As I walked through central Oxford at the weekend, an unfamiliar sight greeted me from the top of one of the university’s central buildings: the flag of the European Union had found its way amongst the spires. It fluttered gently in the breeze on the Clarendon Building, only yards from the Bodleian Library in the heart of the city.
The flag’s arrival looked like a statement. After all, it is not customary for the university to represent a political entity on its flagpoles. At a time of continued debate across the country, the flag has been widely read as the university taking a stance on an ongoing and fractious national discussion.
When I contacted the university, I was told that the flag also represented the Council of Europe and that there had been requests from students for it to fly for Europe Day. Yet it has never appeared in previous years, so why now? The unprecedented nature of this move – and its timing at a moment of considerable uncertainty around the future of UK-EU relations – mean it has inevitably been taken as a political comment on the Brexit debate.
So why did Oxford fly the EU flag above one of its ancient buildings? Whatever the reason, the flag’s presence is not only unnecessary, it also raises a number of further questions.
One is the implicit impression it gives of the political composition of the university. I was not in favour of Brexit – and Leave voters are far from being in the majority here – but there are significant numbers at every level who are, and these include undergraduates and graduates, academics and college staff.
The university might wish to present a united, Remain-favouring front to the world, but this does not reflect the diversity of opinion within its walls – which should be embraced and given space for debate, rather than discredited.
This move also comes amidst growing concern about whether top universities really do value a range of views. There is the perception – whether warranted or not – that such institutions are increasingly made up of a small bubble of opinion, no longer representing the wide variety of thought which they once did. Given the considerable range of perspectives amongst current students, it is regrettable that the university has flown a flag which represents only one side of the debate.
A further concern relates to the message this sends to potential applicants. An unhelpful preconception exists that there is a single Oxford ‘type’, with a certain kind of background and one ‘correct’ set of political positions. Many of the most heavily Leave-voting areas in the country are the same regions which the university specifically targets with its outreach programmes. The flag which the university has chosen to fly is the symbol of a political project which many potential applicants and their families have explicitly rejected. As such, the decision will be read by some as a suggestion that they made the wrong choice in June 2016.
It has been suggested that the flag stands not as a specific message but as a general expression of openness and inclusivity at a time of political unease. Yet for many Leave voters – both inside and outside of the university – the decision to fly the flag is more likely to be read as a criticism of their politics.
It is true that there is a clear appeal for the university to fly the EU flag. The uncertainty brought about by Brexit has posed challenges to Oxford and its collaboration with European institutions; it also represents a threat to research funding.
It is understandable that this is a source of frustration to those whose projects are likely to be affected by Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. But in the current political climate, with Brexit still very much up in the air, it is hard to read this move simply as a desire to maintain good relationships with universities on the continent.
In voting for a referendum to take place, Parliament made the question of EU membership a matter for each individual’s judgement and conscience: something for every voter to consider, reflect on and discuss. Our universities should be places where such debates can happen in a free and balanced way.
In my time as a student, I have seen plenty of engaging discussions take place about the pros and cons of membership of the EU. It is unfortunate therefore that the university should fly a flag which represents one side of a nuanced and divisive political question.
The university’s decision to involve itself implicitly in a contentious national issue should be a source of regret to Leavers and Remainers alike.
Aidan Chivers is a final-year student at Oxford
Comments