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DISCLAIMER: All presidential candidates that could be contacted were invited to take part in interviews with The Witness for the Election Week Special.
A well-known outspoken political figure on campus, it will come as a surprise to few to see Jack Barwell’s name on the Guild’s presidential ballot. In an interview with Senior Editor Ciara Howard and Editor-in-Chief Sarah Décory, Barwell outlines what he sees as the best way forward for the Guild, how ‘Barwellism’ could take hold and the fact that the challenges he has faced throughout his degree have only strengthened his resolve to fight against the so-called ‘consensus’ plaguing our student politics.
Currently a third-year politics student, Jack Barwell has taken on several committee roles in various societies. He is general secretary of Exeter University’s Conservative Association as well as president and founder of the University’s SpeakEasy Society. In addition to his student engagement, Jack works as a staffer for a Conservative MP in Devon.
During our discussion, Barwell did not hold back when referring to his opponents, stating that he was feeling “let down by the quality of the other candidates”. He added that, unlike him, none of the others had a track record of delivering meaningful change on campus. He asserted that he was the only candidate who had created their own society, and was therefore particularly well placed to understand the bureaucracy and the challenges created by the Student’s Guild, prompting him to want to simplify aspects of the tedious paperwork required. Additionally, he insisted on being the only candidate truly in touch with freshers, making them a focus of his campaign and his plans for the presidency.
The overarching idea that transpired from our interview with Jack was his deep criticism of the Student’s Guild and his wish for a structural change within it. He described it as an institution that has ”never cut bureaucracy or costs” and “always failed students”, arguing that the Guild is not putting enough effort towards alleviating the impacts of the cost of living crisis on students, specifically towards reducing the cost of produce on campus. He further described it as an “incredibly political” institution, that “pushes narratives onto people”. Barwell was especially critical of current Guild president Emma de Saram, describing her as an “empty-promise president” and condemning her for her support of Just Stop Oil. He asserted that the environmental movement “committed a crime by jumping on top of the forum building”, and is perplexed that it is “still allowed to be a Guild society”. A further point of criticism he put forward was the idea of an undemocratic Guild legacy, arguing that the organisation handpicks candidates – often from the appointed Guild student trustees – and ultimately trains them to become “consensus puppets”. This deep disapproval of the Student’s Guild explains his slogan ‘cut, cut, cut‘, i.e. ‘Cut Costs, Cut Bureaucracy, Cut Politics’.
One could question Jack’s decision to run to be the president of an institution that he is such a fervent critic of, with some viewing it as quite hypocritical. But to that, Jack argued that it was braver to voice a dislike for an institution all the while trying to fix it from within, than to choose -what he described as- the easy option to “snipe from the sidelines”. He then added that none of the other candidates were brave enough to say the things he had been saying about the Student’s Guild.
Some of his ideas for his presidency include a complete restructuring of the Guild, particularly the reduction of the number of full-time officers, which he deems is a waste of money for an already-indebted institution. In his words; why are we spending so much money on five student-officer roles “when most people on campus can’t even tell you what those people are going to do”. He is also wishing for more inclusivity throughout the campus which he intends to do by reducing the politicisation of the Guild. This would manifest through the promotion, for example, of a wider variet of religious festivals on campus, which according to Jack “is something that brings people together”.
According to Jack Barwell, ‘Barwellism’ as a concept encompasses everything that the Guild opposes. In his own words, his ‘Barwellism’ campaign supports student representation on campus, greater change and progress within the Guild, whilst cutting costs and streamlining elected student bodies; things that, according to Jack, the Guild does not stand for. It is for this very reason that Barwell believes he is “rebelling against a failed consensus institution”, one that constantly lets us down. Jack Barwell believes he is the only person we can trust to stand up to truth and power; ultimately, the only person “that’s going to deliver”.
To wrap up with a quote from the candidate himself:
“Fundamentally, this race is about standing for something or standing for nothing; and I will always stand for something.”
Jack Barwell, January 2024
Campaign page: @theguildneedsbarwell
Image: Sam Tough, 2024
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