The University and College Union held its annual conference last week in Bournemouth. The UCU represents the interests of academics, lecturers, researchers and academic-related staff working in further and higher education throughout Britain. If you ever wondered why Britain is falling behind the rest of the developed world, look no further than the UCU – a trades union stuck in a time-warp.One of the motions adopted by this bunch of lazy hippies calls for a boycott of all Israeli academic institutions and to organize a UK-wide campus tour for Palestinian academics and educational trade unionists. Another motion calls for an end to all research and cultural collaborations with Israeli institutions while also calling for the immediate restoration of aid to the Palestinian Authority. Another one calls for institutions to twin with a Palestinian University or college. This is the kind of puerile politically correct posturing that was de rigeur in students’ unions in the 1970s and 1980s, but that ended in the last decade or so. Unfortunately while the kids may have grown up, the supposed grown-ups haven’t.
Academic freedom is essential in a free society. Students should be encouraged to explore all sides of an argument and to form their own views based on their research. The one-sided indoctrination espoused by the University and College Union is a grave cause for concern. Their embrace of the Palestinian cause at a time when Hamas, a terrorist organization, is in power in the Palestinian Authority is offensive and dangerous. If only the members of the UCU could concentrate on doing their jobs and teaching students.
