UCU elections | Mumsnet

SirTiffikate · 2021-02-03T22:26:41+00:00

Does anyone have any inside info on the candidates? My top priority for voting is academic freedom (especially in relation to sex and gender identity), but sadly not many candidates mention it in their blurbs. I also don't want to get into long, un-winnable strikes. Any tips on who to vote for?

LampLass · 04/02/2021 15:08

I also was really unsure about who to vote for... I hadn't heard of the new UCU commons slate so that was my starting point. (I looked at their website for their 'values'). I already knew about UCU left. So I guess your options are to either vote for a UCU left or UCU commons slate, or for the few independent candidates who are neither!

geekaMaxima · 04/02/2021 16:29

Just looking today. UCU Commons looks like a front for a bunch of misogynistic thought police who don't support academic freedom at all, and they're running so many candidates that I find it very curious there's suddenly an organised effort to take over the Union.

So I crossed out every single one from the candidate booklet and voted from amongst the remainder.

There is one openly gender critical candidate standing from Edinburgh (I forget her name now, but that's a brave place for be openly GC). I like and respect her position on protecting women's rights and academic freedom in the university sector.

YMMV 🤷‍♀️

geekaMaxima · 04/02/2021 16:34

Oh - and for some sort-of inside info that perhaps you already know, UCU Left have completely disintegrated so membership doesn't mean groupthink any more. There are some vocal supporters of academic freedom amongst their numbers and they're worth voting for tactically in a bid to keep the Commons nutters out.

Catabogus · 04/02/2021 19:12

I share all your concerns on this and was also wondering how to vote. I found Mike Otsuka’s take on it very helpful indeed: mobile.twitter.com/MikeOtsuka/status/1357235721128525826

Original poster

SirTiffikate · 04/02/2021 22:10

@Catabogus Mike Otsuka's take isn't for me. He's included the UCU Commons slate, all of whom I've ruled out for the reasons @geekaMaxima said. I had no idea that UCU Left had disintegrated. I've always ruled out their candidates before, but maybe they're now less of a threat than the authoritarian bullies of UCU Commons.

There was a slate posted somewhere on twitter on academic freedom during last year's election but I can't remember the account name. I think it was a group that formed specially for the purpose and they asked all the candidates where they stood. I hope they'll do it again and I hope I find their post!

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Catabogus · 04/02/2021 22:16

I also didn’t know that the UCU Left had disintegrated so much. I had been avoiding them for the same reasons as Otsuka - but you’re right that the UCU Commons are also very unappealing. I thought Michael Carley looked promising though.

BlackLambAndGreyFalcoln · 04/02/2021 22:19

@geekaMaxima

Just looking today. UCU Commons looks like a front for a bunch of misogynistic thought police who don't support academic freedom at all, and they're running so many candidates that I find it very curious there's suddenly an organised effort to take over the Union.

So I crossed out every single one from the candidate booklet and voted from amongst the remainder.

There is one openly gender critical candidate standing from Edinburgh (I forget her name now, but that's a brave place for be openly GC). I like and respect her position on protecting women's rights and academic freedom in the university sector.

YMMV 🤷‍♀️

It's Shereen Benjamin. I read her IWD speech and she definitely gets my vote. She's standing in the UK-elected members HE and also as a LGBT representative.

ehtelp · 06/02/2021 10:41

I usually agree with a lot of what Mike Otsuka writes but, like @geekaMaxima and @SirTiffikate, it only took a quick look at the UCUCommons web-site for me to rule them out. I usually automatically rule out candidates who mention UCULeft, but this time that doesn't leave many people to vote for. I hadn't heard about the disintegration of UCULeft, so that's useful infromation and I'm now considering those candidates again.

Some random comments:

I find Michael Carley's blog, michael4hec.wordpress.com/blog/, really informative (and at times somewhat alarming) and will definitely be ranking him highly.

The UCU4AF twitter account, twitter.com/ucu4af, hasn't been active recently.

John Armstrong provided helpful guidance last year about who to vote for If you support academic freedom even for uppity women and if socialist revolution is not on your todo list for 2020. Some of the candidates are standing again this time, so I'm taking into account the Signatory column, which shows who signed this statement.

Pota2 · 06/02/2021 21:15

I would echo what others have said here. Stay absolutely the hell away from the Commons people, aka Grady4GS faction. I actually think they are worse and more dangerous than UCU Left and that’s saying something. Most of them seem very unpleasant too in their interactions with others on social media.
I’m not voting as I left UCU but I’m watching with interest.

Original poster

SirTiffikate · 06/02/2021 22:56

It's Shereen Benjamin. I read her IWD speech and she definitely gets my vote. She's standing in the UK-elected members HE and also as a LGBT representative.

Do you have a link for the speech, @BlackLambAndGreyFalcoln? I'm voting for her anyway, but I'd like to read it. I can't decide whether only to vote for a very small number of candidates, or vote for anyone who isn't UCU Commons to try to keep them out.

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QueenoftheAir · 07/02/2021 17:58

Shereen Benjamin, Michael Carley are the 2 obvious ones.

I liked Steve Sangwine's Treasurer pitch - he was critical of the 2019/20 strikes & tells it how it is - the UCU lost money from them ... So he has my vote.

Otherwise, it's quite hard to see whom to vote for.

QueenoftheAir · 07/02/2021 19:58

Just been sent this:

ucu4af.wixsite.com/website-2/how

BlackLambAndGreyFalcoln · 08/02/2021 19:15

@SirTiffikate

It's Shereen Benjamin. I read her IWD speech and she definitely gets my vote. She's standing in the UK-elected members HE and also as a LGBT representative.

Do you have a link for the speech, @BlackLambAndGreyFalcoln? I'm voting for her anyway, but I'd like to read it. I can't decide whether only to vote for a very small number of candidates, or vote for anyone who isn't UCU Commons to try to keep them out.

Here: <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=forwomen.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IWD20-speech-Shereen.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjpxszi_9ruAhUTUhUIHVNPCvoQFjABegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2T60_bEP5L90Dtll9ekkJl&cshid=1612811716379" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=forwomen.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IWD20-speech-Shereen.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjpxszi_9ruAhUTUhUIHVNPCvoQFjABegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2T60_bEP5L90Dtll9ekkJl&cshid=1612811716379

Original poster

SirTiffikate · 11/02/2021 10:48

Thanks for those links, @QueenoftheAir and @BlackLambAndGreyFalcoln. I agree about Steve Sanguine's pitch and I'll vote for him. I've also been hearing good things about Michael McKrell - apparently he's an independent thinker who won't simply go along with the crowd.

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GCAcademic · 11/02/2021 14:01

apparently he's an independent thinker who won't simply go along with the crowd.

What a time to be alive, when an independent thinker in academia is something to be remarked upon . . .

Original poster

SirTiffikate · 13/02/2021 12:28

What a time to be alive, when an independent thinker in academia is something to be remarked upon . . .

Very true, @GCAcademic. I've been keeping an eye on the link @ehtelp sent, and I've voted using the UCU4AF list at ucu4af.wixsite.com/website-2/how - there are depressingly few names in green. I'll hang on to my ballot papers a few more days in case I can add any more, but it's not looking likely.

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