the Queen’s College newsletter

issue twenty-three Michaelmas Term 2013 12/13

Contents: Page 2 A letter from the Provost Page 3 Snapshot of a staircase Pages 4-5 News from the College Pages 6-7 Your old photographs Pages 8-9 Through Hubble’s telescope Page 10 Budd’s Blog Page 11 Interview Page 12 A letter from the Old Members’ Officer

Contributors: Alan Budd, Michael Riordan, Ghassan Yassin Editors: The Old Members’ Office Cover photograph by Linda Irving-Bell Welcome

Professor Paul Madden FRS FRSE Photograph: © Veronika Vernier Photograph: © Veronika £16K, or what? The Vice-Chancellor caused something of a stir recently when he said that the cap on University fees, currently £9,000 for undergraduate home/EU students, should be raised so that universities could set a fee which enabled them to recoup the cost of providing the education. He alluded to a figure of £16,000 for the latter in Oxford and pointed out that this meant an annual gap between cost and fee income of £70 million, which, he suggested, was causing a shortfall for the University in its provisions Staircase 2, 1913-15 for capital expenditure on replacement buildings, IT this figure as realistic (we might note that Cambridge infrastructure, and so on. He pointed out that the vast has calculated a similar number), it still remains to be majority of universities have set their fees at the level of the asked whether this cost should be met directly from current cap, irrespective of the actual educational provision fee income. Within this University (or more accurately, on offer and its cost, and he argued that removing the cap within its colleges) there are other sources of income would allow institutions to develop distinctive educational which are correctly applied to the costs of education – offerings and to be financed at an appropriate level for notably the income from endowments (the colleges’ share doing so. Keeping Oxford at the very top of the international of which totals some £3 billion) and donations made to university rankings was a key consideration. The V-C, who cover such costs. A quick estimate suggests that the was formerly Provost at Yale, has first-hand knowledge totality of this is quite close to filling the V-C’s annual of the situation at those competitor universities in the US, income gap of £70 million, so to assign the shortage of where fees can be as high as $50,000 but where there are finance for investment to the imbalance of tuition fee and generous scholarships and bursaries so that family wealth tuition cost seems over-simplistic. However, the situation is (in theory) not a barrier to entry. He anticipated that is complicated by the fact that a great deal of the ‘extra’ any significant increase in the fee here would necessitate income provided by endowments is applied indirectly to the the development of the resources to fund comparable support of education (for example, buildings maintenance, schemes. considerable accommodation and catering subsidies to Not surprisingly, the statement caused outrage in the students, and so on); the direct support of students (about student body and elsewhere in the University (and outside), £250,000 per annum at Queen’s at present) in the form of where the shockwaves from the introduction of the £9,000 bursaries and scholarships is small in comparison with the fee are still being felt. The first students to be admitted Ivy League model. after the fee increased are now just entering their second All of this suggests that quite a profound choice is facing year and, as I mentioned in a previous Newsletter, we are the British universities that wish to compete at the highest still watching for any consequences of the change. Of international level. The current funding model allows modest course, nobody has yet been required to pay the fee; it has fees, modest levels of student support, and is partly funded been paid on behalf of the student via a loan which will be by modest (but generous and increasing) philanthropy. The recouped after graduation through an increased level of alternative may be a model which involves high fees, high income tax after earnings exceed a certain threshold. The levels of student support, and higher levels of alumni giving. actual (as opposed to anticipated) pain has not yet been The hope would be that as the institutions became generally felt by the students, therefore, and the government has richer, they would be able to provide much more generously parked the cost in its loan book – without yet having had to for students and also find or release the funding to deal with confront the practical reality of the extent to which this will the legacy of capital underinvestment. This sounds plausible actually be paid off. in the abstract, but evidence as to its effectiveness in the I should say at the outset that the University has no plans to promotion of social mobility in the US is mixed (to say the raise fees; I have been on its Council for the last three and least), and under such a system we would need to see an a half years and nothing of this nature has been discussed enormous increase in the levels of giving in order to enable there. Nevertheless, the matter is worth examination if only the majority of our current UK undergraduates to study so that we might gain a better understanding of where here. (Oxford’s total endowments, for example, in 2012 we stand with respect to those international comparators were less than £4 billion; compare Harvard’s $30 billion.) So, and how we might respond to any further changes in the could it happen here? Perhaps, but there would need to be landscape for funding. a fundamental shift in attitude, and my reason for writing in such detail here will I hope now be obvious: the shift would The examination is not straightforward. The internal finances need to enthuse and win the confidence of Old Members. of the University as a whole are surprisingly complex, so Does it? the £16,000 figure is the result of a number of assumptions about how costs should be allocated. Even if one accepts

