Harry's Place

Yesterday the closing arguments were delivered at the industrial tribunal which will (probably in the new year) offer its judgment on the legal action brought by Ronnie Fraser against the UCU.
I don’t suppose I need to remind readers of the lowlights we have seen over recent years.  On top of the string of boycott motions, [...]

By Colin Shindler, originally published in The JC.
In 1940, Eric Hobsbawm, a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, characterised the war against Hitler as one of rival imperialisms between the Allies and Nazism and not as an anti-fascist struggle.
Although millions of Jews were trapped by Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Hobsbawm was silent. He [...]

From a New York Times review of ‘Interesting Times’ published in August 24, 2003
To have marched in the last legal Communist demonstration in Berlin in 1933 may have been an experience as delicious as protracted sexual intercourse (Hobsbawm’s metaphor, not mine), but the experience of defending the indefensible and — more insulting — of being [...]

The first story was brought to my attention by a friend – and HP lurker – who thought I might find it interesting.  The Jerusalem Post reports major concerns being expressed over a joint academic programme between the University of Potsdam and the University of Religions and Denominations in Qom. The exchange involves a small [...]

I have posted on this issue before, but I continue to find the coverage of the effects of fees on student applications somewhat misleading. Applications have gone down, yes, but it is important to remember that last year saw a huge surge in applications because it was the last chance to beat the new fee [...]

According to this UCU briefing, students over 24 who wish to take A Levels and access courses will now have to pay the full fee, rather than, as now, just pay half.  The government estimates this will lead to a whopping 45% reduction in student numbers.  Such students, if they then go on from FE [...]

UCU Congress took place last week in Manchester.  One of the most significant moments came when Sally Hunt’s proposals to reform the NEC were voted down.  These reforms had been supported in a survey (not an official poll) of members at all but a handful of union branches. (You can find out more about the [...]

At the top of the piece about this issue on Student Rights there has now been added a link to a statement from York’s LGBT Officer, Leon Morris.  It opens:
Yusuf Chambers is a member of the Islamic Research and Education Academy (iERA). The iERA features Muslim fundamentalist preachers who advocate the criminalisation of homosexuality and [...]

This is a Guest Post by Sam Westrop
This Wednesday, hate preacher Yusuf Chambers will be addressing students at the University of York at the invitation of the Islamic Society. Only last year, there was a backlash on campus after the invitation of anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist hate preachers. How can such hatred rear its ugly head [...]

The previous post is a reminder of why unions are important – increasingly important.  There are all sorts of ways in which the UCU – or the people in the UCU – do a great deal of good: standing up for members’ interests, helping colleagues with particular problems, engaging assertively, but also constructively, with management [...]