@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

drandrewv2

@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone

Trade union nerd-mascot ; #dataArchitect ; #autistic ; she/her
Reformed oceanographer, turned #DataManagement professional, turned #TradeUnion officer. I’m interested in data as a tool of union activity, and unions’ role as the moderator of workplace data & tech
#tradeUnions ; #data ; science ; dogs ; #sewing ; equalities. Fundamentally ungovernable.

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drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Oh holy fuck THIS IS ME 👀

It’s exhausting: the process of realisation that you’re #actuallyAutistic and unpicking 40yrs of fudges and workarounds so entrenched that you forget you’re going against your own nature, but it’s been costing you in energy, identity and self-esteem the whole time.

And I know the office tea-round seems like a fucking PATHETIC thing to lose sleep over, but imagine what it does to your confidence to feel incompetent about something so trivial. 😳

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/04/i-was-terrified-of-the-tea-round-the-small-changes-that-can-help-neurodivergent-people-thrive-at-work

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

#TradeUnion stats are out this week, and there’s some new detail on membership density by age group, so I’ve been able to do some rough estimates of the time-varying age profile of the UK #union movement…

This isn’t quite the story we’re in the habit of telling ourselves!

We all know we have a problem bringing young workers into unions, right? Well… yes: density is indeed lowest among the youngest brackets of the workforce - that’s true (and for reasons not simply to do with age)…

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

But membership counts in those youngest age groups have been pretty STABLY low for the last 20 years (as far back as these data go).

Membership counts in the oldest age groups have been increasing a bit over the same period - pretty much expected.

What surprises me is to find that the membership attrition is concentrated into the middle age brackets… about 35 to 49 years old.

I’m not saying we don’t have a problem recruiting young workers. But it’s not our only, or even our biggest problem!

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

@miblo I’m going to have a think about how to do that… maybe start with an animation of the ‘population pyramid’? They’re 5-year age bins, and it’s a 20 year series, so hopefully enough to see something interesting. The uncertainty is that with overall membership density low, it’s a very leaky system.

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

@miblo Oohhhh! 👏

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

@miblo right, so if we imagine a steady state, where there are fewer in younger bands than middle ones, you need each cohort to gain in numbers as they age to keep everything on the level? What I’m reading from this is that recruitment of young workers has been par for the course, but we’ve failed to build momentum from that footing as the cohort ages. Which is a quite different challenge…

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

If you can’t afford to make perfume without child labour, you can’t afford to make the perfume.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68172560

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

“A senior Welsh Conservative has claimed she knows ‘loads’ of young people who would like to take part in a compulsory scheme involving military or non-military service.”

Do you? Really??? No you don’t.

Why don’t they go do it voluntarily? Oh, that’s right… BECAUSE YOU JUST MADE THEM UP.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedd44w3xkqo

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

If Nigel Farage is the custodian of ‘British values’, there’s going to be a very, very, very long list of who doesn’t share them. Sign me up right away!

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/26/nigel-farage-under-fire-said-muslims-not-share-british-values

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

The thing that really fucks me off about this #NationalService announcement is the undertone that “the problem with young people today” is they just don’t have sufficient ‘patriotic spirit’ to do these jobs for fuck all money when they’re faced with a lifetime of debt for the education I, and everyone older than me, had state funding for; shit pensions; late, if any, retirement; no chance of buying a house unless they have a rich benefactor…

Young people aren’t the problem. The system is.

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

If these jobs need doing - in the military, special constables, whatever… then fix the pay and conditions so that people actually, willingly choose to do them, rather them press-ganging unwilling teenagers…

I’ve taught 6th formers at 09:00, and I don’t think you’ve thought this all the way through 🥴

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Conservatives last week: The Plan is WORKING.

Conservatives (what’s left of them) this week: here are 43 pure-bonkers new policies that were not in The Plan.

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

“Reform UK have had to remove more than 100 general election candidates since the start of the year, more than a dozen of whom were sacked after offensive and racist comments were revealed.”

A Marxist* rule of thumb for spotting the wronguns among Reform UK candidates:

  • anyone who would choose to join them

*Groucho, obvs

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/24/reform-uk-forced-to-remove-more-than-100-general-election-candidates-in-2024

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Reader: I finished; I left the job.

