From a letter to the Guardian from Dr Jeffrey Boss:
Priyamvada Gopal [see here - NG]..., referring to the legal opinion obtained by the Universities and Colleges Union, says its details are "shrouded in mystery". The opinion is clear, that the proposed boycott may, in law, be discriminatory, and that the raising of the matter of a boycott within the UCU may be outside UCU's aims and objects. Discussion of Israeli policy in UCU is unaffected, and the non-boycott elements of the motion passed at its congress can be implemented. The advising legal team was led by Anthony Lester, who campaigned for 30 years to give us the Human Rights Act, and who in 1997 was Liberty's Human Rights Lawyer of the Year.A statement issued by six members of UCU's Strategy and Finance Committee also refers to the source of the union's legal advice - as 'a leading expert on equality and human rights legislation'. The six go on to say:
It would have been highly irresponsible for us to ignore such authoritative and unusually robust advice and thereby place union funds in jeopardy.And then here's something else they go on to say:
We do not doubt that well-funded groups are ready to engage in legal action against the Union...Their statement can be read at Engage, where they are identified as being of the UCU left. (Thanks: E.)