Driving home from an evening out on Saturday, the radio was on, and we caught the end of a programme on Radio 4’s Listening Project.  If you don’t know the Listening Project it does pretty much what it says on the tin:  it eavesdrops on conversations between people about something important in their lives, and…

There’s an envelope, with government franking.  You are obviously wary about what it might contain, so when you open it and the news is that you’ve been offered a knighthood, you really are flabbergasted.  There’s a form to fill in indicating whether you would be willing to accept, together with a firm instruction on confidentiality.…

Imagine, for a moment, a global gathering of university leaders somewhere in rural England.  The gathering is addressed by the Queen and by Nicola Sturgeon.  Both talk in engaged and committed terms about the strategic importance of universities in economic growth, social cohesion and change leadership.  There’s a reception after the event, and both remain…