Professor Attacks Politicians
A former Master of Pembroke College has made scathing criticisms against several key political figures in his new book.
In "University to Uni: The Politics of Higher Education in England since 1944", Dr Robert Stevens attacks Gordon Brown for lacking charisma, having previously slammed the Chancellor's involvement in the Laura Spence affair.
He also accuses former education secretaries Estelle Morris and Margaret Hodge of having "little understanding of, or interest in, universities" and being "a former member of the loony left" respectively. Stevens does however applaud Charles Clarke, stating that the present education secretary was "also a bruiser in appearance, replicating my commitment to exercise, diet and abstinence".
Professor Chris Woodhead, former Ofsted Chief Inspector, said that he was even more pessimistic than Stevens, stating that politicians "simply cannot be trusted".
With previous roles in including Professor of Law at Yale, Chancellor of University of California at Santa Cruz and President of Haverford College, Stevens left Pembroke three years ago, citing "fund-raising fatigue" to make up for government cut-backs as the reason for his resignation. The college states that he masterminded a £10 million fundraising campaign that "rescued Pembroke from the financial doldrums".
15th Jan 2004