Not All Heroes Wear Capes — Better Leighton than Never
Last night, the Adelaide University Liberal Club held its AGM and elected former On Dit editor and lovable ginger Leighton McDonald-Stuart as the club’s President for 2017.
In a statement provided exclusively to On Dit, McDonald-Stuart says he is “pretty humbled” to be leading the Adelaide campus.
“It’s a club that I’ve been a member of ever since I first started at university and one that I’m pretty passionate about”.
The AULC run candidates in the student union elections under its subsidiary brand, ForU. Last year, the Liberal Club was caught in a campaigning controversy involving a Reclaim Australia video allegedly featuring a key candidate. Overall, the club managed to get one member elected to the Student Representative Council. McDonald-Stuart cites growth of membership base as a challenge and is committed to expanding the club.
“We operate in an environment where many students are disengaged from politics and governance. We’ve got a very active membership base and we encourage them to get involved in all facets of the Club. Our membership is the largest it has been in over 5 years and we’ve got a record number of new members. Growing our membership is always the number one priority of any club, and this is no different for us.”
After this performance, it was rumoured that the Moderates would step in to stage a coup d’état. However, On Dit has learned that McDonald-Stuart and his conservative colleagues contested the election and were elected unopposed.
In its 70 year history, the club has experienced one significant power fight on campus. When the Moderates were in charge, the club struggled to recruit members and performed dismally at student union elections. In 2011, two moderate members were expelled from the club and set up the rival “Liberals on Campus” club to oppose the traditionally conservative Adelaide University Liberal Club.
The newly minted President confirms the club’s position as the “only centre-right club on campus”.
This could be the reason why high profile MPs such as Christopher Pyne and Simon Birmingham (who are aligned with the moderate faction of the Liberal Party, spearheaded by the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull) have not been acknowledged in the AULC’s constitution neither as honorary lifetime members or club patrons.
On Dit understands that there are very few active Moderate Liberals on campus. They don’t have an official presence at the Adelaide campus but operate in the state as the Menzies Club.
The Adelaide University Liberal Club echoes the policies of Liberal Party at Federal and State levels and is known to oppose the payment of the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and the operations of the National Union of Students.
At last, the Liberal club takes a sigh of relief as Leighton McDonald-Stuart takes them on a path of Tory glory.
“Few student bodies can lay claim to the same history that the AULC has — we turn 70 on Wednesday — and I’m determined to ensure that we continue to take the fight to the Left on campus for another 70 years.”
He is not the President we need, but the President we deserve.
#CrushTheLeft #Checkm8lefties #Freedom #UpTheLibs #BleedBlue #KeepItLight #TransparentCoverage #LeftBias
