I should tell you how my 'discussion' with The Hegemon's Maximum Leader about the ethics of giving honorary doctorates in law to the interior minister of an oppressive state with no academic freedom went.
Er… not brilliantly. Apparently, if a committee votes on something, then it's ethically right. My suggestion that business trumped humanist values was pointedly ignored, and she accused me of not wanting to admit students from countries with poor human rights records.
This is a sign of media training - I didn't mention students. I merely thought we shouldn't give doctorates to those in charge of abusing human rights - but that was a discussion she clearly didn't want to have (along with the question of whether a university should reward people who banned academics from teaching and publishing).
We can't turn away students from such regimes, on two grounds: firstly, we need their money. Secondly, a cursory glance at the court reports reveals that the UK is one such regime.
Still, it was fun having the discussion, though now she knows my name. My real one. We have a little list…
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