This afternoon we caught up with Clair Blakeway, current VP Heath Park and the second of the two candidates running for SU president. Running in her second year of campaigning in student elections, Claire talked about her experience running against friend and colleague Barney Willis.
ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs different from last yearÔÇØ, Clair explains, as the previous only candidate for VP Heath Park in the last student elections. ÔÇ£This year IÔÇÖm only up against one other person so IÔÇÖm having to put all my effort in to win.ÔÇØ
However, campaigning has not affected her friendship against Barney, as she reassured us that ÔÇ£BarneyÔÇÖs a really good friend of mine, heÔÇÖs one of my best friends on the officer team.ÔÇØ
Claire continued: ÔÇ£I think heÔÇÖs a really good guy and itÔÇÖll be interesting to see who wins out of usÔÇØ.
However, Claire did hit back against criticism made by Barney about her manifesto policies, as he voiced concerns that her plans to make libraries open 24/7 ÔÇ£would cost the University millionsÔÇØ.
According to Blakeway, libraries at the Heath Campus are open 24 hours and ÔÇ£work really well and are used all the timeÔÇØ.
However, despite stating in her manifesto her plans to open all 27 libraries on campus 24 hours a day, she admitted that it such transformations would be best suited to the larger libraries.
Despite claims describing her policies as ÔÇ£unrealisticÔÇØ, Blakeway explained that her achievements as VP Heath Park have demonstrated her abilities to meet her promises. In spite of concerns about seemingly ÔÇ£unachievable manifesto pointsÔÇØ last year, Claire succeeded in organising the first ever Medics Varsity.
ÔÇ£I was told that it was not going to happen and it didÔÇØ Claire boasts. ÔÇ£I also secured a ┬ú50,000 investment to improve facilities at the Heath Park Campus.
Other accomplishments for Claire this year include successful lobbying for extra student space at the Heath, something which she claims ÔÇ£people have been trying to do for yearsÔÇØ.
For Blakeway, successful elections are caused by the people campaigning and not manifestos: ÔÇ£I think itÔÇÖs not about peopleÔÇÖs manifesto points but itÔÇÖs about the people behind it and how good they are at making sure those manifesto points are achievedÔÇØ
ÔÇ£You need ambition if you want to drive change in the StudentsÔÇÖ UnionÔÇØ.
Talking about her plans to build a theatre for student use, Claire emphasised that other universities Russell groups have more theatre and performance space than Cardiff University. According to Claire, with estates master plans currently underway, the StudentÔÇÖs Union are in a good position to push for what students need.
Blakeway also commented that she was pleased to see so many students running for the position of VP Heath with four people currently campaigning for the position: ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve never had more than two people running for the role so this year has been a massive change and I think it just goes to show Heath students are more engaged with student politicsÔÇØ.
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