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Academic common room

Grady or O'Neill

33 replies

JC4PMPLZ · 27/04/2019 18:43

I am torn. I think O'Neill, but would like to hear other thoughts.

OP posts:
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GCAcademic · 28/04/2019 15:55

I can’t vote for Grady. I have serious concerns about the direction of travel on academic freedom, and her behaviour on Twitter has been shocking (using TERFblocker, denouncing feminist academics). She has done some good work around pensions, but I find her deeply unprofessional and demonstrating a dangerous disregard for academic freedom.

I’m not very familiar with the other two, though, so will need to look further into them.

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Triangul8ed · 29/04/2019 14:01

I was planning to respond re Grady but GCAcademic has said it for me.

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AgileLass · 30/04/2019 09:54

There are 3 candidates, not 2...

I’m torn on this.

I HATE the rape apologists of the SWP and UCU Left’s alliance with them makes it impossible for me to vote for their candidate - McNeill. Plus I also think UCU Left are bonkers and waaaaay out of step with the membership. Moreover, UCU Liverpool haven’t exactly had a range of glowing successes in their dealing with management there. Quite frankly I don’t think McNeill’s record as branch chair is at all impressive.

Jo Grady’s manifesto contains quite a bit of misleading information and inaccuracies: link to a blog here. More broadly I do have concerns about the ability of either McNeill or Grady to run such a large organisation/managing a multimillion pound budget/running multiple campaigns - I don’t think either of them have the proper experience.

On the other hand, I find it hard to vote for Waddup given the decline in terms and conditions under the current UCU leadership over the last ten years.

A pox on all their houses, basically.

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BeansandRice · 30/04/2019 12:37

oooo this is useful. I was pleased by Grady's email statement, but what you say here worries me - having been doxxed by TRAs I really relied on my union to help me in dealing with averting a disciplinary.

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DirtyDennis · 30/04/2019 12:48

People in my Department are getting very excited about Grady. All of our pigeonholes had Grady posters appear in them yesterday. It feels like an echo chamber with very little space to question her views.

I echo @GCAcademic and couldn't bring myself to vote for her.

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Academicfreedom · 02/05/2019 07:50

Why are you conflating Jo McNeill with the SWP? She has never been associated with them. She has stated time and time again that she is Labour Party member. See photos of her with Angela Rayner for goodness sake. You might as well be berating Jo Grady for campaigning for Nick Clegg as a member of the Lib Dem (and we all know how that worked out for HE and students and their families) or lying about her record as an activist. There’s the 'Matt Waddup memeber of the Communist Party' slur. For sure he is responsible for many UCU failings I suggest you look at the candidates records and manifestos. Check the veracity of their claims. BTW Liverpool did defend mass redundancy plans. Research, it’s what academics do.

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AgileLass · 02/05/2019 12:44

Jo McNeil is the UCU Left candidate. UCU Left have traditionally been dominated by the rape apologist SWP and have not (as of last year in any case) disavowed them. That’s where I draw my line; your mileage may vary.

Like I said, I’m not particularly enamoured of any candidate, but UCU Liverpool haven’t struck me as a particularly effective branch.

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Academicfreedom · 02/05/2019 13:29

So clearly you have a problem with the SWP for which you are holding Jo McNeill to account. Jo never has been a member of the SWP. You know that so the best you can come up with is a smear. Jo’s work on sexual harassment and abuse spans years, as does her challenging of transphobia. But you know that too. You make a vile, dishonest connection between UCU left, the SWP and Jo, shame on you.

Jo McNeill is the most experienced candidate in terms of casework, neither of the others has done any, and she has supported memebrs successfully to employment tribunal when the national office would not. I’ve never met a harder working rep, look at her record. But you know that too.

Jo led on this dispute and won www.timeshighereducation.com/news/university-liverpool-set-axe-220-academic-jobs. Liverpool withdrew the planned 200+ redundancies as a result of her branch leadership.

In case work she has saved many jobs.

Jo McNeill proposed the 'revise and resubmit' plan for the USS JEP which Sally and Matt sold us out on and Jo Grady has tried to claim credit for. You may or may not have read Jo McNeill's manifesto but obviously you are IBL.

Smear away, members see you.

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AgileLass · 02/05/2019 13:52

FFS. Where exactly have I smeared? Like many UCU members I am unhapppy with UCU Left’s affiliation with the SWP for reasons I’ve stated. As Jo McNeil is the official UCU Left candidate I don’t wish to vote for her for that precise reason. If she has disavowed the SWP, please point out where and I will reconsider.

I’m not an IBL member, I’m not affiliated with any faction and I’ve already stated twice that I don’t really feel inclined to vote for any candidate. But it’s revealing that you cast that as an insult, amidst your diatribe. I find that sort of tribalism really tiresome.

