For those of us in UK academia, it’s been impossible to miss the strikes over the last four weeks, with academics from across the country standing their ground for a fair and equitable pension. There are many incredibly detailing the developments and explaining how this is about for a walk of life that just doesn’t have to be subject to the warped values of the Neo-liberal project.
Personally, what I’ve found inspirational is the coverage from the picket line and the industry of others. Naturally, there have been the marches, the banners, and the teach-ins. But, with such generative care and warmth, what has brought special cheer to me have been the many outstanding examples of creative impulse: of craft (like that recorded by Jacob Phelps below), of design (from Katja May, Kat Jungnickel, etc. at Goldsmiths), and of poetry (no less from the fabulous Michael Rosen).
Given it would be hard to add to all the amazing commentary on the pension strikes, what I want to pay special homage to here is the dance (and a little song) from the picket line. Browsing the not-so-distant twitter archive, I’ve tried to dig out a few out the highlights from the last few weeks that can’t help bring a smile to my face. It must be said, that among all the wonderful examples, Lancaster goes gold hands down for the PEF (Picket Excellence Framework), and Imogen Tyler deserves a special award of excellence for her unwavering commitment to impact dissemination, Twitter-wide.
Here’s to all the dancers (and musicians) on the picket line
#fromthepicketline this morning @LancasterUCU Witt the Atomic Brass Band #ussstrikes #UCUstrike pic.twitter.com/y9OQJVvBDl
— Imogen Tyler (@ProfImogenTyler) March 15, 2018
For example, from Jason Hickel, David Kernohan, via Medium, etc. Karen Gregory has put together a list of UCU Strike Readings. Lucy Robinson’s strike scrapbook also deserves a special mention.
See by Six points on the eve of the UCU strike Jamie Woodcock