The symposium event based around the highly stimulating and timely Artur Zmijewski’s Democracies exhibition posed to examine current questions which must be preying on minds like who are the radicals or activists of the future? along with other burning topics of great concern such as...Is our current model of democracy in crisis? Does sanctioned protest have any impact? How will democracy evolve in the future? Can art play any meaningful role in effecting political change or does it merely offer aesthetic commentary?
The Chair and compere for proceedings Kirsten Lloyd quoted Fujiyama , now, premature declaration of the victory of liberal democracy , therefore the end of History.Also quoted was Zijek observation that China proves the link between capitalism and democracy is not essential , if anything capitalism required a non-democratic tribute bearing empire providing minerals at sub-wholesale costs ( as well as ready access)) and the supply of cheap factory fodder labour.It is therefore ironic only in an unironic way the first ports of call for UK Prime Minister in the crisis within capitalisms banking system where to the antithesis of democracy heartlands of Saudi Arabia and China.Though attributed to Zijek this observation is hardly new , Thucydides was asking this question in a rhetorical manner since almost pre-history.Democracy by its very nature can only be a privilege for the few , with the rest playing the role of labour service , sometimes useful but ultimately expendable.The current unelected democratic policemen states have a far longer track record of actively denying democracy for the "service" nations than promoting it.Iran in the 50s is prime example of ridding a democratically elected government which threatened to gain sovereign control of its assets to assist its own population rather than provide the , literal, cheap fuel for the King states of the democratic West.
The first speaker was journalist and broadcaster Iain McWhirter.Iain McWhirter has a vested interest in this process as he is the current , and highly pro-active rector of edinburgh university.
In his blog he lays out a direction to defend no-fees in Scotland (see it in the link below)
http://iainmacwhirt...er2.blogspot.com/His strategy is to put pressure on the SNP to reject the paper ( his sources suggest a backdoor tuition fee mechanism will be proposed - though it is likely to be rejected by the SNP).
There after the next scottish election becomes a referendum on tuition fees with a straight fight between the SNP and Labour/the rest who will be Westminster fifth columnists within Holyrood.
The other pro-active strategy for Glasgow Uni is to put up a credible anti-cuts and cross-party approved candidate for early next years Rector elections to dispose the highly embarrassing lib-dem charles Kennedy to to replace him with someone similar to Iain McWhirter.
These are 2 immediate strategic goals faculty can get to work on for the present.
It can be a good fusion point for the tantalisingly close though not quite fused meeting point that brings academia and students together in a way the UCU and NUS cannot quite do.
It can be a platform in which ...faculty and students work in the close cohesion that is necessary for an ultimate pro-active winning result.
It can also be a excellent way for academics and students to communicate as equals and not through the imperfect conduits of UCU and NUS.
If done well it could be a model for other universities to follow as admin will only yield when they are facing a joint faculty/student opposition , otherwise divide and rule will be a battle admin are comfortable with.
He may be over hasty and complacent in declaring a "result" but does identify the cabal of Uni Vice-Chancellors bearing (un)wise prophecies of this alleged £300M funding shortfall.
These figures are likely to be seized upon by Labour for the May elections and it may be the next point of defensive attack for academics to scrutinise and show these figures as a discreditable fallacy before they become the "truth" as the media gang up on the SNP/Greens before the elections.
Iains view is that students act as a weathervane for society's concerns as they can have an idealistic posture and manifest it by protests as they have no immediate pressures of mortgages , Family commitments and paying taxes.The Marketisation of the Universities being proposed and administered is in a way designed to put a very real debt burden on students , making them todays financial equivalent of the cannon fodder of yesteryears.
Next up was Professor Sarah Oates of Glasgow University , her take was the state has abandoned us , thinks she means academics , the student fees are a small manifestation of a far larger problem.It did seem odd she used the very labelling which the administrators of the cuts are applying in that she regards faculty and students as separate entities rather than a whole which can team-up to defeat the process.The impression one got was sincere sympathy from academics for the student cause , but it did not seem if sentiment translating into action has wholly entered as an effective idea whose time has come.
In her discourse on the internet , images, and politics of the future she showed photos from google image searches of the recent students demonstrations , described the use of images in the private media in creating a intellectually pre-aligned thematic agenda setting , this allows them to readily manipulate a narrative which submits to a theme in the public domain that conforms to portray the discussion on their parameters.This is not always successful and the British Public have systematically refused to be swayed to a concerted attempt to give way to the politics of fear.
As for independent news sources such as blogs ; social networks and internet in general , her take is the internet has not permeated the process to understand the other in a major way.Internet users use such facilities to connect with like-minded people and viewpoints , so what we end up with is partisanship sectarian bonding , not so much cross-communication.
Tone Olaf Nielson presented on "Can art offer any more than aesthetic commentary?" , at first her presentation was akin to an engineer trying to powerpoint their way to win consent for a construction project.The whole charade seemed to be like being transported to Geneva to see a stellar pitch from nations bidding to win the world cup nominations.Things were becoming dry , it did not bode well at all.
Then , suddenly , she completely captured the audience by dropping the stale theory and went on to describe her work in Denmark.Trampoline House , is based on usership rather than spectatorship, the object is to create a trust between refugees requiring shelter,advice,assistance and tools to navigate the system , and the media,politicians and members of the public who wish to be informed.This whole process creates that elusive understanding of the other which alternative forms of art and communications cannot effectively bridge.The project model is predicated to permanency ( a remarkable responsibility of all the artists who undertake to volunteer for the centre).Here we have a remarkably astounding prime example of art providing a service that should be the responsibility of the state , a more interactive form of art you cannot imagine.
A litmus test of how well the profound talk went is the final Q & A session involving all the participants found all the audience questions directed towards Olaf , with Iain and sarah only getting a few perfunctory questions from the compere to make them feel included.
Olaf describes herself as a Trans-National Feminist , rightly identifying Woman bear the brunt of globalisation , it is refreshing to see a European Feminist advocating supporting Women in other parts of the world to develop a Feminism based on their own terms , and not a have a Euro-Feminist perspective template hoisted upon them whether they like it or not.
The value of Olafs brand of this trans-national feminism is it makes the support of Woman an universal fight , not the imposition of one minority cultural model being forced on those that want regional solutions without unhealthy external unwelcome interference which could make the ideas of these dogmatic Euro-Feminists too close to Imperial colonist projects for comfort to those right minded supporters of Universal Human Rights.
But the last word should go to the individual responsible for getting the participants together.Here he gives his take on the massacre by Israeli Commandos of innocent unarmed Human Rights Workers delivering much needed aid in International Waters.
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