The students involved in the Save Middlesex Philosophy campaign have called a rally in protest at Middlesex University’s disgraceful decision to suspend philosophy staff and students for the ‘crime’ of campaigning to save their own jobs and courses:
Thursday 27 May, 4pm onwards
at Middlesex University’s Hendon campus
Please come along and spread the word. We are also appealing for people to come to the Hendon campus on Friday 28 May from 10am onwards in solidarity with suspended students who have a hearing with management that day.
Here’s a leaflet advertising the demo for you to use.
Confirmed speakers include:
Alex Callinicos, KCL
Costas Douzinas, Birkbeck
Matt Fuller, Goldsmiths UCU
Richard George (Campaign for Better Transport and a founder of Plane Stupid)
Paul Gilroy, LSE
Jane Hardy, UCU National Executive, UCU Left
Nina Power, Roehampton
Jim Wolfreys, KCL
Jonathan Wolff, UCL
Paul Brandon, bus worker and chair of Right To Work campaign
Clare Solomon, University of London Union president elect
Simon Englert, from the Defend Sussex campaign
Stay tuned for more updates!
Save Middlesex Philosophy 
We can get for sure BIG artist’s contributions for a quite amazing Posters’ Campaign. It would be great to print some of them (I can explain the editing which has to be done with each of them — or communicate artists email adresses to deal directly with them) in a quite professional LARGE format (2x1m mini.) — to be exhibited in each of the Actions/Rallys etc. For sure, Media and Press and ‘School of Arts’ Management will adore it…
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I wish I could attend the rally on Thursday but am 450 miles away in Scotland. Good luck with that rally and with struggle to save the Philosophy Department. This is a struggle against the enclosure of the cultural commons – it is part of the on-going capitalist logic of turning every aspect of our lives into an opportunity to buy and sell. The current financial crisis has given rise to an opportunity to intensify the exploitation within our society and offered another peg for the disciplining of workers and those who deny the capitalist logic.
Yours in comradeship
paul philippou
perth, scotland
You might find this pamphlet we wrote during the University of California crisis of interest: Four Theses on the Invisible University
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I am appalled by this latest example of crass, pig-headed, brutal and – at the same time – cravenly conformist management tactics. I hope that your Dean Esche realises ju st what he is doing by his consent to act as judge, warder, and enforcement officer in the suspension of three staff-members who rate among the best, most prominent and outstandingly gifted philosophers presently working in this country. I salute those students and staff at Middlesex who have had the courage to stand up against what now looks very like a full-scale campaign of harassment and intimidation. Let us hope that solidarity, academic standards and common human decency will eventually (soon) win out against bone-headed management bullying.
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SHAME on the rest of the staff and students if they do not come out in support at this stage, though I know how much that would cost as I’m just graduating myself. Where are your legal supporters?? These bullies must not be allowed to prevail.
Hi
I was recruited a few weeks ago to teach a course on the Middlesex University summer school and have already signed a contract but in the light of what’s happened am now going to rescind this, I was wondering if the campaign had any angle on the best way for me to go about this, ie. if I should do so publicly for example.
Fraternal regards
rich
Hi Rich,
Your action of support is truly wonderful to hear! I just forwarded your message to everyone, and hopefully we’ll have an answer for you as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Pavel
Total admiration.
What do you teach normally and where?
Hi,
I’m Dougal, the photographer from SOAS. I’ve slung a few pics of the protest up on my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/occluded/sets/72157624149778732/ – you’re more than welcome to download / link / use the pics any way you want (as long as there’s a credit :P) I’ve also done a brief writeup for a citizen journalism site I submit stuff to – brief writeup at http://www.demotix.com/news/340522/students-protest-closure-middlesex-university-philosophy-department
I hope tonight is going well, and I wish you all the best in your campaign.
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If you are ready to this (and visibly you have already taken your decision), you have absolutely to make it public! This is not a private affair — but a very public one… All the best!
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