneunerpresident.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-1010-is-more-than-just-good-pr.html

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Emma Packham (VPSAD) promised that a revamped Student Groups meeting is worth the hype;

"The STUDENT GROUP MEETING IS BACK!!
This may sound tedious, but it won’t be at all, it will be AMAZING (I promise!!)!!"

http://emmapackhamvpsad.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

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And finally, Ed Sparkes (VPHC) clearly is still struggling to find a life outside the Guild. Unofficial Guild offered to take him out for a drink last week and it seems he is now getting desperate for company, with his most recent blog starting with the blunt question of;

"Are you around in Birmingham?", before changing the subject and asking people to volunteer to save the planet. We feel for you Ed, and our previous offer of a drink still stands. Oh, what the hell, make it a pint and a half!

Naval Gazing

2009-09-05T15:53:00.003+01:00

EEO Ed Bauer has hit out against new President Fabian Neuner before the new term has even started. Fierce arguments and disagreements about the roles of Officers within the organisation have been ongoing on blogs and everyone's favourite; Twitter.

Whilst Unofficial Guild is fully aware of the need for streamlining the structure of the Guild, we also believe that too much naval gazing leaves little time for true representation.

Either have a full blown, accessible discussion in TERM TIME about the merits of the trustee board and the leadership styles of officers; OR, more preferably sort any internal officer bickering out internally and not in public.

It may be a wacky suggestion but perhaps spend some time instead planning how to present the Guild to over 5000 new members in less than two weeks before they all slump into the unengaged majority category.

Tickled pink by new officers' musing

2009-08-24T11:47:00.010+01:00

Quotes of the week

Ed Bauer (EEO) http://j15committee.baylott.org/2009/08/15/new-guild-officers-blogs/

"If you want to see a example of officer who according to her records didn’t do very much last year take a look last years president http://jenlarbiepresident.blogspot.com/"
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Matt Ward (LGBTQ) http://matthewwardlgbtqo.blogspot.com/2009/08/nus-lgbt-officer-residential.html

"I've resolved to continue making useful contacts in local community, government...and wherever I can find allies to be frank."

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Fabian Neuner (President) http://fabianneunerpresident.blogspot.com/

"The summer highlight for many Sabbatical Officers across the country is Active Political Leadership (APL), an NUS training course."

- really Mr.President? I mean really? not sunning oneself on a beach, enjoying a barbecue or even listening to Test Match Special?

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and finally...

VPHC Ed Sparkes decided that "it's late, it's Sunday, why not?". You are forgiven for thinking, as we did, that he was planning an exciting drunken escapade or perhaps conversely working overtime to mastermind a new community initiative.

Instead, he produced this fetching portrait of his colleagues,

Maybe he needs some company. Unofficial Guild will buy you a drink Ed!

BUCF member spotted in Anti-Islam protest by Bullring

2009-08-10T13:54:00.003+01:00

Unofficial Guild is led to believe a member of Birmingham University Conservative Future was spotted chanting amongst the ranks of the English Defence League, by a fellow student.

As Unofficial Guild is not aiming to reveal extremists or alternatively become GuildWatch, we will not release the name of this student. However, we do encourage BUCF to seriously discuss these protests within their ranks, due to many EDL members also featuring in high profile BNP events across the West Midlands throughout the last few months.

Several Birmingham students were involved in the counter-protests organised by Unite Against Facism.

Exclusive Mermaid Square Cover-Up

2009-08-07T13:32:00.004+01:00

Unofficial Guild has discovered newly elected Women's Officer Esther Akinnuwa has been consulting students through the cliched medium of facebook, to canvas their views on Mermaid square's statue being bare chested.

We understand that Esther (who's fashion sense we adore) is planning to create a petition asking for the breasts of the mermaid to be covered up. One source also mused that the petition will form the basis for a Guild Council motion to be presented in October.

Concerns have also been raised about the smaller statue currently by the Spar shop.

School's out for the summer, but perhaps common sense is too.

Who the devil are you?

2009-08-04T18:36:00.001+01:00

This blog is NOTHING to do with the Guild of Students officially.

It has not been endorsed by the organisation, its officers, staff, trustees or even the NUS.

It has, however, been set up by a group of likeminded individuals who have spotted a gap in the market for a cheeky, gossip-fuelled, scandal-ridden, politically agile and ultimately fun blog.

Our aim is to shed some thoughts on the debates that rage through the wonderfully draughty building that is the Guild.

Please do not take to heart any harmless fun we may poke at ideas, claims, views or such like.

We here at Unofficial Guild have seen a year go by with various blogs from officers, full of useful information and updates on what officers are doing day-to-day.

Yet hardly anyone commented, and those that did were not very interesting in their responses.

It all lacked that bit of shazam that Paul Daniels would have loved, a bit of sparkle.

So we aim to be that voice, the voice of Paul Daniels none-the-less.

We have many writers and all that is written is purely their personal views.

If you wanna get involved then drop us an email ;

unofficialguild@ymail.com

Follow us on twitter @UnofficialGuild

(www.twitter.com/unofficialguild)

Ps. Paul Daniels is still alive, so he still loves shazam – wrong tense was used - sorry if we shocked anyone.