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Academicfreedom · 02/05/2019 15:22

May I suggest that you reread your posts. Would you also like the candidates to confirm when they stopped beating their partners?

I too was wondering who to vote for up and until I read your post. I’ve redread the manifestos and done due diligence on all 3 candidates records.

I urge you to vote - as I would in any election I was enfranchised to vote.

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GCAcademic · 02/05/2019 15:35

I don’t know much about McNeill but I have seen an email response from her to someone who raised concerns about harassment of feminist academics and had wanted to know her position on academic freedom, and her response was very qualified. Along the lines of, “of course, the union does have a role to play in ensuring academic freedom. However . . .”

I am reluctant to vote for any of them, and UCU will certainly not be getting my sub money if Grady wins.

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AgileLass · 02/05/2019 16:49

I too was wondering who to vote for up and until I read your post.

Suuuure Grin

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GCAcademic · 02/05/2019 16:58

It’s a good thing that poster happened to come on Mumsnet for the first time, and see your post, isn’t it, AgileLass? They’d be at a loss otherwise!

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downcasteyes · 06/05/2019 15:00

Grady for me. I like what she says about departing from a strike-based model and considering other forms of action, like a boycott of audits.

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Triangul8ed · 10/05/2019 10:13

Does anyone know where Matt Waddup stands on academic freedom and the union’s role in defending feminist academics? Was he involved in the vote to support TUC’s “unanimous” acceptance of self-id?

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Pota · 10/05/2019 19:08

I don’t want to sound harsh but Jo Grady is an absolute idiot. If she is elected, I will resign and I know others will too. The main beef I have with her is her mass-blocking feminist academics and publicly encouraging pile-ons and disciplinary actions. She publicly called for the firing of a precariously employed research associate, tagging their university in the tweet. The RA’s crime was not believing that men can be lesbians. She has no commitment to academic freedom.

Besides this, she has zero experience of leading a branch. She admitted on twitter that she was completely inactive in UCU until the pensions strike.

Finally, a read of her twitter feed pre-campaign just show utter vapidity. She is 35 years old but sounds like a teenager. Embarrassing. Either one of the others would be okay but not her. Never.

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AgileLass · 15/05/2019 22:55

The question of academic freedom and trans rights was raised at Leicester UCU hustings this evening. This was Grady’s response (as reported by one of her supporters):

incredibly important question @leicesterucu hustings - where do you stand on trans* rights and academic freedom?

@DrJoGrady responds. Academic freedom doesn’t give you the right to:

  • questions someone’s existence & autonomy
  • incite hate


twitter.com/ejnagouse/status/1128302041573535744?s=21
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GCAcademic · 16/05/2019 08:03

I’m told that Grady used the term TERF at the Edinburgh hustings, and Jo McNeill drew parallels between gender-critical feminists and the far right. Waddup was not there. It’s going to be a spoilt ballot followed by resignation from UCU for me.

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Pota · 16/05/2019 21:27

They’re all as bad as each other then. I am tempted to just quit now. Over £20 a month for this sort of shit.
Oh and Jo G also follows an account called GetTERFSOut which is dedicated to targeting and harassing women out of their jobs. Wonderful for a trade unionist to be approving of that kind of thing. You couldn’t make it up.
She seems pretty thick but I don’t see how even she can’t grasp that saying women need sex-based rights is not the same as hate-speech.

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Upzadaizy · 16/05/2019 21:35

Oh dear I may have to vote for Matt Waddup.

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Pota · 19/05/2019 10:04
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GCAcademic · 19/05/2019 11:02

I see she has not expanded on her pronouncements that GC academics should expect to be no-platformed.

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Pota · 19/05/2019 12:25

And not just no-platformed but harassed and hounded our of their jobs too. And apparently it was just a coincidence that she stopped using Terf blocker around the time that she decided to stand for GC. Apparently the abuse had calmed down by then. There was never any need for a misogyny or racism blocker of course- people can learn to live with that stuff.

I am guessing she will get elected but I am also guessing that she will spectacularly fail to live up to her election promises...

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GCAcademic · 19/05/2019 12:39

I agree, she'll be elected and prove to be completely out of her depth. In the meantime I won't be paying subs to be a member of a union led by someone who's happy to agitate for colleagues to be fired for voicing a view that's shared by 90% of the UK population.

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Upzadaizy · 19/05/2019 16:00

When doxxed by TRAs, my local UCU case worker was enormously helpful.

My university now has a no no-platforming policy. Means it’s carte blanche for all sorts of views (racists especially) but actually I think their policy is a very good thing.

We have to fight obnoxious views by rational argument not no-platforming.

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