Laurie Taylor column

After you with that THES , Charles.

Certainly, Geoffrey. Won't be a tick. Just skimming through this piece by Helen Hague about women still being seriously underrepresented among academics.

Any good?

Not bad. But it does seem a trifle dated. I mean, I was here in the senior common room earlier this morning for coffee and there was a whole group of them chatting away in the far corner. You could hardly get to the biscuit plate.

Well, nice to know there's at least some progress. Do anything interesting over the weekend?

Not really. Sat around in the garden trying to polish off a couple of dissertations.

So you didn't go on the peace march?

No.

You're in favour of the war?

No, not at all. I decided to stay away from the actual march for a purely technical reason.

Purely technical?

That's right. You see, my position is quite straight-forward. I'm against the war on the principle that it does not enjoy United Nations backing and may well be in contravention of international law, but I'm also strongly opposed to the view that the situation in Iraq is inextricably intertwined with the whole Palestine situation and to the argument that there are no occasions where it is impossible to justify a pre-emptive attack against a rogue state.

But why does that amount to what you call a technical reason for not going on the march?

Simple really. Try as I might I couldn't squeeze it all onto a single banner.

I see the problem. More coffee?

Please. And two biscuits. Assuming there are still some left.