GARY REDMONDAge: 22Course and year: Computer Science, currrently taking a sabbatical year as Entertainments Vice-President.Do you drink, smoke or take drugs?I enjoy a good pint, I don’t smoke or take drugs.What is the most important part of the position of President?The president is the chief spokesperson for the union.Is there any previous SU officer that you admire?Dan Hayden because he was seen as being approachable and he built a profile for the SU.Do students really care about the SU elections?Some students do and some don’t. This could stem from students not knowing what the SU does.COMPUTER Science student, Gary Redmond is currently working as the Students’ Union (SU) Entertainments Vice-President. At 22 years-old, Redmond has worked on previous SU election campaigns for James Carroll, Dan Hayden, Brian Doyle and Stephen Qunlivan and is a member of a number of student societies. Having been a class representative, Redmond then went on to work as SU Events & Logistics Officer.Complimentary when speaking of his colleague, Aodhán Ó Deá, Redmond’s sole criticism is that Ó Deá had a slow start as President as he had to build fresh relationships with university staff. This is a problem that Redmond is confident he won’t encounter, if elected. “I’ve a lot of experience and have excellent working relationships. I can walk in and start from the start, delivering from day one”.Listing library opening hours, the campaign against third-level fees and student welfare as the most important student issues, Redmond has a number of interesting plans for SU if elected. He promises a pay freeze for SU officers in his manifesto but when questioned, agrees to SU pay cut and states that all SU officers will have to show their expenses to class representatives.Redmond also intends to campaign for weekly presentation time with the university’s senior management team so that the SU “can get into the day-to-day management of the university”. These proposals are accompanied by promises to campaign for a 24-hour study facility and a bar license for the Students’ Club.While some of these campaign promises are impressive, others are not convincing, in particular, Redmond’s promise to break the SU away from its image as a clique by running “the biggest campaign” for class representatives.Redmond believes that protests or sitins should only be used by students when “absolutely necessary”, recognising the importance of “keeping public opinion on our side”. As a current SU Vice-President, Redmond does have more SU experience than any of his competitors having been a class representative, staff officer and Ents officer, however it is not clear if this who the students want leading their union next year.~~~Election Analysis by Danielle MoranFollowing two years of unopposed races, this year’s four presidential candidates are each selling themselves on their varying levels of experience.FEE candidate, Julian Brophy is by far the loudest of the four candidates, however it is doubtful that this alone will ensure a victory. Third-level fees are clearly a matter of deep concern for students and while Brophy is clearly passionate about this, he has few other realistic proposals that are not already in the works.In stark contrast to Brophy, SU Irish Langauge Officer, Donal Hanratty appears quiet and is unconvincing, appearing ill-prepared when considered for the role of President.Current Entertainments Vice-President, Gary Redmond clearly outshines the others in this area and while his campaign promises are more realistic and developed than those of his competitors, his manner and boyish arrogance may alienate many voters and seriously harm his campaign.Redmond, however, faces relatively stiff competition from former Arts & Human Sciences PRO, Chris Bond. Claiming experience within the SU and even more from campaigns where he has worked on the ground with students, Chris Bond appears capable, quietly confident and friendly however his success depends on how well he can stand up to Redmond once the polling booths open.