2 the Queen’s College newsletter the latter, but in 1938 the then Provost, Canon Streeter (far left, back row), was killed in an aeroplane crash, and Hodgkin was persuaded to serve as Provost (the first in the College’s history not to be in Holy Orders) for a few years until Oliver Franks (who had been groomed to succeed Streeter) was ready. Unfortunately war broke out shortly afterwards and Franks was needed in Whitehall, leaving Hodgkin to hold the fort for him for eight years, during which he saw it as his duty to keep in touch with Queensmen serving in the military across the world, as well as writing his history of the College.

A. S. Hunt (1871-1934, far right of back row) came up to Queen’s in Staircase 2, 1913-15 1890 and despite a 1st in Classical Moderations, he was disappointed with a 2nd in Literae Humaniores in 1893. Nevertheless, he was The recently discovered elected to a Demyship at Magdalen notice-board of rooms and then a Research Fellowship at Lincoln, before returning as a on Staircase 2 (pictured), Research Fellow to Queen’s in which can be dated to 1906. By this time Hunt, together sometime in 1913-15 (the with B. P. Grenfell (also a Fellow of Queen’s), had already excavated the period between Hunt’s rubbish heaps of Oxyrhynchus and appointment as Professor discovered the mass of Egyptian and Wilson going down), papyri which established papyrology shows that it was then as an academic discipline. Among their discoveries were partial copies inhabited by some of unknown works by Euripides, illustrious men. Menander, Pindar, Sappho, and Sophocles, as well as parts of the Bible and non-canonical gospels. A. H. Sayce (1845-1933, 3rd Grenfell (who died in 1924) and from the right in the middle row) Hunt were to spend the rest of their was one of the foremost scholars lives studying them and they were of the ancient Near East. By the succeeded by Edgar Lobel, also time he left school (despite bouts a Research Fellow at Queen’s. A of tuberculosis and typhoid fever) century later, there is still much more he could already read Arabic, work to be done in deciphering and Assyrian, Persian, and Sanskrit, studying these papyri. He succeeded as well as Cuneiform and Hieroglyphs. He entered Queen’s Grenfell as Professor of Papyrology in in 1865 with a scholarship. In 1868, despite a serious 1913, and retained it until his death in attack of pneumonia (during which he learned Basque), he 1934. gained a 1st in Literae Humaniores and the following year was elected a Fellow of the College. He spent much of his Percy Wilson (1893-1977) entered the College on life abroad, mostly in North Africa and the Near East. He 11 October 1911 from Halifax. He took a 1st in both worked and published on Egypt, Israel, the Hittites and the Mathematics Moderations (1913) and Mathematics finals Babylonians, but he was best known for his work on the (1915). On entering the College he had told the Pro- Assyrians. He was an expert philologist and published many Provost, Edward Armstrong (3rd from left in middle row, translations of early texts. He remained a Fellow of Queen’s next to Magrath in the centre who remained Provost until his death in 1933. despite being in semi-retirement), that he played cricket and football and intended to row, and that his hobby R. H. Hodgkin (1877-1951, centre of back row) took a was English literature. In the 1930s he was living in 1st in History from Balliol in 1899 and arrived at Queen’s Merton in South London and working as Principal of the following year as a lecturer, before becoming Fellow the Board of Education, as well as acting as Technical in 1904. He was the College’s principal history tutor until Adviser to Gramophone magazine. By the 1950s he was his retirement in 1937, devoting the majority of his time to living in Headington and in 1970 described himself as his pupils and, what remained, to the Anglo-Saxons. He a ‘Consultant in Audio’. His death was reported in the planned to spend most of his retirement in the company of 1977 issue of the Record.

Michael Riordan, College Archivist

the Queen’s College 3 newsletter News

from the College

Florey Design Competition Following the launch of a design competition, six teams have been invited to submit proposals to update the Grade II listed Florey Building in order to provide modern facilities and achieve exemplary energy design. The College is seeking a dedicated team to restore and add new facilities to James Stirling’s modernist masterpiece.

Queensman becomes Prime Minister of Australia The College congratulates Old Member Tony Abbott (1981, PPE), the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, who won the Australian federal election in September. Tony Abbott came to Queen’s in 1981 as a Rhodes Scholar and studied PPE. Mr Abbott’s reflections on his time in Oxford, delivered in a speech at Queen’s in 2012, can be found online; please email the Old Members’ Office for the link. Mr Abbott is believed to be the first Queensman in the College’s history to be elected to the office of Prime Minister. David Constantine wins Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award The College warmly congratulates David Constantine, Supernumerary John Rutherford honoured Fellow and former Tutor in German, who has won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award for his Tea at the Midland and Other by University of Oviedo Stories (Comma Press, 2012). David is the first English writer to receive The College is delighted to note that Dr John Rutherford, the prize. The shortlist included Deborah Levy, Joyce Carol Oates Emeritus Fellow and formerly Tutor in Spanish, has been and Peter Stamm; previous winners include Haruki Murakami, Nathan elected Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Oviedo, Englander and Edna O’Brien. The Frank O’Connor International Short in recognition of his extensive career and ‘undisputed Story award is awarded by Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland, prestige’ as a Hispanic philologist. and was presented at the Cork International Short Story festival in September.

Queen’s undergraduate scores record-breaking triple century in Varsity Match The College is delighted to note that Sam Agarwal (2009, Materials Science) has become the first player ever to score a triple century in a Varsity Match. In July he made an unbeaten score of 313 for Oxford from only 312 balls, during some seven hours at the crease. On the first day of the match Sam had become only the eighth player in the history of the Varsity Match to score a double century; on day two he recorded the highest first-class innings ever made for Oxford University.

4 the Queen’s College newsletter News from the College

Queensmen honoured The College is very proud to note that Rowan Atkinson (1975, Engineering) was made a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. We are also particularly pleased to note that Professor Peter Dobson, currently a Senior Research Fellow, Academic Director of the Begbroke Science Park, and formerly Tutor in Engineering, has been honoured with an OBE for services to science and engineering.

The College also notes with pleasure that Richard Barrons (1977, PPE) was made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the Birthday Honours, and was promoted to the rank of General and appointed Commander, Joint Forces Command.

Queen’s Fellow wins Queensman wins Senate Real Tennis trophy race in New Jersey The College congratulates Cory Booker (1992, Modern In May Dr Nick Owen, Fellow and Tutor History), who won the election to represent the state of in Politics, won the Aberdare Cup, the New Jersey in the US Senate. Mr Booker, the Mayor of Oxford University Tennis Club Real Newark, is widely regarded as a rising star in the Tennis singles handicap trophy. He went Democratic Party. on to represent Oxford in the national championships – the Chetwood Trophy – An account of Mr Booker’s student days in Oxford, at Hampton Court Palace in September. written by contemporary Queensman, Anthony Reuben (1992, PPE), is available to read online; please email the Old Members’ Office for the link. photo: ©David Shankbone New Chaplain (Wikipedia Commons) Over the summer the College bade farewell Old Member Brian Paddick to its chaplain, the Revd Dr Michael Lloyd, who was appointed Principal of Wycliffe Hall. is made a life peer In Michaelmas Term the College welcomed the Revd Dr Daniel Inman in his place. The College congratulates Brian Paddick (PPE, 1983), upon whom a working peerage was conferred on 1 August 2013. Brian Paddick was formerly Deputy Dan read Theology as an undergraduate Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service, and stood in 2008 as at Wycliffe Hall before completing an MSt the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Mayoralty of London. He was also the first, and DPhil at Queen’s. Before returning to and perhaps the last, Old Member to appear on the ITV1 ‘reality’ programme, I’m a Queen’s as chaplain he trained for ordained Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! ministry at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and was a curate in the Deddington and Barfords Benefice in north Oxfordshire. Jacqueline Stedall He is currently wins Neumann Prize finishing a book, The Making of The College is pleased to note that Senior Research Modern British Fellow Jacqueline Stedall has been awarded the 2013 Theology, Neumann Prize by the British Society for the History of which examines Mathematics for her book The History of Mathematics: the history A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2012). of Oxford’s The prize, named (of course) after fellow Queen’s Fellow theological Peter Neumann, is awarded every two years for the best life since the mathematics book containing historical material and beginning of aimed at a non-specialist readership. the nineteenth century. the Queen’s College 5 newsletter Thank you for sending in your old photographs of College. Here we present a small selection from Photo gallery the 1940s to the 1970s; we plan to build on our collection and print more in future.

View of the High Street, 1960s Chris Vere (1958, Modern History)

View of the High Street, 1960s Chris Vere (1958, Modern History)

Caption contest Chris Vere (1958, Modern History) Please email [email protected] with your May morning, 1961 suggestions for a caption for this photograph. Chris Vere (1958, Modern History) The author of the winning caption will receive a prize.

6 the Queen’s College newsletter May morning, 1960/61 Chris Vere (1958, Modern History)

The Buttery

View of the High Street, 1960s Chris Vere (1958, Modern History)

View of the High Street, Summer 1975 David Littlewood (1968, Chemistry)

Queen’s after Bump Supper Dennis Luck (1963, Agricultural Sciences)

Rowers, 1957 Commemoration Ball, 1948 Denis Drysdall (1955, Modern Languages)

the Queen’s College 7 newsletter The Andromeda galaxy which is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. Hubble used the Cepheid variable stars to argue that it is 900,000 light years away from the Milky Way demonstrating that many other galaxies exist beyond our own. More accurate measurements put the distance at 2.5 million light-years.

Queensman Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953): The pioneer of modern observational astronomy

The name Hubble is routinely mentioned in the media in conjunction with discoveries in astronomy and instruments. In particular we hear about the great discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope which was launched by NASA in 1990 and which is the size of a London bus. We also hear about the “Hubble Constant” which determines the rate of expansion of the universe. Its value has recently been measured with remarkable precision by another NASA cosmology space instrument: WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe). had access to the 100-inch Hooker telescope (see figure So who was Hubble and why have 1) which was the world’s largest telescope until 1948 when the giant 200-inch Hale telescope was built on the Palomar we chosen to write about him in this Mountain 90 miles away. Hubble was the first astronomer to newsletter? use it and he continued to be active at both observatories until his death in 1953. Edwin Hubble is undoubtedly one of the greatest astronomers of the 20th century whose discoveries, as I’ll One of Hubble’s greatest discoveries was the demonstration, explain below, revolutionised astronomy and had a huge using observations with his powerful telescope, that many impact on the field of physics. He was born in Missouri in other galaxies exist well beyond our Milky Way: in other 1889 and during his youth he was not only known for his words the discovery of extragalactic astronomy. This was love of science and mathematics but also for being a gifted disputed by mainstream astronomers at the time who athlete. He excelled in basketball and baseball, in addition thought that faint nebulae were an integral part of our own to high jump and boxing. In 1906 he received a scholarship galaxy. Hubble was able to estimate the distance of some to study at the University of Chicago where he read science, spiral galaxies from the Milky Way by recording the luminosity astronomy, and philosophy and completed a BA in science (radiated power) and pulsation period of Cepheid variable in 1910. After graduating Hubble left Chicago to join the stars in these galaxies. By realising that there exists a clear University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and became a relation between the period and luminosity of the Cepheid student of The Queen’s College for three years. stars (also known as the standard candles) he was able to determine their distance. He recorded his work in what is At Oxford Hubble followed the wishes of his father and known as the “Hubble Classification Scheme”. In this scheme studied law, obtaining a BA in Jurisprudence. Following the (see figure 2) Hubble used a “tuning-fork” diagram to classify death of his father he then returned to the USA to care for galaxies according to their shape (e.g. elliptical, spiral), his family. After a short period as a schoolteacher, he finally distance, and other properties. returned to the University of Chicago to pursue his love of astronomy and obtained his PhD in 1917. His dissertation After the classification of a large group of galaxies, Hubble was on the investigation of faint “nebulae” that he later started to investigate their spectral properties by measuring showed to be distant galaxies millions of light years away the wavelength emitted by their stars. His observations from the Milky Way. Hubble volunteered to join the US army revealed that the wavelength of radiation emitted from after the outbreak of World War I and after the war he joined elements in galaxies is longer than the wavelength measured the staff at California’s Mount Wilson Observatory, Pasadena, when the radiation is emitted by the same elements in where he made his big discoveries. At Mount Wilson Hubble his laboratory. This was consistent with the well-known

