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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Our friends at the Good Law Project

235 replies

Gymnopedie · 04/08/2026 13:52

I know this doesn't belong here but given the bollocks from the GLP about issues that do I thought people might be interested.

It's about Professor Jason Arday, a Cambridge academic. The story started when there was a claim that large chunks of his PhD thesis had been taken from another (sometimes not even changing typo errors) published a few years earlier. His justification is that he's autistic and his way of coping is 'mimicry'.

Sine then his many claims about his charity work, fundraising and physical exploits have come under increasing scrutiny - much from the Guardian - and are unravelling fast. He's having to backtrack and 'explain' a lot. He's claimed to have been on a TV programme that he never was and it was chronologically impossible for him to be on it. He has claimed a lot of nasty harassment but has no evidence of it, no photos, no messages, and didn't report any of it to the police. (Well he claims he did once, but the police have no record of it and the story doesn't stack up.)

What does the GLP have to do with it? They're organising an open letter in his support, claiming that there is nothing to see here except that he's a victim of vile racism.

Support for a left wing cause that bears no relationship to the facts? Where have I heard that before?

Charity casts doubts on volunteering record of Cambridge professor (The Telegraph via MSN)

Playbooks, plagiarism and a pig’s head: new claims surrounding a star Cambridge professor | University of Cambridge | The Guardian

Glasgow University denies Jason Arday visiting prof claim | The Herald

OP posts:
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SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:07

Oh dear, I know about this because my DH has been following and telling me about every new revelation.

It's becoming increasingly obvious that Arday is probably a complete fantasist and woefully unqualified, and no-one did their due diligence in employing him. Least of all Cambridge University where he landed after short stints at increasingly prestigious Universities. In essence it seems he was a 'good news story' for their DEI departments and the media loved it.

As you imply, GLP has gone for this one because of course they love to accuse everyone of being racist/homophobic/transphobic/fascist/colonisers etc etc.

Hope they get egg on their faces because they have not backed a good horse here.

Love the irony that the Guardian is on it. Perhaps they can start using their good journalists to investigate some of the other crap GLP supports. Not holding my breath.

Edited to add: does he actually have an autism diagnosis? would be my (uncharitable) question

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:19

There is something of the Forrest Gump about Arday's exploits

HappilyHarriet · 04/08/2026 14:22

Apparently they (glp) have published a letter in support of Arday which has 1400 signatures including 5 Labour MPs. Shall we all play ‘Guess the MPs who signed GLP’s letter’?

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:26

Oooh! OOOOh! Me first:

Nadia Whittome
Dawn Butler
Bell Rebeiro-Addy
Clive Lewis
Angela Eagle

I'll let someone else have a go.

Tallisker · 04/08/2026 14:29

He’s not very good at being believed, is he? Perhaps because his tall stories are not believable?

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:32

The large-brained people at Cambridge believed him. People will, as we have learned, believe the most heinous nonsense if it fits with their desire to 'make the world a better place' and 'be kind' < boak >

HappilyHarriet · 04/08/2026 14:33

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:26

Oooh! OOOOh! Me first:

Nadia Whittome
Dawn Butler
Bell Rebeiro-Addy
Clive Lewis
Angela Eagle

I'll let someone else have a go.

Definitely the first 2 and the last one. I don’t know the 2 in the middle so I’m going for Stella Creasy.
I haven’t actually looked up the answer yet but if the game continues I might have to.

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 04/08/2026 14:34

I've been reading about him in Spiked, they have an article which I can't link to because it's behind a pay wall, but the list of accomplishments he's laying claim to is very 'impressive'.

The article linked to a comment on X, apparently the dissertation he plagiarised belongs to a girl and he hired Carter-Ruck one of the UK's leading defamation law firms to quash a story about his plagiarism by Times Highered.

I don't know what grift the GLP are up to, perhaps they're hoping their efforts will come to the attention of C&R and they'll push some work their way.

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:34

Oh yes! How could I forget dear Stella?

CompleteGinasaur · 04/08/2026 14:34

As an aside, it cheered me up no end when I came out of my local pub on Sunday, and happened to look at the door of Nadia Whittome's constituency office (which is the repurposed shop next door), only to spot a suffragette coloured "Let Women Speak" sticker placed precisely centrally on the closed glass door. Is stickering still a criminal offence? (Asking for a friend...😇)

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:35

My tip (IANAL) : sticker over another sticker if you can. There are lots of stickers for all sorts of things on lampposts

RoyalCorgi · 04/08/2026 14:37

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:26

Oooh! OOOOh! Me first:

Nadia Whittome
Dawn Butler
Bell Rebeiro-Addy
Clive Lewis
Angela Eagle

I'll let someone else have a go.

You're right about Clive Lewis, Nadia Whittome and Bell Ribeiro-Addy. John McDonnell is also in there, of course.

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:40

Not Diane Abbott, coming back to the Labour fold with a splash?

SylvanMoon · 04/08/2026 14:43

Here's Kathleen Stock's take on him: https://archive.is/MqJDU

SodThisHeadache · 04/08/2026 14:49

SylvanMoon · 04/08/2026 14:43

Here's Kathleen Stock's take on him: https://archive.is/MqJDU

She writes so well.

