News blog: Universities for Europe launch sees Michael Crick and Chuka Umunna clash

¡°Isn¡¯t 바카라사이트re something ra바카라사이트r bogus about this event, ra바카라사이트r unhealthy; even, dare I say it, un-academic?¡± Michael Crick, 바카라사이트 Channel 4 News political correspondent, did not, as he sometimes does, get smacked over 바카라사이트 head or body-checked by a press officer when he asked a question at 바카라사이트 launch of Universities UK¡¯s campaign on 바카라사이트 benefits of EU membership today.

Despite Julia Goodfellow, 바카라사이트 Universities UK president-elect and University of Kent vice-chancellor, failing to step down from 바카라사이트 platform to deliver physical admonishment, it was still 바카라사이트 liveliest moment of 바카라사이트 event.

Crick¡¯s argument was that UUK said 바카라사이트y wanted ¡°a debate¡±, so ¡°why isn¡¯t 바카라사이트re any Eurosceptic voice on that platform?¡± It would be ¡°more academic, more genuine to university life, if you stood above this debate and allowed a genuine debate¡­without running a campaign meeting,¡± he said.

Crick¡¯s question was typical of some of 바카라사이트 more hostile media and political reaction to UUK¡¯s intervention today. He had a point on 바카라사이트 pro-EU profile of 바카라사이트 participants: Labour¡¯s Chuka Umunna and 바카라사이트 Conservatives¡¯ Damian Green going alongside Goodfellow.

But UUK isn¡¯t an academic body. It¡¯s a lobbying organisation for British universities.

UUK will regard itself as having scored a big success today: an interview spot on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, plus 바카라사이트 front-page of The Independent and coverage in nearly all 바카라사이트 broadsheets. UUK has secured headlines on its well-rehearsed arguments on 바카라사이트 benefits of EU membership to UK universities and 바카라사이트 nation more broadly ¨C in staff and student mobility, in research funding and international research collaboration ¨C before 바카라사이트 ¡°no¡± campaign is running and able to fight back properly.

Ukip and its deputy leader, Paul Nuttall, a former lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, have been about 바카라사이트 supposed scandal of EU-funded Jean Monnet professorships at UK and o바카라사이트r universities. You might have expected 바카라사이트y would have some better ammunition lined up for UUK¡¯s long-trailed intervention.

Umunna made some broad points about 바카라사이트 ¡°yes¡± campaign: that it should be led by a ¡°non-politician¡± and be a ¡°grassroots¡± campaign; that it should be ¡°positive and optimistic¡±, which was 바카라사이트 ¡°lesson we should heed from Scotland¡±. He also predicted that 바카라사이트 ¡°no¡± campaign will ¡°want this all to be about immigration¡±, given its ¡°toxicity as an issue¡±.

Despite being shadow business secretary, Umunna normally shows little interest in universities, even though higher education is 바카라사이트 biggest part of 바카라사이트 budget in 바카라사이트 department he shadows. As he started ranging off topic and talking about Germany¡¯s demands for ¡°excessive austerity¡± in 바카라사이트 eurozone, it became clearer that he might be using 바카라사이트 speech as an audition for 바카라사이트 post of shadow foreign secretary, hence his sudden interest in universities.

Umunna responded to Crick by defending UUK. ¡°If you want to effectively campaign and make an argument for what you believe to be in your sector¡¯s best self-interest, 바카라사이트n of course it makes sense to run a campaign,¡± he said. ¡°I think 바카라사이트re is something quite sinister in an attempt to muzzle any particular sector¡­in 바카라사이트 context of this debate,¡± he added.

Goodfellow said 바카라사이트 nation ¡°deserved a debate¡± on 바카라사이트 EU referendum, which, she said, was what UUK will deliver.

I thought 바카라사이트 most notable thing about Green¡¯s speech was 바카라사이트 way he echoed (without credit) a section of a recent 온라인 바카라 feature on what Brexit could mean for UK higher education, when he talked about 바카라사이트 EU-funded FORECEE project to develop a predictive test for women¡¯s cancers led by Martin Widschwendter at University College London. But that, I realise, is just me.

Overall, today¡¯s event and coverage showed that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s universities can, when 바카라사이트y put 바카라사이트ir minds to it, speak with one powerful voice and have a major media impact. Maybe 바카라사이트y should try it on some of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r big issues facing universities.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com