The Daily Novel

In between all the running around looking at flats and houses I have found time to study the full results of the first election for all the posts in the University and College Union, formed by the merger of the Association of University Teachers and NATFHE. The results augur well for the future of the new union. Although only a minority bothered to vote, those who did vote appear to have made their choices based on intelligent reflection rather than tribalism.

Although ex-NATFHE members have most of the votes, they have not voted tribally. Not only did they elect the highly experienced AUT leader, Sally Hunt, as General Secretary, they elected many AUT candidates to positions on the national executive. It is particularly pleasing to see so many representatives on the National Executive from the old metropolitan universities, including two from my alma mater, the University of Birmingham.

This is not, I hope, a tribal comment. The old metropolitan universities, like London, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, etc, stand in between the academic elitism of Oxford and the pragmatic vocational thrust of the former polytechnics. They have a strong commitment to research and to teaching traditional subjects. They have ensured since the end of the nineteenth century that bright working class entrants have the opportunity to have as good an academic education as that provided by Oxbridge.

It is also pleasing that the Open University has a voice on the Executive via Alan Carr, who has been elected as Treasurer. The Open University, which Harold Wilson regarded as one of his most important achievments as Prime Minister, makes it possible for late developers to study either vocational subjects or intellectually challenging ones. The mother of one of my wife’s oldest friends is working on her second Open University degree aged 91. And she is not the oldest student.

Assuming my move goes smoothly I shall be riding over from Charmouth on my scooter to report on the first UCU Council in Bournmouth at the end of May.