Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Happy Boxing Day!

Hope you're all having a great festive season.

So far in my house we've had one big argument, two people crying, lots of tension over Scrabble (why did I think it would be a good idea to play it with my sister?), an excess of food and booze and plenty of dispute over what to watch on telly. So, a pretty standard Christmas :).

Hope you're all having a great time.

Merry Christmas!

Lottie x

Monday, December 25, 2006

Happy Christmas everybody!

Make it a boozy one.
from Lisa&Conor in Toronto
Season's greetings!

For anyone who received an email from a Mr Chris Brand recently, which I think is probably anyone on the Edinburgh Philosophy postgrad page, here is a link to some background:

http://www.theherald.co.uk/search/results.cgi?search=dan+dennis

Here is the text of the reply I sent to him; please feel free to copy:

Dear Chris Brand,

Please do not spam me with any such email again. I have no wish to learn about your campaign to oblige universities to support homophobia and superstition.

Sincerely,

Conor McHugh

And, for those of you who did not get the email (which was sent to Dan Dennis and CCed to a bunch of other people), here it is:

Dear Dan Dennis, I was glad to learn via the Glasgow Herald (22 xii) of your support for academic free speech. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help. NB matters are perhaps a bit more tricky than you might think, as I outlined for UK Christian Unions in a recent letter, pasted below. Yours sincerely, -- Chris Brand (MA Oxon [Psychology and Philosophy]).

------------------------------------------------------------To: The President, Exeter University Christian Union Re: 'Students Consult Lawyers After Refusal to Reinstate Exeter Christian Union'(http://www.christiantoday.com/article/students.consult.lawyers.after.refusal.to.reinstate.exeter.christian.union/8627.htm.
The saga started in May this year when one student felt the CU's requirement that CU members attest biblical principles was too "exclusive" for him -- probably in its not condoning homosexual behaviour. Full account: http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=99353 and http://www.lawcf.org/lawreformdetail.php?ID=232.)

Edinburgh, 6th December 2006.

Dear James Harding,

It's great to gather from the media that UCCF and Exeter University Christian Union have the will to fight for freedom of belief, speech, expression and association in Britain's universities. Freedom is a most important cause, as is support for traditional family values; and both causes have been abandoned by many British academics over the past twenty years. Times Higher recently reported that 80% of British academics said universities had sacrificed the principle of academic freedom (26th October).

But I write principally to urge a little clever caution in view of press reports of your planned legal action. In particular, I suggest your legal team should not put much reliance on the 1986 Education (No. 2) Act, for this statute only *appears* to oblige universities to support free speech.

In 1998, Edinburgh University successfully argued (against me and my counsel) before a Scottish High Court judge that any duty that it had to support free speech took second place to its need to support its own reputation and income. In a particularly astonishing passage among complex legal proceedings, it was argued by the University that it had no more duty to support free speech than did *a biscuit factory* -- and this argument was essentially accepted. I honestly advise that UCCF lawyers look carefully at http://www.crispian.demon.co.uk/McDNLArch3b.htm for more (FIND 'Decision of Mr T. Gordon Coutts QC') to see what they would be up against.

Of course, Edinburgh University's attitude to free speech was and is disgraceful; but I imagine, in view of all the trouble that Exeter University has given your Christian Union so far, that Exeter will follow suit. One way forward could be to publicize the inadequacies of the 1986 statute via the media, for I'm sure there would be wide public sympathy once it was realized that British universities had spinelessly accepted legislation actually undermining their historic duty to defend free speech. Alternatively, it would be important, apparently, to gather evidence that allowing expression of 'homophobic' views would not diminish, and might actually enhance the reputation and income of a university.
Sorry if this is initially dispiriting; but I want you to win, not lose! You're welcome to let me know if there is anything else you feel I can do to help. I am yours sincerely,

-- Chris Brand (psychologist, author of 'The g Factor').

PS The latest from Edinburgh University is a compromise offer of accommodation for the Christian Union's (allegedly homophobic) PURE course so long as information (which the University would itself supply) is prominently displayed to the effect that some groups (telephone helplines supplied) think homosexuality is just fine. However, no such 'health warnings' were planned to oblige the Islamic Society to explain that its Hamas speakers were anti-Semitic, or to point biology students to creationist points of view about the origins of life. Rather than litter its clubs and courses with health warnings, the University would surely do better to put up a sign at its Old College HQ declaring 'Anything said in this university may be rubbish -- especially the University's own unprincipled and fast-changing views on freedom of speech.' The University's Student newspaper carried a fine letter (from Scott George McCombe, 5th December) pointing out the classic error of calling for 'free speech so long as it is responsible/sensitive/inoffensive/balanced etc.': for there is simply *no need* to provide 'freedom' for speech that wouldn't upset anyone -- a point that was made unavailingly to Edinburgh University as it aimed to placate its 'anti-racists' and feminazies back in 1996/7/8.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Mental Parental DIY

I returned home to discover that the toilet had been redecorated...Yes, my mother has covered the walls entirely with Guardian wall charts. Now your trip to the loo can be educational: you can spend your time learning about types of goat or try to identify the type of spider that is sitting watching you pee.

P.S. I've finally got around to uploading pictures from the Chris/ Nicky bialthlon and from Zoe's birthday. You'll find them in the usual place.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Conor goes to Toronto to see "Il Mago"

Comrades, Conor's goin to Toronto next week. Now, since the only thing that happened in Toronto in the last decade or so is "Il Mago" Andrea Bargnani (notice how difficult it must be for the Canadians to pronounce his surname r-g-n) joinin their NBA team (yes, there is Barney too, but that's fiction), I think that Conor should spend his time in Toronto (where he'll rejoin his girlfriend after, what?, 4 months...) watchin bball. Yes, forget about xmas, love, the nearest relative of love, or the nyc of the north - just watch "Il Mago".
So here is the Raptors' schedule for the next couple of weeks.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006



It's true, Conor, he does look like you.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Benjamin Griffin





Here are a few pics of my new nephew, who is two days old today (Monday). I think you'll agree he takes after his uncle in every conceivable way.

Saturday, December 02, 2006