Durham University to probe Rod Liddle speech

The masters of Durham University have reacted with Olympian swiftness to the hysteria which greeted Rod Liddle’s dinner speech at South College on Friday night. Students professed themselves to be ‘literally shaking’ at The Spectator columnist’s comments on sex and gender issues — poor darlings. The adults in and around campus, meanwhile, were equally eager to vent their sense of horror. The local Labour society insisted that ‘Our university doesn’t owe hate a platform’ and the Students’ Union demanding the resignation of the College Principal Tim Luckhurst.

And the Durham dons are at pains to show such concerns are taken seriously, issuing thumping public statements disassociating the university from such dreadful remarks and now even launching a full inquiry into the ‘incident’. Last night Professor Antony Long – Durham’s Acting Vice Chancellor and the most senior administrator in the university management – took the unusual step of emailing all students to ‘assure you that the University categorically does not agree with views expressed by the external speaker at this occasion.’