You know nothing, SU: killjoys block Game of Thrones theme for Presidency

• Vote was set to change President’s title to ‘Khal’ or ‘Khaleesi’
• Students outraged as killjoy SU blocks the proposal

A motion to change the name of the Warwick SU President to Khal or Khaleesi, the title of the horse lords in Game of Thrones, has been quashed.

In a show of deft autocracy that Tywin Lannister would be proud of, the motion was crushed by the SU – despite having gained much support and passing all the necessary requirements.

The motion passed all legal and democratic proceedings, but in a twist of fate that would’ve left even a headless Ned Stark gobsmacked was stopped from going to a student vote by the small council of “SU trustees”.

They said the motion would incur “hundreds of pounds” of legal costs, and that the Union would potentially be sued by HBO, the creators of the program, leaving the SU as cash strapped as Stannis.

Clearly a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos was not considered a viable option.

Bowater and the rest of his Warwickros collected 282 signatures in less than 24 hours for the motion.

The student who raised the motion, Aaron Bowater, believes the actions of the SU were “predetermined and the conclusion was forgone”, announcing on Monday his “bemusement at the decision” and that “nothing those involved have done have surprised us”.

He slammed the SU for showing a high “level of dishonesty and a complete lack of transparency” and questioned the Sabbatical Team and trustees: “if you’re not there to represent us, what is the point of you? You have one job, trustees.”

Democracy Officer Cosmo March, claimed the motion did not progress to the ASM because of “the steer from the Board of Trustees given on 4th December 2013”.

Sam Fry, third year economic student and Warwick SU disabled students officer said: “This decision makes a mockery of two of the core principles of Warwick SU: being student led and being independent. I think the reality is that Warwick SU is neither.”

“The decision goes over the heads of students and shows how dependent the Union is on the University.”

The motion: Khal or Khaleesi

The motion believes:

• That Warwick University faces a substantial threat from across the sea (Coventry University).
• In order to protect Warwick from this threat, the Warwick SU should be led by a Khal or Khaleesi, a title from the HBO TV programme ‘Game of Thrones’.
• That Warwick should set a Dothraki-like example in pursuing their own interests ‘in their own time, for their own reasons’.

After reaching 256 signatures the motion, originally submitted in October last year, garnered over 100 likes, 20 shares and 5000 views on Bowater’s Facebook page – becoming almost as notorious as the Lannister incest.

Despite being deemed as too expensive in terms of legal costs by Sundell and Co, Bowater contacted the European HBO Consumer Affairs to seek permission to use the titles, to which they agreed, wishing him all the best with the motion.

Once this decision was made last year, Bowater and Co were never sent this response and therefore were unable to appeal within the allotted 48 hours, leaving them out as much in the dark as one of Craster’s sons.

Warwick’s very own Jon Snow, Aaron Bowater, accompanied by his loyal direwolf

Fast forward to May 2014…

What started out as a “drunken form of sad procrastination” from too much Arbor red had now turned into a “Game of Thrones battle of Evil vs Slightly less evil” as Bowater described it.

The motion was passed to an all student vote by 3 to 1. But 25 minutes after this decision, the SU emailed Aaron and Carl to say the motion would not go to a wider vote.

Hand of the King Cosmo March had used special powers to allow Sundell to make the decision to crush the young upstart with a disguised unanimous vote from the small council.

Mondays ASM saw Aaron Bowater claim he felt like Jon Arryn where his “wine had been poisoned and we were fated to drink it” after the refusal of the legitimate ‘A Game of Warwick SU’ motion.

Carl Mohr, First of his name, is the Seconder on the motion and equally feels disappointed about the refusal of the motion

Power resides where men believe it resides; it’s a trick, a shadow on the wall, and a very small man can cast a very large shadow.

This article was originally published on The Tab Warwick.