Edinburgh University chief urged to quit over free speech

PandorasMailbox · 2021-05-12T12:14:17+00:00

Apologies for the lack of a share token. "Senior academics at the University of Edinburgh have called on their principal to resign, claiming that he has sacrificed free speech and reasoned argument to placate a small group of political zealots" [[https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/edinburgh-university-chief-urged-to-quit-over-free-speech-d5wg7zdvs]]

ErrolTheDragon · 13/05/2021 08:05

Essentially the same piece in the main section of the Times today

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/edinburgh-university-boss-told-to-quit-in-free-speech-row-xlw2qzngc?shareToken=883d48096c456e36f6fede2410d89e13

NutellaEllaElla · 12/05/2021 20:34

I wonder if this embarrassing publicity and intervention will cause any changes.

NiceGerbil · 12/05/2021 20:28

Weebarra most people think it's rubbish though.

The question is whether either of those two men would do anything to challenge it/ show support to those who do etc. My guess is no tbh.

ErrolTheDragon · 12/05/2021 19:33

I assume "Evolution House" used to be Darwin House? If so, that is also disgraceful.

No, it looks like it was the Australian House and has been renamed to reflect its change in function from housing the Australian collection to the evolution exhibition.

Not all changes are politically motivated!

MissBarbary · 12/05/2021 18:35

@CatherinaJTV

Renaming Hume Tower was the right thing to do (although, in keeping with "Evolution House", also at UoE, I would have called in "Enlightenment Tower").

There is nothing enlightened about the re-naming.

I assume "Evolution House" used to be Darwin House? If so, that is also disgraceful.

CatherinaJTV · 12/05/2021 18:13

Renaming Hume Tower was the right thing to do (although, in keeping with "Evolution House", also at UoE, I would have called in "Enlightenment Tower").

SunsetBeetch · 12/05/2021 18:13

What's happening with BlackED is very reminiscent of the Evergreen College saga.

SunsetBeetch · 12/05/2021 16:42

@Student133

As the username suggests, I'm a student currently, and sadly this doesn't surprise me at all. The SU has always been a bit nutty but since I've been at uni, the power that tiny fringe protest groups have been allowed to have is just terrifying. Its one of the reasons I've not gone in to academia or gone on to a masters course, as its just so stifling, it must be heartbreaking for faculty who've seen this happening over the years, genuinely makes me worried about the society my generation will inflict on everyone.

I am sorry if it's made you rethink your career choices, although I completely understand why.

GCAcademic · 12/05/2021 16:37

Gah, I meant to quote @weebarra's post, not my own.

LostToucan · 12/05/2021 16:36

Hence my two posts as well. Site is super glitchy today.

LostToucan · 12/05/2021 15:05

Weebarra - I think that's to me? I don't think he's got floppy hair (although haven't seen him since Christmas) and he's not particularly English either.

weebarra · 12/05/2021 15:01

GC- is your DS a floppy haired English lad?

GCAcademic · 12/05/2021 14:57

The MN website is really acting up this afternoon. You think your post isn't posting and then it appears multiple times.

GCAcademic · 12/05/2021 14:55

Gah, I meant to quote @weebarra's post, not my own.

osbertthesyrianhamster · 12/05/2021 14:33

It used to be such a good uni. As for the Hubbard thing, yeah, allow a man to take a title from two Native women, that's just so brave, said no one ever.

LostToucan · 12/05/2021 14:29

@weebarra

Interestingly, I was coming back from an appointment in the NewTown yesterday and was wandering through uni-land when I overheard two male students talking about TW in women's sport, both acknowledging that mtf individuals still had a definite advantage over natal women. Was pleased. It just seems as though, especially at Edinburgh, wokeism is absolute.

I wonder if that might have been one of my DCs - I sent him the Guardian article on Laurel Hubbard (as he is into lifting heavy weights) and he said that was just nuts, and that biological men have a huge advantage over women. Fortunately he's not very woke.

LostToucan · 12/05/2021 14:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GCAcademic · 12/05/2021 14:20

@GCAcademic

Well, clearly if you have rejected the ideals of reason, rationality and tolerance underpinning the Enlightenment in favour of a reversion to religious and ideological thinking, you would absolutely need to obliterate the name of David Hume from the premises. Makes perfect sense. Hopefully they'll be able to come up with the name of an Edinburgh-born intolerant ideologue they can name the building after instead.

I have spent a lot more time in the past year chatting to students individually over Teams than I ever had an opportunity to do in person, pre-pandemic. The thing that has struck me is that so many more students than I realised are frustrated with identity politics and its detachment from the kind of concerns that they have. Also this year, the NSS results specific to the Students Union were illuminating. The students hate it. It got a satisfaction score in the 30s, whereas academic departments were getting results between 80 and 100%.

GCAcademic · 12/05/2021 14:14

Well, clearly if you have rejected the ideals of reason, rationality and tolerance underpinning the Enlightenment in favour of a reversion to religious and ideological thinking, you would absolutely need to obliterate the name of David Hume from the premises. Makes perfect sense. Hopefully they'll be able to come up with the name of an Edinburgh-born intolerant ideologue they can name the building after instead.

weebarra · 12/05/2021 13:59

Interestingly, I was coming back from an appointment in the NewTown yesterday and was wandering through uni-land when I overheard two male students talking about TW in women's sport, both acknowledging that mtf individuals still had a definite advantage over natal women.
Was pleased.
It just seems as though, especially at Edinburgh, wokeism is absolute.

MrsBunHat · 12/05/2021 13:55

museumum I agree there's not much point trying to clean up this mess if you can't even be consistent. FFS.

MrsBunHat · 12/05/2021 13:54

museumum I agree there's not much point trying to sort out this mess if they can't even be consistent. FFS.

MrsBunHat · 12/05/2021 13:52

I had been wondering where the buck stopped with all this crap. It's about time someone lost their job for forcing unlawful restrictions and woke puritanism on staff, instead of it being those who oppose the nonsense who get kicked out. I'd hope that would be a turning point, to make people see that it's not OK. I'm glad senior staff are calling him out too.

museumum · 12/05/2021 13:43

This is all such a tangled mess. I am in no way in favour of removing the name of David Hume from buildings, or statues etc....
BUT...
the UK government's 'free speech' champion is the same person trying to STOP museums and heritage sites from referring to the negative impacts of slavery and Empire when telling the stories of the rich who benefitted.

Clearly the term 'free speech' means very different things to different people.

Original poster

PandorasMailbox · 12/05/2021 13:41

Cultural terrorism is exactly what it is. They know they can get away with the bullying of institutions because of the current climate, and are seeing how far they can go with zero thought to the consequences.

OP posts: