Just when you thought universities – and Scottish politics – couldn’t become any more of a joke, Mr S is here to assure you they most certainly can. Step forward transgender Green MSP Q Manivannan, an Indian national living in the UK on a graduate visa, who is now running to become rector of St Andrews University. Not content with representing Edinburgh and Lothians East at Holyrood, Q has announced a bid to ‘bring a chance for our wee town to grow and thrive while rectifying the many injustices being permitted in our name’. Whatever happened to simply doing the day job? Even one that it is frankly gobsmacking you’re legally permitted to do?
For the uninitiated, a university rector is a senior elected figure tasked with representing students’ interests and holding university bosses to account. The role is hardly one that occupies the thoughts of your average undergraduate, with rector elections tending to attract the more hard-left politically engaged student types. So, to be fair, Q is in with a fighting chance…
National treasure John Cleese, himself a former rector of St Andrews, has urged students to reject Q’s candidacy. The Green politician previously insisted that rape exists on a ‘spectrum’ and ‘any individual is capable’ of it – remarks for which Q subsequently apologised, while insisting they had been taken out of context. The Monty Python star said:
As a former rector of St Andrews University I respectfully urge its students not to support someone who tries to understate the appalling psychological effects of rape.
But the rector race has also provided a rather revealing insight into Q’s priorities as a politician. While the Green MSP has somehow found time to campaign for a university position, ordinary constituents appear to be having rather less luck securing a face-to-face meeting. When a member of the public requested a surgery appointment, Q’s team responded:
‘Q is currently in the process of establishing their permanent staff so at present we are unable to hold surgeries although we do hope to have some later in the year. MSPs would normally post about upcoming surgeries on their social media pages so please do keep an eye out there. In the mean time, if there is anything specific Q and their team can help you with, please do let us know.’
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