Anyone else currently striking with UCU but reconsidering their position?

[MuffinMittens]

I'm an academic on strike. But seriously considering leaving UCU and going back to work, on the basis of the response to no-platforming of Selina Todd (and, to be frank, so serious general fuckwittery of UCU in relation to identity politics).

Anyone else in a similar position?

*some serious general fuckwittery

The UCU leader’s response to Selina’s deplatforming at the weekend beggars belief. I can see why, as a member, you would be furious and questioning your ongoing support.

Thanks for the response, @boatyardblues

Never thought I'd be considering breaking the strike till this...

I've just seen that Kathleen Stock has left UCU for this reason

If you are paying your subs and they won’t support you as a woman just tell them to do one

Kathleen has left I saw on twitter

I'm a doctoral student and left the UCU last year for similar reasons. Ordinarily I'd be against strike-breaking, but if you were an academic in my department I'd have so much admiration for you for making a stand like this.

I know that it's difficult and there's the potential for backlash, though, depending on the climate at your university.

There's quite a few of us on here who have already left on the basis of UCU's / Grady's attacks on feminist academics. There are others, admirably, who are staying to try to effect change from within. I can't do it, though. I won't pay them £26 a month knowing that if I needed support if there was a complaint against me for believing biological sex is real and politically important, they would throw me under the bus and call me a bigot.

There's some more discussion about the strikes / Grady / academic freedom here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/academics_corner/3732596-When-do-you-think-the-strikes-will-be?msgid=94366068

I'm not striking in solidarity with Selina. Will stay out until Jo Grady leaves and/or UCU gets its act together.

Please do join us on the academic common room thread. A union for academics that supports no-platforming is not fit for purpose. And this massive distraction also undermines the ongoing strike that UCU members have given up their wages for. Over 25 strike days since 2018. Jo Grady could have just staid out of this but no ... it would be understandable if you could no longer support this.

This is Jo Grady's extraordinary response to one of her members being no-platformed (because a woman talking about women's history at a women's conference was considered offensive)

boatyardblues - Hi, is there a link to the statement somewhere on line? thanks.

Irrespective differences in feminist politics, the issue of no platforming is getting worse.

And so much of this intolerance seems to be coming out of universities.

Is it the attitudes of the young people coming as students, or is it a growing culture amongst academics.

The ripple effect out into society (and party politics) is very, very worrying.

Thanks.

Jadefinch has already posted the relevant retweet. Jo Grady retweeted the statement by the young speaker who got Selina deplatformed (noting it was the spinelessness organising committee that wielded the fatal blow).

I have refused to go to class on strike days up to now but am considering returning tomorrow based on these principles. Feel like having my own leaflet ready for any picket line stating why re Selina Todd & Grady etc.

As I understand it, if you are GC and get into some sort of bother because of this (student complaints etc) the UCU would not support you.

Kind of makes being a member a bit pointless...

Unfortunately posted graphic images of tweets isn't very helpful as not everyone has the same graphics package and / or has a visual impairment which means reading text captured as a photo is not accessible.

All I wanted was the live url.

Added to which of course (not saying its the case here but relevant in other instances) images can by faked.

stumbeldin this is the link: twitter.com/DrJoGrady/status/1234060107903881217

Yes, I’m hanging in there at the moment, hoping UCU can get its act together.

This gave me some hope yesterday - there are clearly many in HEC who do feel committed to academic freedom michael4hec.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/what-is-ucus-position-on-academic-freedom/

It should be noted that Selina Todd stated yesterday that she had left UCU some time back. Don’t blame her, and it doesn’t make Jo Grady’s behaviour any less abhorrent. She’s way, way out of her depth on this.

@AgileLass

Thank you for your post. I'm with you. I'm a UCU member on strike and am planning to stay and try and change things from within. I may be misguided but I believe that that's the way forward. We need someone to stay but ….. I do completely understand why some of you have left the UCU

I like your posts. They sum up how I'm feeling but I can be a bit 'snippy' when writing. You say it so well

Thank you NiceLegs that’s very kind of you to say

I’ve actually found quite a bit of quiet support from male academics within my dept (I’m “out” as GC to a couple), and I know they voted accordingly in the recent elections. So there’s more than you might think who are uncomfortable with the current direction of travel.

Thanks for the link - will share with some women discussing this on facebook. (Y)

Feel some relief that I'm not alone in this... thanks, all, for posting. I'm still in UCU at present, and on strike. Still deciding whether to watch and wait or jump ship.
I'll join you on the other thread, too...

I went public on Twitter about having severe doubts whether I could stay in UCU in all good conscience, when our Gen Sec responds to Ms Olufemi and Shon Faye (of the "women, enjoy your erasure") was a flame/fire emoji. Disgraceful.

But I've had a lot of support from friends - but they've please with me - other other good feminists - to stay in UCU to fight the current idiocy. My issue is that OI am already overstretched, and cannot add becoming active in my local branch to my To Do list - or rather my Run-Over-the-deadline-spend-my life-apologising-to-people List.

I've been strike-breaking with no guilty conscience because I voted against the strikes, did not vote for Dr Grady, and think the whole leadership domination by the UCU Left is like a load of teenagers pretending to be Che Guevera.

As I understand it, if you are GC and get into some sort of bother because of this (student complaints etc) the UCU would not support you

I was supported - but that was 2 years ago - not sure if my local UCU branch has now been "captured." But it's the memory of the really excellent support I had from my local UCU case worker that keeps me in the UCU.

I’m despairing this evening, after the response to the Suzanne Moore article I’ve seen from so many Twitter academics. Just despairing

Please don't break the strike over it, it won't help the cause and will alienate people.

I am a striking UCU member, and waiting until the strike is over to kick off over this. I was personally blocked by Jo Grady on Twitter as she at some period subscribed to terf blocker lists, this in the context to me almost never posting on Twitter. I didn’t vote for her because of it, though am happy she has popular support. I almost resigned over her twitter support for mermaids, am now seriously biting my tongue over her enthusiasm over Selina Todd’s no platforming. Her bully boy tactics are completely inappropriate, my support for UCU is really suffering as a result of her leadership.