8 the Queen’s College newsletter phenomenon in physics called the “Doppler Effect” where the wavelength of waves emitted by sources moving away from the observer are longer than those emitted by stationary sources. This is because the observer can “capture” more waves from a source moving towards him/her then from a source moving away from him/her within the same time interval. Astronomers refer to this phenomenon as “red shift” since red is the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum.

Hubble therefore showed that almost all galaxies are moving away from us. Using the observations obtained from about 50 galaxies he found that the velocity at which a galaxy recedes from us is proportional to its distance. The fainter the galaxy, the larger its velocity of recession. The fact that we observe galaxies receding from us, and that the velocity of recession is proportional to their distance, is known as “Hubble’s law”. A more fundamental way of Figure 1: The Hooker telescope at Mount Wilson, Pasadena, was named looking at Hubble’s law is not to think that galaxies are after John D. Hooker who contributed the funds for the 100-inch mirror. It was moving away from each other relative to space but that the largest telescope in the world until 1948 and was used for all of Edwin space is expanding: in other words that the universe itself Hubble’s observations. is expanding. It is worthwhile noting that our observation of galaxy recession should not lead us to think that we are at of galaxies over time by detecting the emission of spectral the centre of the universe. On a large scale, any observers lines from chemical elements at different wavelengths. It is in other galaxies would witness the same expansion. An also hardly surprising that the universe expansion theory is intuitive albeit two-dimensional way to picture the universe considered to strongly support the Big Bang hypothesis, expansion is to consider galaxies as points located on the which underpins most modern cosmological models. These surface of an inflated balloon; each point would see other models assume that the value of Hubble’s parameter is points expanding away as the balloon is inflated. changing with time, hence the name Hubble’s parameter possibly being more accurate than the more widely used Hubble’s law, as described above, states that the velocity Hubble’s constant. of recession changes linearly with distance. The rate of expansion, which is known as the “Hubble Constant” The importance of finding an accurate value for Hubble’s or, perhaps more accurately, as the “Hubble Parameter” constant is because the rate of expansion determines (given the symbol H or H0), could then be calculated from important cosmological properties such as the age and astronomical observations. Using the data obtained from nature of matter in the universe. A smaller value of Hubble’s the Cepheid variable stars, Hubble found that the rate of constant implies slower expansion and hence the existence expansion is 500 km/s/Mpc (Mpc stands for Mega parsec of more gravitational matter. It could mean that at some where a parsec is equal to 3.26 light-years or 30.8 trillion stage gravity would halt the expansion and turn it into kilometers). This value remained acceptable for many contraction and the Big Bang ends up with a Big Crunch. A years and it was only in the 1980s, when experimental large Hubble constant, on the other hand, could imply that cosmological research gathered pace following the discovery the rate of expansion is increasing, hence some of the matter of the Cosmic Microwave Background, that significantly in the universe should have positive pressure rather than different values of Hubble’s constant started to appear. gravitational attraction. This type of matter is what we call Considerable effort was then given to finding an accurate dark energy and present values of Hubble’s constant imply determination of it. The recent measurements obtained by that it constitutes 74% of matter in the universe. WMAP after nine years of observation, and earlier this year by the Planck Satellite, put the value close to 68 km/sec/Mpc. Finally I’d like to emphasise the significance of Hubble’s discoveries by pointing out that the expansion of the universe had escaped the great mind of Albert Einstein The importance when he celebrated the completion of his “General Theory of the link of Relativity”. In order to keep the universe static, Einstein between the introduced the “Cosmological Constant” in his equations to red shift of balance the universe against gravitational collapse. When he galaxies and heard of Hubble’s discovery 12 years later he realised that he their distance missed a great discovery and was quoted as referring to the from us cannot introduction of the Cosmological Constant as “the biggest be overstated. blunder” of his life. Hubble’s empirical discovery does not This discovery only reflect his great intellectual ability but emphasises has led to the the power of experimental investigations in physics, as all ideas of modern Hubble’s discoveries were only possible as a result of the cosmology. existence of the Hooker 100-inch telescope. In contrast Any astronomer it is also interesting to note that Einstein’s “fudge factor”, interested in the Cosmological Constant, now plays an important role in investigating determining the nature of dark energy, so it looks like even Figure 2: Hubble’s “tuning-fork” classification of the blunders of Albert Einstein give rise to important science. galaxies. Elliptical galaxies were indicated by the letter areas such as E followed by a number that expresses their degree of star formation ellipticity. Spiral galaxies were denoted by the letter S can follow Professor Ghassan Yassin and classified on two branches on the right. the evolution Senior Research Fellow in Astrophysics the Queen’s College 9 newsletter Last thoughts on Leveson

