Student Politics...

It was pointed out to me at dinner last night that Exeter 'Uni' was described (probably in the Guardian, which is burned here in the same way American flags are burned in the Khyber Pass) as 'a place for the lesser minds of the greater English public schools'.

I think this is grossly unfair. I mean, what about the lesser minds of the greater Scottish public schools? Or even the rather under performing but still wonderful slightly smaller Scottish public schools? And there seems to be plenty of lesser minds from the smaller, more provincial public schools.

"You know, at Radley they have chapel twice a day?"
"Do they now? That's quite monstrous what."

Today is the first day of campaigning for the posts at the pinnacle of Exeter student politics. We don't have a 'Student's Union', presumably because the word 'union' is anathema to students here, making them shudder at the thought of miners strikes that they can't remember and the sworn foe of the glorious leader we never knew, Maggie.

Instead we have a 'Student's Guild', which to me sounds like a student version of the 'Women's Guild' which takes place in most rural parishes up and down the land. Far more Exeter.

One of the many boring, tired, old clichés that boring, tired, old people like to use is how politicised students become at university. This hangover from the 1960s still remains at some universities I'm sure. But not here, and it is refreshing. Perhaps it's our provincial nature. Those rolling Devon hills I can see out of my window (just past the children's nursery - don't ask) tend to placate any fiery feelings of revolutionary Marxism, or more likely, fascism. So we just shout 'hurrah' for Cameron and 'hurrah' for the Queen and get on with our day.

This campaigning, for the posts of Athletic Union president, Student's Guild president and deputies, reminds me of the class elections that take place in US high-schools on the Disney channel. Everyone takes them far too seriously yet everyone knows that this is not preparation for the real thing. At Oxford it probably is. Archbishops of Canterbury (Archibald Campbell Tait, arguably the greatest ever Academical), London Mayors (Boris), and too many MPs to mention. One gets the impression that this is a serious business indeed.

So when candidates bring in this opening day of elections standing in the centre of campus with pink leggings, pink shorts, a pink t-shirt and plenty of flyers (pink), it is heartening to see that they understand the same as the rest of us. Student politics is a total joke.