"Hack" outside the bubble actually means a journalist or a writer who is only capable of writing one good piece.
It's the dozens of different definitions of hack in St Andrews that makes it confusing. Some use it to mean all union types (don't say student political types-- St Andrews does not have union political types. Go talk to someone from Oxford to find out what student politics are. When was the last time a student asked you to vote for them PURELY based on their party political affiliation?)
Others use it to mean the crap union types. Some use it to mean everyone who, well, does anything, such as direct a play to represent students' needs for the library. Almost everything doen in St Andrews is connected to the Union somehow so really everyone is a hack.
Quoting flossy from 21:58, 22nd Mar 2006
Just because Tom is now involved with the union doesn't make him a hack- there's a big distinction between those who are actively involved in the union (whether they be SRC, SSC, ents etc) and "hacks"; those who seem to see the union as a stepping stone to some future political career and will run for any position just to see their name in lights.
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Not to put too fine a point on it, say I'm the only bee in your bonnet
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I love cheese.