Leveson? Wasn’t he the plucky middleweight boxer who went six rounds with Sugar Ray Robinson? Well the one I’m thinking about is Lord Justice Leveson, who chaired the Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. He produced his report, on the first part of the Inquiry, a year ago and, more recently, the Queen granted a Royal Charter to the Recognition Panel which will assess arrangements for press regulation. (A note for the pedantic, which certainly includes me: he is not Lord Leveson; he is actually Sir Brian Leveson. From now on I shall disrespectfully refer to him as Leveson.) The Inquiry was set up in response to the telephone hacking scandal, but that part of the inquiry cannot start until all criminal proceedings related to it are completed and that is still some time away; but that still leaves plenty to talk about. My interest in all this arises from the fact that at some stages in my life I deliberately sought mentions in the press (but only in the parts of the newspapers that no one reads) for ideas that my colleagues and I had developed. That always worked well. There have been other times when my featuring in the press has been rather more painful (though nothing to what some people have suffered) as a result of careless or deliberately false reporting. Budd’s Blog I believe that the problems arise from two rather different rules that can govern the activities of the press. They are: So we have opinionated newspapers, and politicians • Anything is justified as long as it sells newspapers desperate to get good coverage for their actions. No • Anything is justified as long as it advances wonder the politicians spend so much time courting the “the cause”. press. And there can be a nasty compact in which those It is the first rule that can drive the worst excesses of the that provide favourable coverage get privileged access gutter press. Criminal activity by reporters should be to information. Some of this came out in evidence to dealt with appropriately, as should the shocking intrusions the Leveson Inquiry and one immediate effect of all the into the privacy of grieving families. That’s easy. It’s the publicity was that politicians stopped going to parties given second rule which interests me more since it is certainly by newspapers. (I don’t know whether they have started not confined to the gutter press or to what used to be again.) called the tabloids. By “the cause” I mean any campaign Maybe we’re stuck with the problem. It’s partly driven by being run or supported by a newspaper, and it includes competition between newspapers for readership (which politics. Leveson dealt with the press and politicians and is why American papers are different) but it can also his conclusions were: be seen as an unfortunate by-product of the genuine “… the overwhelming evidence is that the relations investigative spirit of the best reporters which can provide between politicians and the press on a day to day basis such wonderful exposures of discreditable behaviour are in robust good health and performing the vital public by politicians and others. It can be argued that if we interest functions of a free press in a vigorous democracy, want the exposures we have to put up with the British providing an open forum for public debate, enabling a free style of newspaper reporting. I think that would be a flow of information and challenge, and holding power to sad conclusion. If politicians can be scared away from account.” Christmas parties, perhaps journalists can be scared away from their occasional careless disregard for the facts and Up to a point, Lord Copper. Here is another view. The make it clear where the facts end and where opinions British newspapers can fairly easily be identified with begin. political views (not necessarily the same as support for a particular Party). In support of those views they confuse The much-derided Press Complaints Commission has an news and comment. When the new unemployment figures Editors’ Code of Conduct. The first and third parts of the are published each month, for example, it is fairly easy to Code are: guess from the way the story is written which newspaper • The Press must take care not to publish has produced it. We do not allow biased reporting on inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, television (though some claim to detect it) but we accept it including pictures in newspapers. In fact people tend to choose a newspaper • The Press, whilst free to be partisan, must knowing that its news reporting (not just its editorials) will distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture reflect their own views. We all feel superior to American and fact. television, with its Fox News, but forget that what we have is the equivalent of Fox newspapers (and they come in That seems clear enough and it will do for a start. all shapes and sizes). Of course there are honourable Sir Alan Budd GBE exceptions. Honorary Fellow (Provost 1999-2008)

