What Should Universities Do When Presented With Such A Request?

[sp1814]

Seems odd, doncha think?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41735839

[ToraToraTora]

ignore, it's a silly thing to do, we all know students are all rabid lefty remainiacs. catch them later when they have couple of saucepans and and a mortgage to support.

[bednobs]

they could either give the list, or politely refuse/ignore. what a load of fuss over nothing

[DTCwordfan]

Have him rebaptised as Joseph McCarthy in the crypt of the House of Commons - and then executed.

[Peter Pedant]

university spokesman getting a drubbing from a Beeb tree hugger

US - this is a very queer thing indeed and an invasion of privacy
beeb tree hugger - dont you have things like free speech in universities any more ? what is wrong with asking what you are teaching ?
US asking what we teach students - I have never heard a more grave attack on freedom of expression

[jourdain2]

Answer it? It's a perfectly reasonable request. All the information asked for should be available on staff lists and syllabi on line. The MP was just saving on time by asking the Universities directly. Fuss about nothing.

[cassa333]

The reques may have been reasonable but the reason behind it might not.

Has he made any comment on why he asked yet?

[woofgang]

what a very odd request....like jourdain, I would expect courses, syllabuses and teaching staff's names all to be available to any enquirer online. I would have thought that Uni's were far to busy to respond to a request like this....why does he not use his government funded researchers?

[Gromit]

European studies, or whatever you want to call it, is a valid field of education.
There should be a clear curriculum set on the subject, and lecturer should be expected to meet that objective. Nothing wrong with that.
Asking for names of people who do not meet your own warped doctrine, and [presumably] giving them aggro, is not how to proceed.
I fear the current crop of young Tories are very very dim.

[cassa333]

As are the current crop of young Labourites.

But you know that already Gromit.

[Old_Geezer]

There is no indication one what the info was to be used for, but I think a massive fuss is being made over nothing.

The story is wrong anyway. It refers to a "hit list" when nothing implies anyone is getting hit. It refers to a demand when the letter shown clearly is a request. The request is for the names of those who teach European affairs, even if it does state particular reference to Brexit.

The Liberals seem to have jumping into a strawman world of their own making.

There is reference to "thought police" when a more rational explanation might be to investigate whether such lecturers were being fair minded rather than pushing some agenda.

It looks to me as if some are making fuss for use as propaganda, trying to project an image of evil people wanting to force through Brexit and the saints are being put upon.

The BBC ought to be more responsible.

[Old_Geezer]

Update http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41747035

[youngmafbog]

OG, I could not have put it better myself.

[ludwig]

It's the lack of an explanation as to why he wants the information that makes his request look slightly sinister and demanding.

They should just ignore it, at least until he provides one.