Oxford Reds

On my travels again. I have a weekend in Oxford at Ruskin College on a pilot TUC leadership course. I wonder if pilots ever have pilot courses on pilotry. (actually I don't.)

I was at my hotel, parked, checked in and case contents emptied over my bed for 2pm. I must admit I felt more at home in the Blackpool style, Falcon guest house, than the expensive glass modern Novotel I stayed in during the week. The chippy socialist in me doesn't sit too well with the sheen and servility of London business hotels.  My room is small, functional and chintzy,  dominated by an unnecessarily large mirror. I checked off all the requirements of a guest house room. Loo - large enough and a good flush; bed - springy but solid enough; TV -  requisite 5 terrestrial channels each corresponding to the wrong number; Bedside drawers complete with bible and assorted local leaflets; kettle - with assorted tea/coffee sachets for taking home. 

The course didn't start till 4pm so I set off to explore the centre of Oxford. Oxford is exactly like Stoke in no aspect at all. I would like to have taken in the splendid architecture of the famous Oxford colleges like Christ Church, but I spent most of my time dodging bicycles, that seemed to whistle past from each and every direction. Cars are killing the planet but at least you can hear them before they mow you down. A car will mug you and give you a good kicking like a drunken thug, but the whispering death that is the speeding cyclist is like a samurai assassin swift deadly and silent. After a while I developed a seventh sense (I'm saving my sixth) for the oncoming threat and indulged in some shopping and snapping.

Ruskin College felt just like being back at Liverpool Poly, the ambience a mix of academia and political agitation all wrapped up in a quaintly crumbling exterior. For a few moments I felt 18 again. I was there an hour early so I sat in the refectory waiting for my fellow victims pretending to earnestly read my  copy of Independent newspaper while  trying to regain my student mindset of 20 years ago. I looked at the course agenda. The second session was to be about reflecting on the pre course reading we had been sent. I had looked at this last night. It consisted of 2 research study papers that were in a form of English reserved for recidivist academics. Once I had googled the words I didn't understand from the first sentence I would be away.

 Hegemony:  The processes by which dominant culture maintains its dominant position

Gramscian: theories proposed by Italian political leader Gramsci and theorist who helped establish the Italian Communist party in 1921

Those out of the way I ploughed on. I must admit sentences like "These involve practices of exclusion and demarcation, modes of inclusion and consequences of aspects of inclusion, especially usurpation and displacement, and strategies of transformation and coalition" tested my ever dwindling grey matter.

The first evening session was actually really stimulating with some strong debate and discourse on union democracy and leadership. The group is an interesting and diverse mix Trade Union lay activists and staff. I got a laugh when I claimed that I had only changed my gender to better reflect that our union is over 70% female (well you had to be there I guess!). The evening session finished at 8pm and we made our way back through a bustling noisy Friday nighttime Christmas throng. It was surprising and disappointing to see so many homeless people on such a cold night. I never imagined Oxford to have a big homeless problem. The other thing that struck my eye was a gathering crowd. Pushing my way through there was some sort of avant garde, modern dance, art instillation type thingy! It seemed to consist of white faced dancers staring upwards. All very good but give me Strictly Come Dancing anyday!

Anyway back ensconced in my room and tired of balancing my laptop on my knee I had better get some sleep. I just hope I don't dream of cycling dancers discussing Grascian Hegemony.