10 the Queen’s College newsletter In conversation with Andrew Mitchell (1986, Modern Languages)

What is your fondest memory of Queen’s? You were very involved That is a very difficult question! The truth is that spending in the Olympics, such formative years in an environment that offers so much is Paralympics and an extraordinary privilege. But I always remember a moment: GREAT campaign – it was May, the sun was setting behind the trees by the river can you tell us a bit and we - four friends - were striding out, arms linked, when more about your role? we began quite suddenly to laugh together. I remember Yes, I led the Foreign Office’s work on the London 2012 thinking that I’d never felt happier. And I wonder now Games. This meant taking care of the many strands of whether we didn’t in fact have some sense of the enormous international diplomacy that took place around the Games possibilities ahead of us. as leaders from across the globe descended on London. It Are there any memories you don’t cherish meant working with partners in government to make sure that the Games were safe and secure; it meant leading a quite so much?! global campaign to promote Britain through the prism of this Oh yes! I still remember with a shudder of mild horror being extraordinary event; and it meant playing our part to make asked by a venerable gentleman at a College Gaudy for my sure that the Games were a big international success. views on a particular theory on medieval Spanish poetry. It Budd’s Blog was only once I had offered a withering critique that it dawned What, for you, was the highlight of the 2012 on me that this was an odd question to ask. And it was when Summer Olympics? my interlocutor said, “Of course when I set out that theory There were so many! The most emotional was sharing the in 1956…” that I simultaneously realized that I was speaking Opening Ceremony with my super-dedicated (but rather to the greatest critical figure of the post war years whilst exhausted) team. While the Games were only just beginning, experiencing the slightly giddy feeling that comes to those for us it was the culmination of a three-year journey and there that wish they could disappear down a very deep hole. is a particular satisfaction from a plan coming together. That, What lasting impression did the Fellows, tutors, coupled with the awe-inspiring spectacle, made for a moment of real pride. and/or staff leave on you? I think I was slightly in awe, in truth. I felt hugely fortunate to You played a lot of sport yourself whilst at Queen’s – in be at Queen’s. But the moments that made the strongest what ways, if any, did your personal interest in sport impression, strangely, were when my tutors took it upon make working on the London Games particularly themselves to invite us to their homes. I have always special? remembered the bond that created and I apply the lesson Being a fully-formed sports nut meant that I absolutely lived myself today in my own work. the idea that sport brings people together and creates bonds Had you always planned to join the diplomatic service? between people that represent the best of what we are and Certainly not. But I did have a strong urge to travel. And I what we share. I also believe in the transformative quality of knew that I wanted not just to travel but to live overseas, to sport in life. And sport is diplomacy by another name; a way get under the skin of a people and see the world, at least to bring people together in celebration of our common values. in part, through their eyes. I’ve never lost that. I also knew I also think that people who love sport instinctively know that I was interested in the big, global ideas; I was attracted that celebrating human achievement makes us stronger and to public service; and I found politics fascinating. It was only closer. towards the end of my time at College that I realised that the Could you tell us a bit about what you’re doing at the Diplomatic Service brought these elements together. moment as the Director of Prosperity? What advice would you give to current students who The Foreign Office has three priorities: our work on are interested in pursuing this career path? international security; our work on global prosperity; and our I think diplomacy is endlessly stimulating. And the diplomatic support to British nationals in distress overseas. Our work life appeals to those who always want to learn, who are on global prosperity encompasses what we do to promote curious about the world. The range of people and issues is global economic growth, support British business overseas endless. If this is you, go for it! and foster international cooperation on economic issues. It is a fascinating portfolio; my team brings together what What was the most challenging thing about being the Foreign Office does on issues as diverse as trade and an ambassador? investment, the G8 and G20, climate change, international This probably sounds rather curious but it is the loneliness energy issues, scientific cooperation and our relationships of leadership at the top. You have to make a lot of difficult with the world’s emerging economies. I work in the Foreign decisions that affect other people’s lives and balancing being Office in London – this is what we consider a “home accessible and open to ideas, with the distance necessary tour” – helping the Foreign Secretary to set the direction of to be dispassionate, fair, and thoroughly strategic, requires a government policy on these issues and making sure that our certain isolation. For a gregarious thinker, this is harder than it network of embassies in 190 countries around the world are sounds. But the rewards are enormous. able to pursue these policies in a way that benefits Britain.

