Dick of the Year – David Eastwood
Posted on December 20, 2011 by Guest | 4 Comments
This is a nomination for the Bright Green Dick of the Year award from Mike Williamson. To nominate your #dick2011, email 200ish words to editors (at) brightgreenscotland (dot) org.
David Eastwood isn’t exactly the most high-profile candidate for this year’s award denouncement, but some amongst Bright Green’s readers will groan knowingly if I mention that he is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. Others will be able to tell he’s evil just because he looks like The Hood out of Thunderbirds!
The Hood.
Physiognomy aside, you may have read recently that the University of Birmingham have recently taken out an injunction to ban for 12 months any occupations and sit-ins on its grounds. This affront to free speech is indicative of the way Eastwood conceives of higher education as a business, and students as customers without any say in how their universities are run. The move has been condemned by human rights organisations Liberty and Amnesty International. A similar injunction was removed by the University of Sheffield following outrage from students. Eastwood has also been accused of taking an aggressive stance towards strikers on picket lines on November 30th.
If that’s not enough, here are some other dickish things related to David Eastwood:
- He keeps the University’s cleaners on poverty pay whilst recently receiving a pay rise from £392,000 to £419,000 per year.
- His rent-free house was recently refurbished with £282,000 of the University’s money, at a time of severe cuts to education.
- He sits on the board of USS Pensions, who are currently screwing over academic staff across the UK.
- He very vocally made clear his support for the government’s plans to deregulate tuition fees.
All this, I think, makes David Eastwood a more than qualified candidate for Bright Green’s Dick of the Year 2011.
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4 Responses to “Dick of the Year – David Eastwood”
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December 21st, 2011 @ 1:47 am
He was on the board of the Browne Review as well, don’t forget that!
December 21st, 2011 @ 2:52 am
As reinstated VP Education at the University of Birmingham guild of students all I would like to say that is that: I have nothing to do with Mike Williamson’s nomination and that I certianly do not condone any University of Birmingham students voting for David Eastwood in this contest. I for one back bismarck related sausage analogies, they are clearly not ridiculous . http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/dec/19/higher-education-policy-debate?INTCMP=SRCH
December 21st, 2011 @ 12:26 pm
eh?
Clearly not a dick. More of a total cunt. An surely a shoe-in for the award? Amazing that this sort of thing can happen in these times. I will email him this link just to make sure he sees this. We beat the Nazis, at great cost, and built a country fit for the heroes that achieved it – like my father. And this is where we’ve ended up, with bastards like this man.
Vote Eastwood!
Vote early!
Vote often!
I’ll take responsibility for the nomination if needed. I’m Spartacus.