A contact passes on to me news of an extraordinary email that could be perceived as referendum voting instructions from a University bigwig to his staff and faculty.
The Principal of Queen Mary College, University of London, Simon Gaskell, sent a "Dear Colleague" email out in March. It starts even-handedly: "As a university, we encourage our staff and students to contribute to this debate, to express their views and most importantly to vote."
However it then goes on to state clearly to staff how their employer will be voting "QMSE [Queen Mary Senior Executive] holds the view that membership of the EU is beneficial to our success ... For example, EU membership facilitates staff and student mobility, with 10% of students and nearly 20% of staff at QMUL being nationals of other EU countries." It goes on to state the "benefit" of EU membership and continues: "Colleagues will consider for themselves the potential impact of withdrawal on this institution and also weigh this factor alongside a range of other considerations when determining how to vote."
It is difficult to know what to make of this latter sentence, on the face of it it is a neutral exhortation, but given the paean to the EU that preceded it, some staff have taken it (rightly or wrongly) as a veiled threat from their employer. Don't rock the boat!
I have a suspicion that similar communications have been going out across the land as employers with a vested interest in remaining tighten the screws and ramp up Project Fear. Do you want to keep your job?
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