Arms Dealers
As George Bernard Shaw once put it, “lack of money is the root of all evil”. In fairness to Keble College, its bizarre decision to play host to top executives from the world’s leading arms firms – including BAE Systems and Denel – over the Easter vacation might simply have been a sad indicator of how cash-strapped higher education bodies are in Britain.
Surely an institution would have to be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy before agreeing to be the venue for 2005’s ‘Gun Tubes’ conference? Personally to have contributed to the development of more deadly weaponry on this planet must have sparked deep inner turmoil on behalf of those responsible for Keble’s decision. We can only offer our heartfelt sympathy for the sleepless nights the college’s Domestic Bursar must now be enduring. May she one day achieve peace with herself.
Yet we fear this will not be easy. Keble agreed to host the conference knowing full well that its delegates would prevent diligent undergraduates from having access to college accommodation throughout the vacation period. Only true desperation can have driven it to deny its bright prelims hopefuls, or hardworking second years, vacation residence – and thus the ability to remain close to vital libraries and academic resources. But then needs must when the devil drives.
In 2004, Keble posted the highest financial surplus of any Oxford college, at £1.4 million.
21st Apr 2005