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🇬🇧 Brexit - Anonymous Brexiteers and Taking the Battle to Brussels 🇬🇧

2,335 views · Published 15 September 2017 · 4:50 · Indexed 8 November 2026

Channel: Jeff Taylor · 2017 · News & Politics

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An anonymous academic wrote in the Guardian today about their experiences of admitting to being a leave voter - I wonder if he or she was surprised at the response?

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Under the ‘Academics Anonymous’ category in the Guardian, one writer admitted that they had been reluctant to admit to their fellow academics that they had voted to leave the EU.

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They went on to explain why they felt they had to hide their vote under a bushel and what the reaction from colleagues was like when they admitted it.

“I voted for Brexit - why do academic colleagues treat me like a pariah?” they ask.

Good question.

This article was published this morning and attracted a whole heap of Remain minded people piling in to give the author a hard time with cries of ‘for shame’ and claims that the leave vote has ruined the lives of everyone and the nation.

I got the impression that the whole lot of them had either failed to notice Mr Junckers’ State of the Union speech yesterday or were perfectly happy for the rest of us to have to suffer a virtual dictatorship as long as it kept them inside their precious EU.

As the writer said, “Modern academic inquiry is founded on traditions of freedom of thought and expression, and flourishes in conditions of diversity.” But then added quite understandably “Or at least, that’s what we’re told.”

Going on to say “Too often, however, colleagues assume that everyone in academia shares their political outlook.”

And that should be ringing alarm bells across the whole of the UK academic world - that it does not proves that academia is not all it’s cracked up to be.

If academia has only one acceptable political stance then it will be passing that on, even if only subconsciously. But I would not be surprised if this is now an active part of the process.

Also, are these people as limited and narrow minded across all fields of academia? Are they holding back true academic research and thought in all disciplines because they have to remain in a series of self gouged ruts that now run so deep that they either cannot or feel they should not, even consider anything outside?

The question is, are our modern academic institutions now diverse in everything except thought? Now that is a scary concept!

And moving on, just in case you missed it, the UK government is beefing up the Department for Exiting the European Union with two new key roles.

As the march to Brexit continues, DExEU has advertised for applicants to fill two new key strategic communications positions.

These are: the Head of Insight and Evaluation and the Head of Strategic Planning.

The contracts are expected to last two years and attract a salary of between £40,000 and £60,000.

The mildly surprising thing for me though, is that although the jobs understandably require applicants who are heavy on evaluation, communication and strategy, any understanding of the EU or its institutions or experience working with foreign media and/or stakeholders is only listed as ‘desirable’.

There also appears to be a note of urgency in filling these posts.

One of these posts will head up the Strategic Planning team working with stakeholders across Whitehall and have oversight of the long term grid of activity across EU member states.

The other will lead the Insight and Evaluation team to work with colleagues across Whitehall to use understanding of the key audiences to direct engagement in Europe.

Are you thinking of applying?

Have you got something to say on academia or these jobs?

Please leave a comment below.

Thank you.

https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/sep/15/i-voted-for-brexit-why-do-academic-colleagues-treat-me-like-a-pariah

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?owner=5070000&ownertype=fair&jcode=1556232&posting_code=0&language=

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/854697/Brexit-news-DExEU-May-EU-diplomacy-strategy-job-advert