UCU 'free speech' survey...

[WarriorN]

Or witch hunt?

This twitter thread dissects a survey by the the University and College Union where it's clear from the outset how you should respond.

twitter.com/profalices/status/1395318800367722496?s=21

I started a thread on this too WarriorN. We should all fill it in, with as much detail as we feel comfortable with - you could feel quite exposed by the questions, as the twitter thread says, particularly if you're at a small institution .

As I said on my thread, interesting that they've scrapped their usual 'gender assigned at birth' bollocks for this survey.

She's absolutely right. What a joke of a survey. But worth completing it and filling in the free text box to highlight the attacks on feminist academics and the malign influence of Stonewall.

How very ironic.

Hopefully enough female academics are aware enough about this issue now that they will see right through this attempt to "nothing to see here, move along" and fill it in anyway.

I had such fun filling out this survey.

To use UCU language, there were some nasty 'dog whistles' in it, particularly around the suggestion that the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism was a hindrance to academic free speech.

As we saw last weekend, anti-Semitism and misogyny are never far from the surface of many far left or far right political activism. How they go together ...

My main point was to say that the UCU witch hunt of feminists & women was the main obstacle to my academic freedom. I enjoyed saying that several times over ...

Did anyone else's email end up in their junk folder? Every other email they send ends up safely in my inbox (including half a dozen invitations to inclusive language seminars). Feeling a bit tin foil hattish!

I'm also feeling a bit tin foil hattish as I went to town in the survey and have since read on twitter that the survey might not be anonymous... eek! Does anyone know if it is/isn't? They don't actually say on the emails (which also go into my junk folder now)

From the questions they ask at the beginning about your institution etc. I assumed it was anonymous-ish, but sadly I wouldn't put it past them drilling down if they thought they found a heretic.

Yes, I think @LividLackey has it there. If someone wanted to, they could match your level of appointment, age, department & institution - and sex (except they ask for gender-effing-identity).

But really ... you've got to wonder if someone so obsessed with witch-hunting as to do that is more to be pitied than feared. And you could get 'em on a data protection breach!

Haha true. I've looked at it again and seen that each member gets sent a 'unique link' and usually organisations say if a survey is anonymous or not. I guess it's misleading at the very least to not state whether it is or isn't but give the impression that it is... anyway, can't live in fear forever I suppose