'History is not a blank page on which we write our own

version'

Lord Patten, the former Conservative chairman, defended Oxford's historical relationship with Cecil
Rhodes, saying that many of the university's scholars depended on activities that would be
"unacceptable" in the modern world.
Oxford has faced a growing campaign, led by a South African student, to remove a statue of Cecil
Rhodes from Oriel College as part of a drive to distance the university and its curriculum from
Britain's colonial past.
The college has agreed to review the Rhodes statue, leading to a wave of criticism amid wider fears
that universities are being undermined by political correctness.
In their first public comments on the furore, both Lord Patten and the new vice-chancellor of Oxford
University said that free speech was important but that history could not be rewritten.
Speaking as Professor Louise Richardson was installed as the 272nd vice-chancellor in Oxford's
history - the first woman to take the helm at the world's second-oldest university - Lord Patten said
universities were "institutions where freedom of argument and debate should be unchallenged
principles".
He warned: "One thing we should never tolerate is intolerance. We do not want to turn our
university into a drab, bland, suburb of the soul where the diet is intellectual porridge.
"Education is not indoctrination. Our history is not a blank page on which we can write our own
version of what it should have been according to our contemporary views and prejudices.
"Because we value tolerance, we have to listen to people who shout about speech crimes and 'no
platforming'. We have to listen to those who presume that they can rewrite history within the
confines of their own notion of what is politically, culturally and morally correct.
"But we should not be harried into ill-considered actions that threaten the quality of what and how
we teach; actions moreover which may cast doubt on the ability of some who study here to gain a
place at this university on their own merits."
Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong, pointed out that many Oxford scholars depended
upon funding from activities that would be "unacceptable" today.
Many of the university's "great buildings" were constructed using the "proceeds of activities that
would be rightly condemned today", he added.

Richardson backed the view that university students should be exposed to uncomfortable views, and
criticised attempts by student campaigners to censor free speech.
In her address she said: "How do we ensure that they appreciate the value of engaging with ideas
they find objectionable, trying through reason to change another's mind, while always being open to
changing their own? How do we ensure that our students understand the true nature of freedom of
inquiry and expression?"

Richardson said universities should be places where

students are encouraged to think "critically".
She said: "If we can provide leaders who have been
educated to think critically, to act ethically and
always to question, these are the people who will
prevent the next financial crisis; who will help us
grapple with the fundamental questions prompted by
the accelerating pace of technological change, as we
confront profound ethical choices about the
prolongation and even replication of life."
The issue of freedom of speech being curtailed has been raised by scholars and activists. Last month
leading British professors wrote to the Daily Telegraph to condemn campus censorship of anything
that causes offence.
The letter said a whole generation of students was being denied the "intellectual challenge of
debating conflicting views" because self-censorship is turning campuses into over-sanitised "safe
spaces".
Their intervention emerged during the hullabaloo over the statue of Rhodes at Oriel College.

A senior source at Historic England, which will be

consulted if the college decides to remove the statue,
has suggested its removal would be nearly impossible
because of the intricate relationship with the
architecture and history of the listed building where it
sits.
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2016/01/14/Historyis-not-a-blank-page-on-which-we-write-our-own-version