University of St Andrews Chancellorship
Free speech at St Andrews: a disappointing Chancellorship election result
St Andrews alumni have elected, former UK ambassador to Russia, Dame Anne Pringle to the Chancellorship of St Andrews. AFFS is unaware of any particular interest that Dame Anne has shown in free speech and academic freedom, so her election is something of a disappointment for those who care about free speech. See here.
Shortly before the Chancellorship Election, AFFS wrote to the four candidates requesting information about their position on free speech. Dame Anne’s election statement had made no reference to free speech or academic freedom in her Personal Statement and she was not among the candidates who responded to AFFS questions. Based on the AFFS’ review and analysis of candidates’ responses, AFFS and The Free Speech Union recommended that alumuni should vote for two other candidates from a purely free speech perspective. See AFFS’ detailed report and recommendation here. Nonetheless, as explained in out report, AFFS equally has no reason to believe that Dame Anne holds any concerning views on free speech issues and we congratulate her or her election.
St Andrews’s senior management has not, in our view, evidenced much appetite for the hard work, and occasional discomfort, involved in ensuring free speech and academic freedom in the currently controversial environment that pervades so many of our institutions. Although, disappointingly, Dame Anne did not refer to the importance of free speech and academic freedom in her remarks following her election, as the University’s new Chancellor she needs to show some leadership and exert her soft power in support of free speech. AFFS will continue to hope for the best while continuing to monitor and report on the concerning situation at St Andrews about which we have previously written See here
St Andrews Chancellorship: AFFS and FSU recommend alumni to vote for free speech candidates
St Andrews alumni can use their vote in the upcoming election for the Chancellorship of St Andrews University to support candidates who stand for the protection of free speech, and thus demonstrate that free speech matters to alumni. We urge all St Andrews alumni to vote for a strong free speech candidate.
We wrote in January to the candidates requesting information about their position on free speech. Two of the four candidates gave detailed responses to our questions. The other candidates, however, only referred us to their previous statements on the matter. Based on AFFS’ review and analysis of candidates’ responses, the candidates for the Chancellorship who AFFS and The Free Speech Union jointly recommend to those who care about free speech are (in alphabetical order):
Lord (Mark) Sedwill; and
Lady (Alex) Walmsley
Effective use of alternative votes is likely to be critical. Ideally, both candidates will be high in the list of those who care about free speech. Even if alumni do not wish to vote for both of the above candidates, we recommend that they ensure that an alternative vote goes to one of them.
Please see our dedicated Voting in St Andrews Chancellor Election page for detailed information including our statement on the merits of the candidates from a free speech perspective.
Our detailed statement on this can be found here. This contains detailed information on our questions and each candidate’s responses, and an evaluation of the candidates’ apparent suitability from a purely free speech perspective. Those who care about free speech may find some responses very encouraging, and some a bit depressing.
What you can do:
- vote for a strong free speech candidate, and make sure the other is high on your list of alternatives.
- share this with your friends who are St Andrews graduates and care about free speech.