Beaver
Issue 849 | 23.2.16
the
Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union
Controversial Welfare Lecture Shelved Amid National Press Coverage Greg Sproston News Editor
IN WHAT FEELS LIKE an increasingly common occurrence, LSE has hit the headlines relating to concer ns over freedom of speech at universities. The school have indefinitely postponed a lecture, initially due to take place on 9th of February, by Dr. Adam Perkins, a lecturer in neurobiology of personality at KCL. The lecture, in which Dr. Perkins was set to argue that the welfare state ‘erodes motivation’ via a process of ‘welfare induced personality mis-development’, was thought to be the target of disruption by what Times Higher Education referred to as ‘left-wing activists’. Black Triangle, a disability rights pressure group, posted a link on twitter with the statement ‘Jesus wept: if ever there was an event to picket and protest, this is it.’, whilst later stating that as a group they “respects Dr Perkins’ academic freedom and freedom of speech 100 per cent” Defenders of group argue that is their right to protest any message and that a protest in and of itself should not be seen is analogous with an attempt at censorship or shutting down the event. Writing in the ‘Mail’ on
Sunday, Dr. Adam Perkins has defended his position, stating that welfare system does not alleviate Beveridge’s ‘giant evils’, but rather had the potential to exacerbate them. Despite him making no mention of the composition of potential protestors at his event, Mail on Sunday have published his piece under the erroneous and incorrect headline ‘Ugly Truth About Benefits CENSORED by LSE Students’. Black Triangle are an independent pressure group with no link to the LSE or LSESU. In Nazi concentration camps, individuals deemed ‘arbeitsscheu’ or workshy were made to wear an inverted black triangle on their clothing, a practice which meant that the black triangle became a de facto symbol for mental or physical disability, homelessness or addiction. Today’s pressure group of the same name is a direct reference of this practice and was set up primarily to counter what they deem as the ‘vicious attack’ of disabled people by the gover nment; specifically through work capability assessments and other measures in which people’s eligibility for benefits is assessed by their presumed ability to work. As recently as January this year, Black
Triangle and other pressure groups were outraged and galvanised after Dawn Amos was sent a letter infor ming her that she was fit to work on the very same day she died from a debilitating lung condition. Critics of Black Triangle specifically, or those who protest lectures and academic events in general, point to the importance of an open exchange of ideas; a second year philosophy and economics student who repeatedly requested that his comments be made anonymously offered a withering criticism; ‘these guys are idiots, they’re so eager to get offended that they don’t even listen. This guy is saying we need a more compassionate welfare system that doesn’t trap people in poverty but he can’t even deliver his message. Unbelievable!’ Others, however, have defended the position of activists who planned to disrupt the event. ‘He might offer a nuanced view.’ said a first year gover nment student, ‘but a lot of people won’t get the nuance. Some people will just see an academic up on a stage bashing minorities and, all of a sudden, it gives horrid views a sense of legitimacy. That’s not right’.
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Interviews: HE Anote Tong, President of Kiribati Taryana Odayar Executive Editor THIS WEEK, THE BEAVER is proud to introduce a brand new section, “Interviews”, which will aim to publish in-depth and insightful conversations with high-profile public figures. To kick things off, this week we have the privilege of
publishing interviews with both the President of Kiribati, HE Anote Tong, as well as the for mer Prime Minister of Italy, Enrico Letta. I had the opportunity to interview the President of Kiribati during the COP21 talks when he visited the LSE to deliver a lecture on Kiribati’s status of being on the front line of climate
change. HE Anote Tong, who is also an alumnus of the LSE, has been President of Kiribati since 2003, and is due to step down at the end of 2015 upon completion of his ter m, as per the Kiribati Constitution. In my conversation with him, I was able to gain a glimpse into the mindset of a President who has to
deal with the unimaginable prospect of relocating his citizens due to the fact that the islands of Kiribati are predicted to go underwater by 2050. Indeed, Climate Change has for med the most salient and significant issue of his Presidency, and the way in which he handles it will no doubt be his lasting legacy.
News Comment Get a 2:1 And Move on With Your Life Red Lips Campaign; Can We Not? Page 4 Page 8
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