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SWP's Dr Kieran Allen Appointed Head of Sociology in UCD national |
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news report
 Wednesday June 22, 2005 13:53 by Belfield Herald
 Kieran Allen of the SWP has been appointed head of the School of Sociology in a restructuring of UCD's academic structures. A vocal opponant of the restructuring of the UCD Dr. Kieran Allen has been appointed by the UCD President Dr. Hugh Brady as the Head of the newly structured School of Sociology. Dr. Allen has been prominant in SIPTU, the Irish Anti-War Movement and is a former editor of the Socialist Worker. The School of Sociology will be a part of the College of Human Sciences (previously the Faculty of Human Sciences) which will be headed by prominant pro-EU academic Prof. Brighid Laffan. |
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Comments (31 of 31)
Jump To Comment: 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Labour Lover - how many trade union members even realise that their union might be affiliated to the LP? What relevance does it have anyway, other than the fact that SIPTU and others subvent the LP which does not have the support of the majority of SIPTU members, and which most of them are probably not even aware of the fact that some of their hard-earned goes to support a party they do not vote for!
Why are you trolling against anarchists? What relevance does it have to this thread? To briefly take the bait. For your information anarchists very much operate in the real world and not in some cloud cuckoo land where Pat Rabbite and a collection of cynical power brokers without a principle to rub together are going to bring about any change to the lives of anybody but themselves. Talk about wishful thinking (wishful thinking which oh so surprisingly dovetails into self interest).
The rationale behind my tone, is that people are opportunistically using my political affiliation as ammunition against me, when i am posting entirely in my own personal capacity without even declaring that affiliation
Chris Bonds crime is to be a member of the Labour party. Anarchists don’t like that for two reasons: It is a group capable of wining support. It is a group that operates in the real world.
As for the trots, they would have workers in state companies in exclusively pro revolutionary partry unions, so they cants talk,
The only hope of wining control of public sector companies for workers and ordinary people is through the trade unions. As the bulk of Irish unions are affiliated to the Labour party, those who wish to see real change in the public sector can easily defend working in the Labour party to achieve their aims
I don't even think it's worth anyone's time responding to that previous comment now hidden - ed. On the noteworthiness of the appointment, whether you're a fan or not is irrelevant; it will make waves and it'll be interesting to see (if anywhere) where this story is going to go.
Chris, while being a touch naive maybe, has a point when he says that state run organisation are as good as their managers. Or at least that's what I took from it. However, it can also be argued that in a modern era of privatisation, these state run services and industries are under heavier duress and competition than the times when people had jobs for life, great benefits, yadda yadda yadda. I really don't want to turn this into a privatisation and pitfalls of capitalism debate, but it is food for thought.
And everyone knows that only a Labour led government would be able to change things in this sector, if they so wanted to, not as a junior partner in any coalition. Roll on the election...
If you can cut through the unwelcome hectoring tone Chris, I think you'll find it's a reference to your claim that problems for public sector workers were the result of there being a Fianna Fail / Progressive Democrat government. Given that you are a Labour Party member that comment seems to carry the extremely naive implication that a Fine Gael / Labour or Fianna Fail / Labour government would be different.
''Do you really think that workers in state owned companies worked under a soicialist paradise when Labour were in government?!''
What on Earth does that have to do with this thread, or any of its comments.?
Do you really think that workers in state owned companies worked under a soicialist paradise when Labour were in government?!
If you think this ask any public sector worker and they will tell you that there was no difference. Lets use a concrete example. In health during the 1980s under Labour governments and ministers hospitals were shut and huge cuts implemented. In 1997 it was a Labour minister that forced nurses to vote for strike action and go within hours of shutting down the hospitals. This is replicated in education, ESB, An Post etc etc. Labour in power makes no difference whatsoever to public sector workers because Labour is a pro capitalist party that is commited to implementing Neo liberalism albeit it served with a sugar coating of superficial 'fairness'.
State run companies are run in the interests of the capitalist class and are administered through the state structures. Management in state run companies are just as viscious and exploitative as managers in the public sector.
For real change state owned companies need to be brought under democratic workers control - Labour do not stand for this.
The dispicable treatment of workers in on post and slow privatisation of the service, is due to the fact that they are run by cronies of the FF/PD government.. Public institutions are only as exploitative as the people that manage them.
I disagree with Chris when he says that managers in public institutions are not exploiters. Tell that to the workers in An Post, Aer Lingus, Aer Rianta, and local authorities. Under capitalism state institutions (inc UCD) are run in the general interests of capitalism. Managers will implement pro-capitalist policies. Workers control and ownership is needed.
Lukewarm congratulations to Kieran, I'm sure he'll do a fine job, but you've got to ask yourself why his ideological polar opposite Hugh Brady appointed him top job in one of the most influential and important departments in the university? To placate him? Silence dissent over modularisation and restructuring? Should be one to watch alright...
... I almost starting to like the guy.It will be interesting to see how he, and others, fare on the new site:
ratemyprofessors.ie
Some of Ireland's most distinguished academics and lecturing staff face the prospect of having their teaching performance anonymously rated by their students on a new website to be operated by a sister company of the hugely successful ratemyteachers.ie.
The new site, ratemyprofessors.ie, is expected to be established in time for the start of the next academic year in September.
