Kathleen Stock’s union betrays her.

[MangoSeason]

Pathetic. Weak. Craven.

twitter.com/Docstockk/status/1447863827018702855?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

[LooksGood]

So she's been bullied off a public forum and - it looks likely - out of the classroom, whether through stress or Sussex's handling of this latest development - though their VC sounds sane.

Well done UCU. That's what we pay our subs for.

[Imnobody4]

The UCU seems to have a clear policy on Academic Freedom on its web site.
www.ucu.org.uk/academicfreedom.

1. Academic freedom includes the right(s) to:

freedom in teaching and discussion;
freedom in carrying out research without commercial or political interference;
freedom to disseminate and publish one's research findings;
freedom from institutional censorship, including the right to express one's opinion publicly about the institution or the education system in which one works;
and freedom to participate in professional and representative academic bodies, including trade unions.

1. Academic freedom is also bound up with broader civil liberties and human rights. Higher and further education staff have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association and assembly. Staff must not be hindered or impeded in exercising their civil rights as citizens, including the right to contribute to social change through free expression of opinion on matters of public interest. We recognise that this may touch upon sensitive or controversial issues.

Is this a local group going rogue, shouldn't they be expelled for not upholding these principles.

[Bollockstothat]

I just quit UCU. Academic freedom is not dispensible.

I've just quit, too. I've been a member since the start of my first teaching job. I never thought I'd leave, even though the unutterably incompetent leadership of Jo Grady made me want to on many occasions. I'm gutted, and angry. My partner, also a UCU member, has quit too.

Will re-join if it ever gets a new leadership focused on winning pay and conditions battles.

Bollocks to the lot of them.

[FlyingOink]

This is infuriating. It should be, as Posie said, quite easy to identify these yobs and deal with them. Public order, threatening behaviour, stalking, whatever.
As for Twitter, I don't use it, I hope Kathleen finds another medium though. Fred Sergeant is on Facebook, Posie is on YouTube, there are alternatives to damned Twitter.
Although I'm sure she just wants a break for a bit, I hope she realises we are all rooting for her.

[LooksGood]

@Imnobody4

The UCU seems to have a clear policy on Academic Freedom on its web site.
www.ucu.org.uk/academicfreedom.

1. Academic freedom includes the right(s) to:

freedom in teaching and discussion;
freedom in carrying out research without commercial or political interference;
freedom to disseminate and publish one's research findings;
freedom from institutional censorship, including the right to express one's opinion publicly about the institution or the education system in which one works;
and freedom to participate in professional and representative academic bodies, including trade unions.

1. Academic freedom is also bound up with broader civil liberties and human rights. Higher and further education staff have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association and assembly. Staff must not be hindered or impeded in exercising their civil rights as citizens, including the right to contribute to social change through free expression of opinion on matters of public interest. We recognise that this may touch upon sensitive or controversial issues.

Is this a local group going rogue, shouldn't they be expelled for not upholding these principles.

Apparently academic freedom and employment rights can be instrumentalised for eeevil ends. Thus Sussex UCU supported by national UCU anyway.

And presumably it's going to be fine for every VC in the country to use that line right back at them if they ever decide to try being a union again ...

[chilling19]

UCU - goodbye.

[DoctorTwo]

Sussex ucu not only threw Kathleen Stock under a bus, they drove it over her. Fucking disgusting from a union of which I'm glad to say I'm too thick to be a member of. Unlike those woke twats I know what biology is. I hope Doc Stock sues their arses off. I will happily dig if it is needed.

[Eucalyptustrees]

www.brightonandhovenews.org/2021/10/12/trans-row-professor-accuses-union-of-ending-her-career-at-sussex-university/

A reasonable article.

Kathleen has worked there since 2003. The people attacking her were babies when she started working there.

I am astonished they think their aggression is acceptable when they are unable to present an argument that isn't pure emotional blackmail.

Wel I am not astonished really.

I've met Kathleen and she cares very much about young people and understands youth movements.

All I can say is that she is unsackable. The university has no choice in this not least because there is nothing that could justify it, but also because she is a beacon of reasonable debates here and no-one in a position of authority at the university would ever consider trying to prove that she wasn't in a tribunal. I know that.

[LooksGood]

Thanks for that. Agree she's unsackable but she's unsafe too. If I'd been advised to teach from home indefinitely for my own protection, I'd be looking for a new job anyway. UCU's behaviour has been vile.

Weirdly I also donated monthly to that anti-bullying-of-teachers charity they promote along with their sub. Wonder if that will now be cancelled. Not sure I'd trust UCU on that theme anyway so will probably scrap that and find a new charity. Turns out UCU are relatively expensive so if I switch to GMB I'll have about 20 a month in total going spare - more if Affinity.

