International Conference on Men's Issues (2016)

Two months ago we posted a promotional video for the conference, partly set in the conference room we’ll be using for speaker presentations. The start of the video is set in the room.

I am pleased to announce that continuing strong ticket sales have given us the income to fund a second room on which we have held an option, and we’ve just exercised that option. The room is adjacent to the conference room, and of the same size. It has the same floor-to-ceiling glass panelling, with a covered walkway overlooking the Royal Victoria Dock. The room will be perfect for break-outs, socialising, media and other interviews, book signings, refreshments…

The restrictions on video and audio recording in the main conference room are being relaxed for this second room, details here.

Following the sad news that Terrence Popp is unable to join us in London, the role of Master of Ceremonies will be divided between Paul Elam and Mike Buchanan.

I bring some very welcome news. William Collins, a British blogger, will be attending the London conference.

In my view, and that of many others, William has set the gold standard in relation to in-depth pieces about individual gender-related issues. His website is here.

You have only two weeks left, until 12:00 GMT, Sunday, 5 June, to order your conference ticket(s) – here. We’ve sold a number of tickets in the past 24 hours alone, and anticipate selling out before the deadline.

I regret to announce that Terrence Popp has been unable to obtain clearance from his employer for the leave necessary to attend the London conference. He is obviously disappointed by the situation, and I hope we have the pleasure of meeting him at future International Conferences on Men’s Issues.

We hope to announce an alternative MC – or MCs – at some point in the coming days.

Network4Men (N4M) is an initiative launched in the UK in May 2016. We didn’t originate the concept, nor do we have any influence on the initiative, but we support it whole-heartedly. It’s an important initiative enabling like-minded men to meet up. From the website’s home page:

Gentlemen, we have a problem. It is time for men to stop apologising for themselves.

The Western cultural narrative is based upon falsified research, confused thinking, and a lack of compassion for men and boys. Network4Men offers a more truthful narrative and invites you to meet with other men who have reached similar conclusions.

A number of people have contacted us, to confirm whether shirts printed with the conference logo will be available to buy at the conference. The answer is NO. They are printed to order, so if you want one to wear at the conference, you’ll need to place an order beforehand. Details on the matter are here. For each shirt sold from the J4MB online store, a sum of £1.00 will go to J4MB to support our work.

I am pleased to report – with her agreement – that as well as being the keynote speaker at the conference, Erin Pizzey will be present for all three days of the event, giving attendees plenty of opportunities to meet her, whether for the first time, or otherwise.

I am sorry to report that Dr Greg Canning is unable to join us at the London conference. A few days ago he sent me an email with the following, which he has cleared me to publish:

Hi Mike,

Unfortunately 2016 is not playing out the way I would have liked and due to a succession of family, practice and health issues I have decided reluctantly to forego attending the ICMI. Of course this means you will be less one presentation and I am sorry for that, but heartened by the extensive line up of speakers you have attracted. I wish you every success with the conference.

With best wishes

Greg

We hope that the various issues are resolved to Greg’s satisfaction, and thank him for letting us know in good time.

From the disappointing news to the good news. We have a speaker to take Greg’s place, Professor Martin Evison, Northumbria University Centre for Forensic Science. His talk title will be, ‘Ideology as a threat to due process and the presumption of innocence’.

Martin is an expert in forensic human identification, and has contributed to a variety of criminal and humanitarian investigations. He has published research on the pattern of fatalities in forensic anthropology cases, whether due to homicide, suicide or other causes, and also researched and given evidence on facial image comparison from CCTV.

I asked Martin for a few words for this blog post, and he sent this:

Forensic science is ‘science in the service of the Courts’ and is meant to offer reliable physical evidence that can help the jury make decisions regarding disputed facts and the guilt or innocence of the accused.

Forensic science is also expected to support crime reduction and prevention. My academic and professional work has made me aware of the considerably disproportionate number of male fatalities in criminal, coronial and humanitarian cases, and to consider what policies might address these public health problems.

I have also become aware of wrongful convictions arising from the improper use of forensic evidence, particularly following moral panics. The rise of digital evidence—such as from social media and CCTV—raises new issues and new risks.

Due process, the presumption of innocence, and equality before the law are core principles of English and other Common Law jurisdictions. I am worried we seem to believe Anglo-American culture is immune from the fate of societies that abandon legal principles for ideologically-motivated policies.

I have found it very difficult to sensibly debate gender-related and other justice or educational policies in academia—even scholarly ‘disinterest’ involves questioning Marxist-feminist orthodoxy—and having lived for five years in Ontario, Canada—I feel immensely encouraged by the work of CAFE, Professor Janice Fiamengo and others who are actively and thoughtfully addressing serious problems facing men and boys—and hence society as a whole, regardless of personal and professional consequences for them.

We recently conducted a poll of conference attendees in relation to a possible relaxation of the policy on still photography, video recording, and audio recording in the Conference venue. After reviewing the responses, we’ve decided to withdraw the restriction on still photography, with some provisos. The new policy is on pp.4,5 of the new edition of the Booking terms which has just been posted onto this website. The policy is also accessible on the menu tab relating to this area, here.

The restrictions on video and audio recording in the Conference room and on the balcony remain in place.

If you haven’t already subscribed to the conference website, I urge you to do so now, by entering your email address in the box near the top of the column on the right. You’ll then get automatic notification of new announcements, including the expected announcements of one or two exciting new additions to the speaker list shortly.

Please feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you have any queries over this matter. Thank you.

My thanks to Andrew for sending me the following:

ICMI16: UK rail bookings for this weekend are just open, with advance tickets (for specified journeys) saving typically 50% on the cheapest turn-up-and-go fares. You might like to advise speakers and delegates.