All to remedy the totally disconnected cause - the closure/sale of 1 in 3 of our courts (sold at loss to Tories’ mates,m): 15% year on year cuts to criminal justice services; the trashing of Probation; evisceration of legal aid, etc. How do you fix that omnishambles - end a core legal principle?

Also it's time to keep pushing.

Sign our open letter and adapt it for your university and country!

Open Letter: Stop the Uncritical Adoption of AI Technologies in Academia

6/n

openletter.earth/open-letter-...

I'm veggie too... they do veggie ones. But crumbs an issue!

Their scotch eggs are to die for. And the sausage rolls etc. etc. Need to venture out of the 'sandwich' rut.

It’s especially ironic because the lecture is exactly about the ‘paralyzing cowardice’ of today’s elites.

About universities, corporations and media networks bending the knee to authoritarianism. /4

This has happened against my wishes, and I’m genuinely dismayed by it.

Not because people can’t disagree with my words, but because self-censorship driven by fear (Trump threatening to sue the BBC) should concern all of us. /3

And we know we're not alone as a branch in what we're facing. We need local action, but we also need national action. We've put together a list of reasons why a national mandate puts us all in a better bargaining position - please share widely.

durhamucu.org.uk/26-reasons-y...

yes - and I'm wading through stuff to get to it!!! but I will!

"The proposed 6% tax on international student fees is a dagger aimed at one of the UK’s most successful export industries"
- Martin Wolf in the FT today

Gift link below for anyone else reading:
on.ft.com/3KlPgMA

and it chimes with the whole 'we are sick of experts' view and the constant refrain that we need more plumbers etc. (we do...but). It's casting univ education as 'elitist' so taxing it more/withdrawing support is a "good" because it's 'levelling' society (all of which is crap of course).

Likewise 'if that means closures of departments and programmes limit students' choice of area and location of study'. Student choice, the mantra of days gone by, is being killed by a thousand uncoordinated cuts.

I know - and I do feel bad about it and normally would try not to mention it because it shouldn't be encouraged. But also the reality is that if I take an entire weekend off - I just feel like I'm drowning on a Monday. Of course that might just be me being crap at my job!

💯