The official list of candidates for the upcoming YUSU elections was published this afternoon, with 47 students registered for election. Nominations are now closed and candidates can begin campaigning next Tuesday. Sabbatical Officers, part-time Executive Officers, NUS delegates and a Chair of Union Council will be elected in Week 9.

The race for President will be between Tom Langrish, Tim Ngwena, Grant Bradley and Charlie Bushby. Current YUSU Policy and Campaigns Officer Langrish had looked to be uncontested but now faces tough competition from Fusion chair Ngwena, rowing team member Bushby and URY show host Bradley. Despite rumours to the contrary, Rory Shanks, YUSU Societies and Communications Officer will not be running for President.

Shanks will be returning to run for Student Activities Officer this year, a new position similar to the work he did with societies last year. Shanks is contested by another current officer, YUSU Training Officer Rhianna Kinchin and third-year student Ella-Grace Kirton.

York Sport President, formerly Athletic Union President, looks set to be a five-way tie as the most contested position this year. YSTVs York Sport Presenter Emily Scott, York Sport Tournament Secretary Gemma Johnson and York Sport Treasurer Michael Leahy are running. They will be contested by candidates Michael Sneddon and Kath Mildon.

The new position of Democracy and Services Officer, similar to the current Services and Finance Officer, is set to be another well-contested position. Candidates lining up to compete for this position are YUSU Entertainment Officer Ed Durkin, ISA Welfare Officer George Papadofragakis, former Halifax Student Association chair David Sharp and Lewis Bretts.

The current position of Academic and Welfare Officer has been split into two, with incumbent officer Charlie Leyland running uncontested for Academic Officer.

The position of Welfare Officer is closely contested, with three very able candidates competing. Current YUSU LGBT Officer Ben Humphrys, former YUSU LGBT Officer Matthew Pallas and Tanning Soc Chair and Vanbrugh JCRC member Jenny Coyle will compete for this position.

Claire Cornock will be running uncontested for the part-time position of Disabilities Officer, with David Clarke & Jade Flahive-Gilbert running for Environment and Ethics Officer. Iszi Chew is running against the pairs Helen Fry &  Zoe Stones and Sarah Goss & Will Scobie for RAG Officer, whilst Rachel Hesselwood is standing uncontested for Student Action Officer.

LGBT Officer candidates are also standing in pairs this year, with Mandi Madavo & James Ball running against Elanin Vince & Peter Warner Medley. Sam Daniels & Suzi Ellis stand uncontested for Entertainments Officer, as do Chris Etheridge & Jason Rose for Campaigns Officer.

Ellie Kuper-Thomas and Amal Ali will be competing for the position of Womens Officer and no candidates will be running for Racial Equality Officer.

Labour Soc Chair David Lavene is running uncontested for Chair of Union Council, and candidates for NUS Delegates include: Ali Allana; Michael Batula; Lewis Bretts; Daniel G. Carr; Rhianna Kinchin; Tom D. Langrish; Oliver Lester; David Levene; Charlie Leyland; Kath Mildon and Jamie Tyler.

Respected German director Tom Tykwer’s “The International” promised a modern thriller which pits an immoral bank against an Interpol Agent (Clive Owen) and his Assistant District Attorney (Naomi Watts) sidekick. The films tagline, “They control your money. They control your government. They control your life. And everybody pays” suggests an action packed film in which lone agent Louis Salinger breaks into the bank and works his way up the levels to finally confront the boss. The trailer, which partners tense and emotional music with clips of people at ATMs and a few well placed explosions and shoot-outs, only added to the expectation of an action packed fast moving film.

None of this turned out to be true. Owen’s character only entered the bank once, for a meeting with it’s lawyers. The only big action scenes are a car chase in Madrid, in which Owen is on foot and and the car turns out to be empty, and a shoot out in the Guggenheim Museum, famous for the opening scenes of “Men in Black”. As Owen and occasionally Watts continue to follow the money trail every single witness they come across is dead, the film only ending when the bank manger himself is killed on a rooftop in Turkey, a few seconds before Owen gets the chance.

Side plots of the film are painfully convoluted and never fully explained. Exactly how the New York Assistant District Attorney ends up working with a maverick Interpol Agent is never made completely clear. Attempts to allude at Owen’s past at Scotland Yard are never actually explored but rather serve as unnecessary filler in a film which is already tedious.

Although we tend to enter a thriller like “The International” willing to suspend belief and get thrown into the action, Tykwer’s attempt instead leaves us cold in our seats. The action scenes are weak and the attempts to be intelligent painfully confusing. All in all it would seem that this film attempts to be many things and as such fails in all of them.

YUSU have this week made moves to permanently cancel their weekly Coordination group.

The union is constitutionally bound to hold at least four meetings of the group a term, three of which have been held already. It is an official sub-committee of the Union Council and, according to the YUSU constitution, can only be cancelled by a constitutional amendment.

The amendment needed will be put to vote at the next UGM meeting, where it will be included as part of a general constitutional “mop-up”. If the motion then fails officers will hold their fourth required meeting in week 10 of this term.

YUSU Services & Finance Officer Matt Burton believes the move has been made because officers feel that the group was not the best way for them to communicate, commenting that it “wasn’t a decision making body, just a forum for officers to coordinate their work at.” He believes that a more informal way of coordinating work could benefit both officers and union members.

The last constitutional amendment, made in June 2008, is yet to come into full effect. The changes to officer titles and roles which it proposed will be used at the election in week 9, where new YUSU officers will be elected.