UCU elections

[damekindness]

The UCU voting pack (the size of a small novella) has arrived and is incredibly complicated but I really would like to make sure I have at least a vote for the GS.

Except I'm not particularly active in the union and am really only hanging on in there by the skin of my teeth. No idea who might be the better option - I'd prefer someone who won't be demanding constant strikes or action for everything - but that might be over optimistic l.

Any ideas who would be the better option for GS?

Honestly I think Grady. She's just got to get an exec that won't fight her. Although Ewan thing has a strong record as attack dog.

I'm most tempted by the only man, as he seems to be the one most focused on UCU as a trade union rather than a political campaign group. (and I did wonder whether there may have been a GC hint in talking about not having defended members in the past, but that may be wishful thinking... Anyone any idea on that?)

I'd love to see the back of Grady. I'd like someone operating as a union not policing opinions of it's members. I'll Google Ewan!

Ewan is very good! He seems very practical and efficient and I think his legal background is an asset. I too am keen to see the back of Grady.

I also got this sense though I couldn’t say for sure!

Jo Grady is one of the reasons I'm not currently a UCU member. However I'm not at all convinced that any of the other candidates would be an improvement (and could potentially be even worse).

With Ewan McGaughey my main concern is the failed legal action against USS. People whose opinions I value (e.g. Mike Otsuka) are extremely negative about that. There are also claims (which might however be 'red baiting' from Grady supporters) that he's recommending voting for UCU Left candidates for other positions. And IMHO UCU Left are even worse than UCU Commons.

Ewan for me too by a process of elimination. Don't really want another term of Jo Grady and the other two women are both part of UCU left I think (Vicky B says she is an independent candidate but I think she has been involved with UCU left in the past?).

Did anyone watch the hustings? I only managed a bit of it.

I didn’t see the hustings. I’m going by what I know of Ewan and Jo already, plus the candidate statements in the bumf that was sent out with the voting papers.

I will definitely vote for Ewan but I have no idea who to vote for the other positions. Particular the “representatives of women members” who all sounded equally committed to extreme identity politics really, and most say they support Jo.

From Ewan McGaughey on twitter "I do not share in Prof. Phoenix's conclusions about gender".

That's one nasty man there. He's utterly vile. He's only still employed by KCL as they want him to continue bringing the union into disrepute.

Dreadful man.

Recording of the hustings here if anyone wants to see it

Could those opening statements be less inspiring?
It's all so depressing

Thread on legal action against UCU by some of its own members: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5002140-another-tribunal-ucu-this-time?reply=132822541

Wonder if any of the candidates have anything to say on that?

Thanks for that, Meanacademic. Not much in the 'novella' about the academic freedom of GC union members, is there?
And I'm reading the addresses of the candidates for Representatives of Women Members, and wondering what's the point, because I don't know how they are using the word 'women'. Presumably nobody running for office in UCU would dare say they are using it to mean 'adult human female'..

I’ve only just read Ewan McGaughey’s statement linked above. It’s interesting and I think it might appeal to quite a few academics. He ‘respectfully’ disagrees with Jo Phoenix and agrees with the judgment against the Open University. So the line is ‘bullying is bad but you have to express your heinous thoughts appropriately’. So in a way we’re back to ‘it’s just about good manners, not conflicts of interest’.

This is not directly elections-related, but has anyone else seen the THES article on the industrial problems at UCU? Looks like a real case of 'do as I say, don't do as I do'.

https://archive.ph/Ppwyc (hopefully an archived link).

So it was a close run thing but it’s another 5 years of Jo Grady. I hope she is going to change tack because I don’t think I can handle another half decade of intermittent strikes in Feb/March and then a marking boycott. My dept has a hard core of union activist so there’s no hope of being unaffected by UCU action.

Turnout was 15%, I found that really surprising.

15%, and I wonder how many academics and PS staff are actually still UCU members? What a shitshow.

My voting pack is still sat on my desk - I briefly read through the pack a while ago and couldn't summon the effort to vote. The process seemed way too complicated and every candidate seemed to be much the same.

I left a while ago when I realised UCU would not defend me against attacks from TRAs, and in fact would encourage action against women.

Bit surprised Grady won, makes me wonder how terrible the other candidates were?

Terrible turnout. Sounds like it was a very close vote. I wonder if she got quite a few second votes and that helped. I would have preferred Ewan but I'm relieved that no one from UCU left won. They seem very out of step with the membership and would have us all out on indefinite strikes.

Looking at the figures I think Grady picked up more of the second preference votes from the other two women which kept her in the lead. That makes sense, if you’re left leaning you would presumably give Grady your second preference over McGaughy.

15% turnout doesn’t bode well for claims to legitimacy though esp in light of UCU’s comments about local election turnout last year (about 33%).

Looking at the figures I think Grady picked up more of the second preference votes from the other two women which kept her in the lead.

Actually it was the other way around. On first preferences Grady led McGaughey by 1266, in the end it was down to 182. Weiner's 2580 votes went 984 to Blake, 582 to McGaughey, 451 to Grady and 563 to no one.
Blake's 4821 then went 2270 to McGaughey, 1317 to Grady and 1234 to no one.

I think that analysis outs me as Not A STEM Academic. 😆