Now I’ve got a week off to gather myself a bit, but I’ve been bat-signalled back to my native trade union: home with my fellow nerds, and among the shades of my literal ancestors… and at SUCH a time for union-building & intelligence!

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

@VoxDei I sure am… and actually, I’m going to be particularly keen to chat to sciencey type members outside recognition agreements: I think that’s where we really need to build strength and shared identity.

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

#Sunak “has taken an astonishing gamble” in calling an early #generalElection, apparently.

It would be truly astonishing if he needed, and/or was particularly enjoying the job…

Actually, he’s shit at it and, as we recently learned, he’s richer than the King so it’s not like the income matters.

The only possible redeeming factor might be having great, supportive colleagues… and that being so, with ‘friends’ like his, I think it’s astonishing he’s stuck it out this long.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/23/sunak-has-taken-an-astonishing-gamble-in-going-for-a-general-election

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

When you “respectfully disagree” with the IMF that your fiscal policy is breaking the national economy, it’s very likely that you’re just plain wrong.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/21/imf-tells-uk-cut-taxes-jeremy-hunt

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Schools ‘sending’ police to homes of absent children…

I’m sure both teachers and police are nothing but THRILLED with this state of affairs. 🤨
https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/may/19/schools-england-police-homes-absent-pupils

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Imagine if, rather than spending the state’s money bullying or prosecuting or locking-up parents who keep their kids safe at home, we spent it on supporting those kids to be safely educated in whatever setting is most appropriate for their needs.

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Apropos of oh-holy-shit-I’ve-got-3-working-days-to-do-ALL-THE-THINGS, I’m reading self-help articles about how to deal with the …

My God, some of the advice is SHOCKING:

“Make your weekend more enjoyable by doing work at a café, or in your pyjamas”

🫠

However bad things might be, at least I know that working (at 3am) on my days off is a shit idea, and both unsustainable and counterproductive as a habit.

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living with , it’s that “a change is as good as a rest” is just not true.

In the absence of rest, a change might be better than nothing, but you still need rest - and REGULARLY.

Eg: 1hr physical exertion + 1h mental exertion is better than 2hrs mental exertion, but neither gives any rest at all. You might not know it, but your cortisol levels and your nervous system absolutely do.

You can’t cheat at resting.

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Sigh.

Deeper sigh.

Yes, buy better if you can. Waste less if you can. Buy less as a consequence.

But watch where you point your sanctimony.

Patrick Grant is gunning for the businesses taking advantage, but risks a ricochet onto people who really don’t have as much choice as some moralists imagine.

If you only have £20 to buy shoes, you have no choice but to buy something cheap, even if it’s almost disposable.

As usual, the ‘good’ choices are the preserve of wealth.
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/article/2024/may/18/is-this-what-people-wear-now-sewing-bee-host-criticises-ms-jumpers-and-socks

drandrewv2, to random
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

Never been happier to help make a nice man cry!

I’m pleased this is getting some coverage.

I hope it tells the Conservatives something about how their government’s filthy policy is received by the public, and will be reported by the press in the run up to the election.

If all that inhibits their spite is the effect on the opinion polls, I think that’s the best we can hope for until we get them out.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/18/fundraiser-gathers-30000-for-newsagent-denied-uk-citizenship

matthewskelton, to random
@matthewskelton@mastodon.social avatar

"Surprisingly, our results show that women's contributions tend to be accepted more often than men's. However, when a woman's gender is identifiable, they are rejected more often. Our results suggest that although women on GitHub may be more competent overall, bias against them exists nonetheless."

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308716997_Gender_bias_in_open_source_Pull_request_acceptance_of_women_versus_men

🤬

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

@thirstybear @matthewskelton @tdpauw That’s actually a known phenomenon among long-standing and senior women in male-dominated workplaces: I remember seeing it described in a study of women’s survival strategies in academic physics… a conscious, and rather performative rejection/distancing from female-coded behaviours. It’s a lot like the convert’s zeal… or the immigrant-born Home Secretaries who go full Enoch Powell.

drandrewv2,
@drandrewv2@freeradical.zone avatar

@Pagan_Animist as @matthewskelton replied to me, probably a big dose of irony behind the writing… I guess you’re probably going to have a bloody good idea of the answer by the time you formalise this stuff into a research question. And it’s an evidence base that will be put to good use in policy-development work.

Ps. I know your pain. My weary, sceptical eyebrow knows it well.

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