What should I do with it that might help Stock and others like her?

[Datun]

This is infuriating. It should be, as Posie said, quite easy to identify these yobs and deal with them. Public order, threatening behaviour, stalking, whatever.

I completely agree. What's the hold up?

[Eucalyptustrees]

mobile.twitter.com/magpiemixture/status/1448020817472806919/photo/1

Jolyon must be dizzy with all those about turns.

[bd67thSaysReinstateLangCleg]

@lionheart

This is Sussex UCU so it will be interesting to see if the national organisation will deviate from this utterly craven backstabbing crap.

I suspect we know the answer.

mobile.twitter.com/ucu/status/1447922700723306508

I'd copy and paste the text but it's an image, which of course cannot be read by anyone who is visually-impaired or needs the help of a screen reader. I expect a union to make their statements accessible to disabled people.

[lionheart]

That's a really good point.

[GCAndProud]

A good Twitter thread on UCU:

twitter.com/anonacademic_uk/status/1448004720405225476?s=20

[PronounssheRa]

What's this has all highlighted is, there is no middle ground, no space to discuss how to resolve the conflict of rights. Prof stock is one of the most reasonable and kind (some would argue too kind) voices, if this is how she is treated it makes it clear that TRAs will accept nothing but total capitulation.

[FlyingOink]

@PronounssheRa

What's this has all highlighted is, there is no middle ground, no space to discuss how to resolve the conflict of rights. Prof stock is one of the most reasonable and kind (some would argue too kind) voices, if this is how she is treated it makes it clear that TRAs will accept nothing but total capitulation.

It's a good example of their irrational, emotional, and unreasonable approach.
Especially as there is a handy book full of Stock's views on the subject from which they could select the most controversial excerpts, and they still can't find anything.

It's just mud-flinging and tantrums from the TRA side.

[MoltenLasagne]

It's just mud-flinging and tantrums from the TRA side.

Reading through twitter it's not even mud-slinging so much as people who have no idea what's going on, and with no desire to correct that, shouting for Stock's dismissal for things that never happened. I've seen people say she has no right to talk about LGBT as a cishet, that she should have no opinion as she's a professor of literature and that she's refusing to use pronouns. All obviously wrong after very little research but they're too enamoured with their self righteous rage to bother with facts.

[KittenKong]

It’s whipping up a whole storm - and yes, they have no idea.

They scream their heads off on twitter - then you look at their bio and it’s all ‘be kind’ ‘she was only walking home’ ‘charity worker/manager’ ‘mental health champion’ bla bla bla meaningless nonsense...

Oh in R4 now... spectator, times...

Can we send cards to Kathleen (maybe via her publisher?).

[TheElementsSong]

Just wanted to say that @thecatfromjapan has beautifully articulated my thoughts.

Unfortunately I can’t join the flouncing from UCU because we (me and DH) already flounced some time ago, when it had become obvious they were totally captured, useless at actually representing the real issues of workers, and it was only a matter of time before they performatively threw somebody under the wake bus.

[merrymouse]

www.adweek.com/creativity/john-lewis-joyful-ad-lets-a-boy-embrace-his-inner-stevie-nicks/

I assume this is all copied from a John Lewis press release because the reviewer doesn’t appear to have watched either advertisement.

[merrymouse]

Oops! Wrong thread!

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

They scream their heads off on twitter - then you look at their bio and it’s all ‘be kind’ ‘she was only walking home’ ‘charity worker/manager’ ‘mental health champion’ bla bla bla meaningless nonsense...

YY. All posturing.

[ScreamingMeMesaur]

As someone pointed out in the replies, do none of them remember Evergreen College? Nobody is safe from a runaway mob once it's had a taste of power.

[Theeyeballsinthesky]

@PronounssheRa

What's this has all highlighted is, there is no middle ground, no space to discuss how to resolve the conflict of rights. Prof stock is one of the most reasonable and kind (some would argue too kind) voices, if this is how she is treated it makes it clear that TRAs will accept nothing but total capitulation.

I think the now deleted thread on what would a win look like highlighted that very well

Ostensibly reasonable, it quickly defaulted too “you just hate me and all trans ppl” with no real attempt to listen

We said this was where beeee kiiiind would end up, taking no pleasure in being right

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

Exactly. If they root out all the GC women, what then? They're not just going to live in perfect harmony with everyone. It will get nastier and nastier because that's how power works. It needs to be nipped in the bud, but universities are being weak on this.