the Queen’s College 11 newsletter Published by: The Old Members’ Office, The Queen’s College Oxford OX1 4AW [email protected] A letter from the T: +44 (0)1865 279214 F: +44 (0)1865 279150 Old Members’ Officer

Dear Old Member, As another academic year begins and another calendar year draws to a close, I’m thinking about all the ways in which Old Members have helped, and enjoyed, the College over the past few months. Most recently, I was delighted when a great number of Old Members responded enthusiastically to an email I sent asking for advice for a current student planning a musical tour of Asia. If you are moving to a new city, or perhaps even a new country, then I urge you to take advantage of the kindness of other Old Members and contact me to help put you in touch with those in the area.

It’s a recurring theme to see the extended College community helping one another. In September a group of students telephoned several hundred Old Members and I have enjoyed looking through the notes they made and reading the same sorts of things again and again: “really lovely man”…“enjoyed her time at Queen’s”…“happy to chat and gave lots of advice”. It was also in September that we opened up the annual Old Members’ Dinner to guests for the first time in recent history. The dinner was a great success and I only have one regret, namely that the size of the Hall meant we were unable to accommodate everyone who wanted to come.

I was asked at the AGM in September about finding out the dates of other events throughout the year and so I’d like to remind Old Members that event dates can be found on the College website and also on the Design a magnet enclosed bookmark which I hope you’ll keep for the coming year.

I’d like to conclude by saying that in the current calendar year nearly competition one thousand Old Members have so far made a gift to the College. This is a heartening fact and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Old Member Daniel Strauch (1985, Ancient you for your support. We are often asked whether the smaller gifts History) has kindly produced magnets we receive are worthwhile and I probably can’t express it better than featuring several different images of the Provost Hodgkin does in his history of Queen’s: College, including the coat of arms. We are now looking to produce a new design and it’s “Money does not pass as a measure of value in centres of learning. over to you: please send us your photographs None the less such a list of benefactions is significant. The benefactions or illustrations associated with Queen’s are impressive on account of their number rather than their amounts and the best design will feature on the next and because they have come from Old Members of the College who magnet. The magnets are full colour and had not inherited wealth but felt that they owed such success as they measure 8 cm by 5.5 cm. had obtained in life to the help which they had received at Queen’s.” R.H. Hodgkin, Six Centuries of an Oxford College (Oxford, 1949)

Emily Downing

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