Scott Alexander

Starmer urges European leaders to reform human rights laws to tackle immigration The ECHR is seen by its critics as a major barrier to attempts to deport illegal migrants from the country.

Critics argue that the ECHR stops us from being able to deport illegal migrants. In reality, in 75 years the ECHR has only ruled against the UK in 13 cases out of 500k: 0.000026%. The ECHR is being used a scapegoat for domestic challenges, and we must defend it.

Act now to protect the UK's place in the ECHR Sign the European Movement UK's petition now if you agree: Britain must remain in the ECHR

Sign our petition to keep the UK in the ECHR here:

No baked beans? No English brekkie.

Here’s my Spotify Wrapped 🎵✨

A group of over 40 people stand listening to speeches at the front of the Tower Building at the University of Dundee. The people are on a picket line for Dundee Universities and College Union. Many are wearing pink hats with ‘UCU’ on the front.

Very strong turnout this morning on the first of our five days strike.

On Friday, in a meeting with the interim Principal, he confirmed his ideology is to cut as many jobs as possible.

Support our action to save jobs and save the University!

#SaveHE #SaveDundeeUni #WeAreTheUniversity

If you still have a Twitter/X account…

Why?

Oh look. ULEZ works. Who'd have thought.

Meanwhile... in Further Education...

Photo showing an article from the latest Private Eye on the Unite dispute which exposes UCU management's hypocrisy, in particular highlighting a quote from an SMT member that strongly suggests our action short of a strike (ie, continue doing your job but office attendance remains voluntary as it has done over the last five years) is somehow irresponsible.

ASOS which is "work in the same way you’ve done for years" is not irresponsible. It's protecting our members until a fair & equitable hybrid policy is agreed.

UCU SMT then deducting 100% of daily pay from staff taking ASOS & undermining its own policy?

Now that’s irresponsible.

UCU has the privilege of appearing in the current edition of @privateeyenews.bsky.social

Shame it’s about the toxic working environment, disfunction and unresolved dispute.

#UniteUCU #UCU #Dispute

Southampton Solent pensions row ‘sets concerning precedent’ Union claims that professional service staff have been told to move on to subsidiary firm with less generous pension scheme, or face losing their job

Southampton Solent University has been accused of an “unprecedented” attempt to move staff on to “inferior” pension schemes, with those not complying facing losing their jobs. Juliette Rowsell reports #academicsky #pensions
https://ow.ly/wYQR50Xgr4g

I believe this is the first HEI to propose to consult on transferring every single LGPS and TPS member of staff out of University employment into an arm’s length subco.

Southampton Solent pensions row ‘sets concerning precedent’ Union claims that professional service staff have been told to move on to subsidiary firm with less generous pension scheme, or face losing their job

www.timeshighereducation.com/news/southam...

Solent University threatens P&O-style 'Fire & Rehire' with pension cuts UCU today announced that it has entered a formal trade dispute with Southampton Solent University over plans to force all its staff onto inferior pension schemes, paving the way for a strike ballot if...

Unprecedented, potentially unlawful retrograde proposals made by @solentuniversity.bsky.social

If you have a vested interest in HE, this concerns you.

We must stand together to resist these outrageous proposals.

#HE #TPS #LGPS #Pension #post-92

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...

Um. There’s a woman presenting this too.

Branch update Fifty UCU branches join calls for unconditional talks After over 50 UCU branches signed up to a statement calling on SMT and the General Secretary to meet with Unite for unconditional talks, branch…

We wondered last week whether @drjogrady.bsky.social would listen to @ucu.org.uk members, agree to unconditional talks & withdraw the threat of deductions for taking ASOS.

So we asked her. She didn’t reply herself, but SMT’s response, regrettably, was “no”.

uniteucu.wordpress.com/2025/10/10/b...

Image of Graham

There are plenty more like Graham.

Six-figure salaries at the top, cuts and chaos for staff.

We’re exposing the hypocrisy in higher education.

🎥 Thurs 7PM | UCU Live: www.youtube.com/live/rZRbCP0...

#WeAreTheUniversity #VoteYes

We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25, no 37, no 46, no 50 UCU branch committees (and still counting)

Fifty branches, representing over 36% of UCU members, have now called for @drjogrady.bsky.social to enter unconditional negotiations & remove the threat of punitive deductions against staff.

Unite's repeated requests for such talks have had no response. Will she now listen to @ucu.org.uk members?

Petition: Do not introduce Digital ID cards We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards. There are reports that this is being looked at.

Oppose this.

Just one week after Palantir sign a £1.5bn deal with the U.K. on AI and innovation?

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

Petition: Do not introduce Digital ID cards We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards. There are reports that this is being looked at.

It’s becoming hard to see that this really is a Labour Govt.

Sign and reject this nonsensical and ridiculous proposal, that was not found in the Labour Party manifesto.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

#NoToIDCards #Privacy #Palantir #DataHarvest

At our Emergency General Meeting, our branch unanimously voted in support of this solidarity motion with @uniteucu.bsky.social. This behaviour by @ucu.org.uk senior management is unacceptable and threatens the entire @tuc.org.uk movement.

Read in full:
qmucu.org/2025/09/24/b...

Screenshot of email from UCU management which reads: ASOS Attendance Form - New Weekly Survey Starting Monday 22 September, all staff will receive an email with a link to the new ASOS attendance form. This short weekly survey is mandatory for all staff, whether you were on ASOS or not. Please make sure to complete it each week, failure to do so may result in pay deductions. The cut off each week will be Friday at 5pm.

Do you want to know how UCU senior management has responded to UCU branches calling on them to remove their threat of deductions? This is how.

How would you react?

uniteucu.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/u...

I think this guy’s in business.

#LBC

We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25, no, 37 UCU branch committees (and counting)

Another 12 more UCU branches have signed (so far) today!

uniteucu.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/u...

We'd like to send special solidarity back to @ucukent.bsky.social and @ucugreenwich.bsky.social for their support following their own worrying news from this week.

Ferrari’s the only one that’ll entertain his shtick

We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: • Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. • Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. Signed, 25 UCU branch committees (and counting)

Sometimes solutions are easy @drjogrady.bsky.social & @ucu.org.uk

Let’s sit down and talk without conditions or threats that damage everyone. It’s time to resolve this dispute.

Our statement, with support from the following branch committees:

How and why is Peter Mandelson still in post?

Every vain hour Mandelson remains in post is a further insult to Epstein's victims.