Article - Liverpool Academics for Academic Freedom

[Brewdug]

Power to Firat Cengiz for setting up this group and standing firm in the face of this article, which lulls you into a false sense of intelligence before showing its true agenda - taking Grace Lavery at face value before concluding that Firat should (ahem) 'stick to what she knows!'

https://open.substack.com/pub/liverpoolpost/p/tinker-tailor-teacher-spy-the-liverpool?r=clsbu&utmmedium=ios&utmm_campaign=post

Also thank you to those commenting underneath to point out the problems with this piece more thoroughly than I could.

For a news source that pats itself on the bag for its integrity, its beyond me why it is being praised BTL for 'research' that is little more than a judgement call on the Tweets people like.

Does the fact the trans activists who threatened to disrupt this group from meeting^ did not have the conviction to turn up to their own protest^, and refuse to engage with a media request, not make them curious at all? Why is their no mention of the on-campus experience of academics like Kathleen Stock?

I hope enough people can see this for what it is.

Thanks for sharing. I found it interesting to read, including what the way the writer approached the article says about the success of the “most marginalised and oppressed” narrative. The writer has bought into the “Tory culture wars v most vulnerable of all” presentation of the issue favoured by certain politicians.

I clicked on crime stats link which turned out to be a link to a Guardian article. The article refers to Office of National Statistics and then, in relation to the same stats, describes them (as I read it) as a UK Statistical Authority publication. But ONS and the UKSA are two different bodies. Which makes me wonder if the article is accurate in its understanding/ presentation of what the ONS data says.

The writer of the piece, Abi Whistance, is a junior reporter and clearly has no idea how biased and inadequate her article came across.

I've been receiving occasional free articles from The Post - and this one, today, annoyed me so much ( I know Firat) that I immediately signd up for a subscription and to comment. I'm sick of poor quality and poorly informed 'journalism' on this issue get a free pass.

It came across as if Firat was having to defend herself against accusations of transphobia, and was being in some way 'held to account' for her secretive, shameful and terrible views.

I’ve found the ONS statement from July 2020, which the three-year-old Guardian article linked to by Whistance, is based on.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020

The ONS statement page doesn’t include links to the year ending March 2O20 tables any longer, though. The page now links to the July 2023 tables.

If I’ve understood the 2023 data correctly, it is no longer the case that people who identify as a different gender identity are twice as likely to report having been victim of a crime in the survey, as referred to in that three years out of date Guardian article.

Instead, in the latest data, they are slightly less likely (three percentage points) to report being victims of a crime in the survey. Again, if I’ve understood the data correctly.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesannualtrendanddemographictables/current/annualtrendanddemographictablesmar23.xlsx

Ok, on the positive side, this article does demonstrate the problem to any reader with half a brain.

Sensible female academic with huge lived experience of oppression sets up group to discuss a range of threats to freedom of speech. She is immediately targeted by anonymous witch-finders for the heinous crime of retweeting fairly mainstream newspaper articles about current threats to freedom of speech.

I do hope that the university offer support to the academic in question.

Thank you so much for commenting! When I read it when it was just posted and the only comments were people praising the 'research' and all but calling Firat a right-winger.

And yes the journo is young, and although the Post can be good, at times it will publish things that don't quite stand up - if they think they're on to something and it makes them look as if they've 'investigated' for long enough.

Very well said.

Yes, hopefully they will now see just how much discussion that article generated and may be tempted to do more in the same vein. That would certainly test their true journalistic, investigative credentials and refusal to cave in to the woke mob.

I reckon Firat must have been quite upset at hown that piece turned out. If she had known it would be so biased, I wonder whether she would have agreed to it at all?

Unfortunately I understand Firat has had to appear before a 'panel' at her university - in relation to her interest in this issue. That was some months ago, though. I also know of another academic at the city's other main university ( even more TRA friendly than Firat's university)who was targeted by a couple of local student artists, who pursued a campaign to have her sacked.

That's appalling - there's the story they should have investigated, right there.

Please keep us posted if you ever hear more.

Oh that is really awful. As per pp, that is the real story that the journalist should be looking into

The article ticked the 'let trans people speak' box by stitching in the Lavery gumph - but the writer's checklist clearly doesn't include a box for women and girls who want single sex spaces. There are plenty around, they could explain why they feel that way? It could have provided a bit of balance.

Women's standpoints seem to only be important if they're male.

The article links AFAF to hate crime, and even opines that "it's easy to understand" why people would mask up and try to intimidate the attendees.

Bias is one thing - but this is particularly irresponsible.

Yes, they love to see themsleves as persecuted social justice warriors - in the mode of Antifa - wearing face masks for their " own protection" - so as not to be identified by the police, who in their febrile imagination, are there to oppress them. What an irony! Most often the police are there to ensure they can do whatever they like while women have to scuttle in and out being shouted at, pushed, and intimidated.

I reread the article earlier and one thing that struck me particularly was the description of the "quiet voice" on the phone. That word "quiet" is so imbued with meaning..that poor, vulnerable, terrified person, frightened of their shadow, frightened to speak up.

And then I think about how that "quiet" voice has anontymouslg set a hate mob on their colleague/tutor.

Oops, I can actually spell "anonymously". I just can't type on my phone on a bus

Quite embarrassingly, Abi Whistance has made a point of liking all the comments under the piece that tell her what a good job she's done, and ignored all the rest. Can't see her pitching a more insightful follow up any time in the future, then...

Yes I noticed that!