Fair play to Kieran Allen im sure he`ll do a great job, he is a very competent lecturer and tutor.
LAR, the mangerial post that he has taken is of a department in a publicly owned institution, how does that make him a sell out?
Allen may be an arrogant, unapproachable so and so who carries with him that air of leader in waiting that wafts off all Leninists, strutting about in the safe realisation that his version of Leninism is more applicable to the call centre than whatever the Millies are selling. But all the same, there are several prominent UCD academics I would personnally impale on a spike over KA.
Without a shadow of a doubt, KA talks the talk of revolution, but at least he is active. Active, in the sense of organising and agitating outside the ivory tower of the academe. The same can't be said for quite a number of academics close to the Labour Party in UCD.
Great news!
I take it the UCD Sociology Dept will now be running a course on all the factual errors and misquotations in 'The Politics of James Connolly' by one Kieran Allen?
Oh sorry, I forgot: third level courses don't last longer than four years, do they...?
Firstly how many posters on this thread actually have studied sociology in UCD and have had Kieran Allen as a lecturer? Fuck all I say. The mans lectures this year on Marx, Weber and Durkheim were really poignant and actually refreshing. Furthermore, I believe that the man has and will, with a positive movement ,attempt to fight off the ever increasing Thatcherite paradigm in UCD .Some people may view him through the negative prism of the SWP but I sincerely think that he is an altruistic academic.
did u see who was appointed head of school for philosophy? yes, it's gerard casey!
someone even less likely than k a to read what's said on indymedia about him!
casey is former leader of christian solidarity party, chairperson of the Christian Centrist Party;
and general anti anything which weakens christian values' grip on the world....
interesting times ahead for the faculty.............
strictly speaking it is a management role. but it has to be noted that in large universities the real management are in the admin buildings. the heads of departments/schools are really organisers/supervisors than managers. the head of a school will make sure that undergraduate and postgraduate programmes go ahead, etc.. each member of staff have a relatively high degree of autonomy unlike most workplaces.
This is a managerial post. I thought the SWP was against the bosses! Oh wait, no, if any of you lovers of his book on the Celtic Tiger properly read it, you'll see that Allen defines the working class as including all paid employees - solicitors, the president, Bertie Ahern, the president of UCD, the head of sociology at UCD...
Gis a break. Fcuking sell-out merchant.
Celtic Tiger - The Myth of Social Partnership in Ireland
by Kieran Allan
http://shop.scottish.parliament.uk/item.jsp?ID=808
cover photo taken by an indymedia.ie photog
(not me tho)
'This critical look at the Celtic tiger challenges many myths about Ireland's success story and brings its class divisions into sharp focus.'
any links/more info on this appointment? I mean, is it for real?
Congrats to him btw - not so sure about the book though - gaping holes, like, only having 1 line on the near ending of unemployment under the celtic tiger - and that in the conclusion! (from memory)' That said, it was a valuable contribution to the (lack of) debate on the Celtic tiger
Kieran's chairing's great - g'luck!!
I think it good that Kieran Allen was made head of School for a number of reasons. (1) It will hamper restructuring efforts. (2) Kieran is one of the few academics that actually produce decent left-wing studies (I also thought that 'Celtic Tiger' was a good book). (3) Hopefully there will be more emphasis on marxism in the undergraduate course. Hugh Brady is not a 'progressive academic' as some called him. Brady's agenda is all about big business. In yesterday's Irish Times supplement Brady said that when publishing research academics will have to ask themselves if their work is commerically valuable! Brady talks of offering the best academics good 'packages' to come/stay in UCD. This really means driving down pay conditions to achieve 'flexibility in employment'.
Prof Laffan is an excellent choice. Had her for Politics before and she was warm, approachable, student friendly (and having sat on the academic council I can say thats a rarity) and very pragmatic.
It's a shame posters have to try and 'mark' everyone as 'pro-EU' like it's a dirty thing. It's amazing how many of the so called socialists forget the benefits of the EU courts and legislation when it came to fighting for equal rights in, for example, the gay community.
Congradulations to both on their new posts and I hope they more attention to students needs going forward
hopefully your post will not be coke sponsored
I thought resistance was won from the bottom up. In my day the more militant you were the more likely you where to get sacked or demoted. Things must have really changed since then. I take it he will be taking a workers wage then.
he must be on over 100,000 a year now
whoa! OK this is more interesting, do keep us all informed as things emerge.
Think some of you are missing the point here, the restructuring hasn't happened - getting Kieran Allen in as head of school is part of the resistance to it. The heads of schools are supposed to 'lead' in the restructuring - so this is Sociology's way of ensuring it will NOT be restructured and also to put someone who is a loud and militant opponent of it right into the middle of all the committees and working groups. A spy in the camp, as it were. The administration had no choice but to accept him! I have my own problems with Kieran Allen, but I know he is the best hope we have of defending UCD's educational values against the creeping business agenda.
Although I do and have had problems with Kieran - I would also like to congratulate him on his step up the ladder to being the head of the newly structured School of Sociology.
I would almost be tempted to ask for a job but presently irony does not allow me to.
Again Congrats Kieran
Congrats Kieran!
I read his book on the Celtic Tiger, it was recommended to me by someone and I would recommend it as well.