FOCC UCD Supports Barry Murphy for President
By Aoife Hardesty | Nov 20 2017
The Freedom of Choice UCD coalition (FOCC UCD) have announced their support for Barry Murphy for President. Previously the group had said they were "bewildered" by his decision to run for president in the by-election.In a press release and on their Facebook page, the FOCC had called Murphy’s decision to run for president “a demonstration of the Union’s continuing loose-handed and flagrant attitude towards our money. Money that is supposed to be employed for the benefit of ALL students and not to compensate for the promotion ambitions of a high ranking Union member.”The FOCC have today announced they are reversing their position regarding Murphy's campaign for president. "After talks and much to-ing and fro-ing on the issue, we have thought better of those comments and announce that we are officially supporting Barry Murphy in his bid for President."The group call Murphy "a friend to the FOCC UCD SU Campaign" acknowledging that "he has been working hard in recent times to be President of UCD Students’ Union."The FOCC are looking forward "seeing our aims met in the new semester under President Murphy."Murphy has told the University Observer the he "in no way supports the views or agenda of the campaign group FOCC. A group of students, trying to hamper the services, representation and the events UCDSU provides are in my opinion, completely counterproductive. UCD students can currently remove themselves from UCDSU membership by writing to the president expressing their wishes.""I have never spoken to any student involved in the FOCC campaign, I have not been involved in any negotiations and will not be supporting their campaign if elected."