LUCA MANFREDI, a failed can- didate for Academic Affairs Officer last year, ran as General Secretary this year, and won. His success was controver- sial, on account of some inflammatory posts he made on the UCL Union mes- sage board. In them, he said women were not equal partners for him in mar- riage, and that he wouldn’t tolerate hav- ing gay children. Read about it in the next Pi - or see the ‘Remember Luca’ post on the board. They make for col- ourful reading, which, as Luca says, is the point: he was provoking his oppo- nents.
Last term, then Campaigns and Equal Opps Officer Alex Coles (now resigned) circulated a motion to Coun- cil of no confidence in Luca as a mem- ber of Welfare and Equal Opps Com- mittee (to read one of these committee names is to read one too many, isn’t it?). The motion said that Luca’s views were bigoted and homophobic, and as such he could hardly be on the com- mittee. Anyway, the motion didn’t make it to being presented, because all the sabbatical officers refused to sign it. Services and Events officer Steven Heal- er expressed fears that there was a ven- detta going on. Coles denies this. While, he admits, Victoria Green was justified in refusing in virtue of her position, he is unhappy at what he calls a ‘block mentality’ among sabbs: if one doesn’t do it, none can. But then, he has never seen eye to eye with them, not least Healer, whom he shouted at and called a ‘wanker’ at Council last year. Coles is also unhappy at David Renton’s re- fusal to consider adding his name to the motion; as Education and Welfare Of- ficer, he says, it is his remit. Renton, however, said he had to maintain im- partiality.
Luca is now (a) running for ULU Council Chair and (b) running scared of his posts being misinterpreted (as he sees it). Anticipating the Pi article, he wrote to us to say that “I decided to outrightly provoke you [ his opponents]and inflame the debate with provocatory...statements...which couldn’t even by far represent my opin- ion or feelings.” Is this an Italian Fin- gleton we see? (See issue 2). Further- more, Luca suspects Coles of sending an e-mail to the whole of ULU’s execu- tive, urging them not to vote for him. This Coles denies. But this second elec- tion will be worth watching.