Gymnopedie · 04/08/2026 15:00

SylvanMoon · 04/08/2026 14:43

Here's Kathleen Stock's take on him: https://archive.is/MqJDU

Good grief. That has allegations I hadn't even seen elsewhere. Good on you Kathleen.

OP posts:
oldtiredcyclist · 04/08/2026 15:10

SylvanMoon · 04/08/2026 14:43

Here's Kathleen Stock's take on him: https://archive.is/MqJDU

Thanks, she is excellent, that is a can of worms well and truly opened.

DrBlackbird · 04/08/2026 16:34

SylvanMoon · 04/08/2026 14:43

Here's Kathleen Stock's take on him: https://archive.is/MqJDU

Whilst she writes well, there are claims in this article that could be applied to any and every university.

Arday may write and speak nonsense (note, I’m not claiming he does, just that he may do in the sense that Stock references), but my god a significant percentage of university academics the world over also could have that accusation made against them. Going back decades e.g. Alan Sokal’s published article "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity".

But her argument came undone for me when she claimed that neurodiversity was evidence of being ‘unsuited’ to an academic career:

"Namely: at some point, the university sector decided that intellectual disability was something that should be mitigated, rather than treated as disqualifying one from scholarly life. Conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, autism, ADHD, speech delay (and so on) were now to be treated as unfair obstacles to a person’s dreams of pursuing an academic career, rather than constituting evidence they were unsuited."

First of all, in my experience, faculty with autism are rife in academia (who else has the hyper focus to study the mating habits of the deer fly at full moon to a doctorate degree) but, second, it is extraordinarily elitist to suggest that just because someone is dyslexic that they’re unsuitable to academic life.

There is possibly a valid point somewhere in how universities as progressive institutions may well promote faculty beyond their abilities as a form of positive discrimination or supporting equality, but she’s missed the mark with such unnecessarily sweeping claims implying all those with SpLDs are unsuited.

Tallisker · 04/08/2026 17:06

I agree, DrBlackbird. Look at Alan Turing etc.

CapabilityBrownsHaHa · 04/08/2026 22:04

One of my favourite (and most used at work) GIFs.

Can Open Season 2 GIF by Friends
JanesLittleGirl · 04/08/2026 22:40

You look at things that are and ask why? I look at things that have never been been and ask why not?

Sometimes people who are neurodivergent think around corners that the rest of us don't know are there.

Whatchamacallitt · 05/08/2026 01:35

DrBlackbird · 04/08/2026 16:34

Whilst she writes well, there are claims in this article that could be applied to any and every university.

Arday may write and speak nonsense (note, I’m not claiming he does, just that he may do in the sense that Stock references), but my god a significant percentage of university academics the world over also could have that accusation made against them. Going back decades e.g. Alan Sokal’s published article "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity".

But her argument came undone for me when she claimed that neurodiversity was evidence of being ‘unsuited’ to an academic career:

"Namely: at some point, the university sector decided that intellectual disability was something that should be mitigated, rather than treated as disqualifying one from scholarly life. Conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, autism, ADHD, speech delay (and so on) were now to be treated as unfair obstacles to a person’s dreams of pursuing an academic career, rather than constituting evidence they were unsuited."

First of all, in my experience, faculty with autism are rife in academia (who else has the hyper focus to study the mating habits of the deer fly at full moon to a doctorate degree) but, second, it is extraordinarily elitist to suggest that just because someone is dyslexic that they’re unsuitable to academic life.

There is possibly a valid point somewhere in how universities as progressive institutions may well promote faculty beyond their abilities as a form of positive discrimination or supporting equality, but she’s missed the mark with such unnecessarily sweeping claims implying all those with SpLDs are unsuited.

Thank you, that also rubbed me up the wrong way. There are many incredibly gifted individuals who suffer from conditions like dyslexia. The idea it renders one inherently incapable academically is rubbish.

WaterThyme · 05/08/2026 05:40

DrBlackbird · 04/08/2026 16:34

Whilst she writes well, there are claims in this article that could be applied to any and every university.

Arday may write and speak nonsense (note, I’m not claiming he does, just that he may do in the sense that Stock references), but my god a significant percentage of university academics the world over also could have that accusation made against them. Going back decades e.g. Alan Sokal’s published article "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity".

But her argument came undone for me when she claimed that neurodiversity was evidence of being ‘unsuited’ to an academic career:

"Namely: at some point, the university sector decided that intellectual disability was something that should be mitigated, rather than treated as disqualifying one from scholarly life. Conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, autism, ADHD, speech delay (and so on) were now to be treated as unfair obstacles to a person’s dreams of pursuing an academic career, rather than constituting evidence they were unsuited."

First of all, in my experience, faculty with autism are rife in academia (who else has the hyper focus to study the mating habits of the deer fly at full moon to a doctorate degree) but, second, it is extraordinarily elitist to suggest that just because someone is dyslexic that they’re unsuitable to academic life.

There is possibly a valid point somewhere in how universities as progressive institutions may well promote faculty beyond their abilities as a form of positive discrimination or supporting equality, but she’s missed the mark with such unnecessarily sweeping claims implying all those with SpLDs are unsuited.

I agree with the good Dr Blackbird’s main point.

However, for those who aren’t familiar, that Sokal paper was a hoax. It was written to expose poor quality refereeing in Sociology.

quantum-chemistry-history.com/Sokal1.htm

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