If you read through the official report on the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, you will find that it was Lord Browne who created the corporate atmosphere that led directly to the disaster with his low cost, high risk approach: Returning to London in 1989, he reorganized BP’s exploration arm; Browne slashed expenditures, established a rigid—if not [...]

The passing of wood through glass is a remarkable feat. There are those who believe that royalty can perform miracles – there is a well developed cult around the vain and vicious Charles I, for example. It now appears that the presence of the future Charles III also has the ability to suspend the laws [...]

Lord Browne was once well known for living an Elton John lifestyle. He still doesn’t have to go without lunch. His thoughts on the motivations and problems of poorer students and potential students are somewhat vague. He does however get along famously with University Principals and Vice Chancellors – spectacular beneficiaries of the incredible salary [...]

My congratulations and best wishes to Brian Cox, who has been elected to succeed me as Rector of the University of Dundee. Apologies it will take a little time to get the banner above changed (I am still not up to much of the technical stuff). All is fine: I haven’t been bloging much recently [...]

I came back from Africa and have been in Dundee for some University meetings and goodbyes. To get a feel for this look at Andrew Smith’s posting on my Facebook newsfeed at 12.57 yesterday and the subsequent comments! Then last night we had a dinner for Scottish University Rectors at Edinburgh University before a meeting [...]

My three year term as Rector if the University of Dundee comes to an end shortly. I have decided not to seek re-election. I was touched by the very kind observations on Subrosa’s blog including the comments. http://subrosa-blonde.blogspot.com/2010/01/craig-murray-to-stand-down.html I am not standing for re-election becuase I have come to the conclusion that it is essential [...]

I am deeply concerned that English and Welsh universities are now taken out of an education ministry and made part of Mandelson’s business and commerce ministry. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=406877&c=2 This is not just an isolated administrative ploy. It reflects an entire attitude to higher education, as valuable only in providing vocational skills for students and marketable inventions [...]

The ridiculous panic that the media is trying to induce over flu, reminded me of this passage from Murder in Samarkand, p 217: “We became the chief contact point for the EBRD permanent staff in London. of whom some scores of Brits were coming out for the Conference. This was also the height of the [...]

My predecessor as Rector of the University of Dundee, Sir Clement Freud MP, has died. I very much doubt many of today’s students had ever heard of him. For the last two decades he had disappeared from public view, and it is difficult to recall just how very famous he was back in the 1970s. [...]

One of the most venial administrations in the UK’s many rotten boroughs was finally kicked out yesterday as New Labour lost power in Dundee City Council for the first time in my political lifetime. It was Gordon Brown what done it. The day after Gordon’s speech to the Scottish New Labour Conference in Dundee earlier [...]

The BBC Today programme haven’t asked me to appear, but have used a quote from me on their website on the tuition fees debate. That is as close as I’ve been allowed to get to coverage by the BBC in the last twelve months. Presumably it will disappear shortly, but while it’s there: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/default.stm

A report today from Universities UK addresses the very real problem of underfunding in our universities, and suggests tution fees may need to double. In tandem, a BBC survey of Vice Chancellors and Principals in England and Wales finds that over half of them wish tuition fees to be at least £5,000 pa, and suggestions [...]

The lady on the right in the less elaborate hat is my grandmother, Valentina Coletti. The gentleman next to her is her brother Leonardo Coletti. They look pretty exotic for Edinburgh, as they were immigrants from Castelvecchio Pascoli in Italy. I am Rector of Dundee University. At a recent meeting of Rectors I was speaking [...]

I had a very enjoyable and relaxed weekend. I am very grateful indeed to more than four hundred people who have so far emailed the parliamentary joint human rights committee to ask that the committee accept my direct witness evidence on the UK and US governments’ use of intelligence from torture. There are still 30 [...]

The recent wave of student occupations over Gaza has spread truly across the whole country, and constitutes a most welcome return of student interest in international issues. I attended University Court in Dundee yeaterday, and without any opposition the University divested from BAE Systems as the start of an ethical investment policy. This was a [...]

We all need to take a step back and see what kind of society we have become; in particular the Stalinist silencing of voices of dissent – even within our universities. I have seen my past server host pull this website and my publisher pull my book, in attempts to silence my dissenting opinions. We [...]

Haven’t blogged much in the last week, so I thought I would take you through my day yesterday to show the kind of stuff I’m doing. It was a slightly busier day than usual, but really not much. 04.16 Helped Nadira start her day’s Ramadan observances 04.45 Got up and dressed properly 05.15 Left home [...]

The corruption of our institutions under New Labour is evidenced by the fact that the Charities Commission have yet again given only a warning to New Labour’s most blatant tax dodge, the Smith Institute. Everybody active in Scottish politics recognises full well that the Smith Institute – named after ex-Labour leader John Smith – is [...]

The new Education building at Dundee University does seem an excellent facility, and I was pleased to be there today when the Queen opened it. I am a firm republican, but have had the occasion to meet the Queen (I mean individually for conversation, not in a crowded room) a few times, and she is [...]

Off to Dundee now, to do my duty as Rector and welcome the Queen to the University tomorrow. I dread to think what the security will be like…