After the dramatic events of the weekend in student political circles, in which the Labor-backed party Empower were relegated to below the line, some involved in StuPol have become worried.

Many UQU current and prospective UQ Union candidates and their affiliates have expressed growing concern that the exposure of the callous scheming might make people hate student politicians.

‘Right now, student politicians are beloved,’ explained a student politician we won’t name in this article because if we do they’ll probably have a sook again.

‘We’re the coolest kids in school. But all these stories have me a-thinking - what if, now hear me out, what if there’s a slight possibility that these stories might make people fucking loathe us?’

The anxieties sound ridiculous at first. How could anyone in good faith have any ill feelings towards a monolith of ambitious, self-serving, pathetic plotters who are more concerned with owning the other side than they are working for students? It’s a bit far fetched.

But there is still a risk - if even one student of the thousands at UQ had a single negative thought about a StuPol hack, that student might not be motivated to become involved in Union life by eating some soggy cereal or getting groped once a year on the Great Court by a BBC bloke in a sheet.

Time will tell if the currently revered and idolised StuPol heroes ever see any noticeable decline in their reputation. But for now, it’s safe to say the fact they’ve even identified the risk is an indicator of just how good these legends are at fingering the pulse.

More to come.