Day 8: Throwing Down Science on the Picketline

Well, at 7 degrees and occasionally drizzling we were feeling the weather love today.

Our teach out, “Dealing with Climate Denial and Discombobulation (Climate Strike Warm Up)” opened with our fabulous Caseworker Coordinator and Vice-Chair, Alastair Smith, reminding us that it is indeed our University and that it is us – students and workers – whose campaigning and lobbying pressured the University to declare a climate emergency (as also discussed in his comment on the VC’s recent Green Week blog). So it’s fitting that student groups as well as our local Warwick & Leamington Labour MP pulled out of an official university-backed climate emergency panel that would have required participants to cross the picket line, forcing the university to postpone the event. If the university wants to be recognised for taking serious environmental action, it will also need to recognise the campus environment created by precarity, threatened pensions, frozen wages and the gender and BME pay gap. Managerialism will never solve a crisis created by managerialism!

This panel, co-run with GSD student Todd Olive, debunked the climate deniers and threw down some scary truths about climate change.

Image

And speaking of science, our picketers by the campus roundabout carried out some science of their own. In a highly rigorous study of driveby solidarity, they determined that in just 10 minutes over 20 solidarity honks were delivered!  Between that and our solidari-biscuits, we are feeling the love!

The day ended with a fabulous discussion of feminist traditions in the UK, US and Europe.

Image

In case the administration hasn’t yet got the message, this action remains fierce, determined and strong, taking inspiration from those feminist forebears.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *