Even though I do not support the aims of the Climate Campers I will certainly donate towards the costs of this legal challenge as I oppose indiscriminate kettling of legitimate protests.

cjcjc: spoken like a true liberal!

Sunder and Sunny: thanks for cross-posting.

If Policeman are banned from being politicaly active, why do we allow so many University lecturers and school teacherso propogate their politics? Surely protecting young people from propoganda and indoctrination from those employed by the State to provide a fair and unbiased education is essential. Actually, as taxpayer and a father, I demand it.

Good to hear. Have cross-posted in OurKingdom and will be making a modest donation to the fund:

Hooray for trying to hijack the thread, chavscum. Maybe you should write something seperate on the issue?

Valid point, though, and related to the theme of Police accountability. Surely a political actIivist teaching politics is not going to present a fair and rounded position on issues. Do unis have right-wing lecturers as well as left-wing ones in political and social subjects, to give students a variety of approaches? I’ve not been to further education so I wouldn’t know, but I am concerned for my kids.

I am also concerned for your kids. As to right-wing academics, there’s no shortage – at least compared with left-wing police. However right-wing academics rarely employ kettling let alone beat bystanders to death so they don’t get as much publicity.

Good stuff – anything chavscum opposes just gets me warm and tingly inside. I’ll be donating even more money now.

chavscum, I can only talk from personal experience, but I think you’re seriously overplaying the level of influence a teacher has in the politics of a young person. They have quite a hard enough time getting across everything the curriculum requires along with basic social cohesion in a lovely hands tied behind their back way.

The idea that lecturers are university are biasing peoples thoughts is something that is a little pie in the sky in general, I would feel, given most political affiliation and activism comes from the students themselves.

Chav – I’d ceratinly be worried about that idiot at the “University” of East London who was involved in the G20 stuff, but not Dr. White

Chavscum: I do try to encourage my students to take political ideas seriously, but I certainly don’t try to encourage them to a particular view. I am interested in how well they make an argument and part of that has to do with how well they are able to see different sides of an issue and take opposing arguments seriously. In teaching political theory, we cover a range of thinkers and ‘isms’ from across the political spectrum. In short, I try to teach students how to think critically and in an informed way, not what to think.

Chav- Police are able to exercise special legal powers that teachers are not. The two are not comparable. Should we make it illegal for TV presenters, or anyone else with influence, to be politically active?

Police being banned from being politically active has nothing to do with being influential and everything to do with the special nature of their legal usage of force. As I’m sure you realise, you just like taking pot shots at academics for being “left”…

Also, same as CJCJC, I am not in complete agreement with the climate camp but this case is defintly worth supporting and I will donate.

Hi, will circulate this round the Defend Peaceful Protest facebook group, certainly a worthy cause and I’ll be donating.