Chris Huhne as a student activist
Well done the Oxford Mail for unearthing this photo of the Lib Dem wannabe leader using a bench to smash his way into the Indian Institute (now the history faculty) in support of students wanting a central student union for Oxford in 1973… (he’s the guy in the foreground looking at the camera)
Good find - though in fairness, Antonia, I think it was technically impossible to be involved in student politics in the 1970s or 80s without getting involved in one stunt or another like this one.
On a lighter note, at least it wasn’t as stupid as the rag week stunt that happened at my college. As part of a publicity stunt, a load of students staged a mock kidnap of the local bank manager (it has all been arranged with him beforehand) for the benefit of the local papers.
They turned up at the bank with water pistols, wearing clown masks, and left with the bank manager (blindfolded and handcuffed, natch…).
But no-one thought to tell the Police about it beforehand. Following a high-speed chase, the cops were finally talked down shortly before the SWAT team arrived.
The Student Union secretary (lovely woman - and the only adult who was daft enough to stick around once the whole misunderstanding had been cleared up) was hauled down to the station, shouted at for a couple of hours by sweaty detectives and then locked up for a few hours to make the point.
Now, some of us were kinky enough to have enjoyed that kind of treatment. But poor Jeanna wasn’t really like that.
Hey - it was for a good cause! The student union he was campaigning for paid me to be a VP for a year - I’m not complaining. Love the story, Paulie.
Good find. Will it be published alongside the one of Peter Hain spreading drawing pins across the pitch at Twickenham?
Erm, as far as I can make out, Antonia’s not dissing the guy for getting involved in a bit of direct action - as she said, she became a VP at the central union he and his comrades were fighting to establish.
PS I’m trying to work out the contribution of the guy in the top right corner. I think he was the official coach …
OK Antonia, so I guess you disagree entirely with the Stonewall riots now?
Sorry, just read the comment by Jo, I take that back.
send him the bill
what was Jack Straw doing during the student riots which began in 1968 as I recall.
Certainly he wasn’t being a sweetie-pie.
line dancing with Gardon Brown maybe?
suspend the entire parliament on no pay.see if they still think it is a lark in a few years time