‘Academic Standards Were SACRIFICED!’ | Claire Fox on Cambridge Scandal

Let's go straight over to my next guest.She is the director of the Academy of Ideas, former Brexit Party MEP and author of I Find That Offensive.Welcome to Baroness Clare Fox.Hi Clare.Hi, Kevin.Hi.

Let's talk about Jason Arday.Have you got a sick bag or a bucket handy?Because I'm going to play you a little bit of footage that might make you feel a little nauseous.Have a look at this.

And now Jason is days away from achieving another ambition.Hey!

Good to see you.

Here's his new boss at Cambridge.We do have a lot of work to do, but I feel really optimistic.

There will be days I think this is a tokenistic appointment.What are your thoughts on this?

The board of electors on your interview day were absolutely unanimous.We are so lucky to have you.You are the best in the world in terms of the research that you do.

Yeah, that's Professor Hilary Cretin.Oh, I'm sorry, I misread that.Hilary Kremen.But my God.I mean, that sums it up, doesn't it?What I've been saying about this, Claire, I'm fascinated to get your view on it.

But what we've got here is a case of what happens when the woke mind virus sends normally sensible people completely insane.A lot of people saying, how come these brilliant people at Cambridge didn't realise the obviousness of this guy's ludicrous lies?I'll tell you why.Because they didn't want to.They wanted the kudos of being able to boast, we've got the youngest black professor, he's only 39, and look where it's led them.It's led them into an utter shambles.

What are your thoughts on this?

First of all, this is a really serious scandal.I mean, we can get a lot of laughs out of the absolutely fabulously, you know, Walter Mitty nonsense.You can't believe that.

It's so funny, isn't it?

And it is quite funny.because every day has brought even more shocking revelations.But this is a huge scandal at the heart of the British establishment.This is Cambridge University, which is one of the world's top places for scholarship.And I believe in the elite universities as being so important in terms of expanding society's knowledge.Can you imagine a situation where they were so credulous as to go along with it.

Now, one thing that we, a lot of people think it's a kind of EDI hire situation.No doubt it is, but it's much worse than that.This is a university that went out of its way to bend its rules in order to accommodate somebody because of their neurodivergence.Yes, they were black, but it wasn't just that.They loved the autism story.they actually actively sought out more tales of his victimhood so that they could say, we are a kind, inclusive university that is doing everything we can.

And once you said he's the world's best, the best class, can you imagine what a mockery that makes of any sense of academic standards?I mean, anyone now who's thinking, I would absolutely, you know, kill myself working hard to get the grades, to get into Cambridge, trying to come from all parts of the world as many people do.Well, just thank God I'm not going to bother.All I need to do is to turn up with a list of victim points.and I'll walk through the door.

I don't know if you're aware, Claire, but I went to Cambridge, and it's one of the best days out I ever had.But that notwithstanding, this guy, I mean, the lies are ridiculous.Did you know, by the way, it looks almost 100 % this has been checked out using the appropriate technology, that to top off this guy's fantastical series of ludicrous lies, his resignation letter, in whichhe said don't don't mistake this for me admitting effectively said don't mistake this for me admitting to lying the narrative surrounding my departure but that letter was created by a I just gets worse doesn't it it does get worse although I mean there is nothing that you wouldn't believe On the more serious point about the rest of it, I think that he is not our problem.

The problem is those academics on the appointees board that put him into place.The problem is all of those people who signed that letter suggesting that anyone who dared criticise his appointment were racist.The problem is the fact that when he reported a reporter from the Times Higher Education Supplement to the police, the police actually investigated.

Oh no, it's just shocking that they've apologised.They've apologised.Mark Rowley, the Met Police Chief, said, sorry about that, we dropped the ball on this one, but what were coppers thinking?Hang on, somebody's phoned us and said they're being asked questions by a journalist.Ooh, that sounds like a crime.What were they thinking?

Because that's the problem is that if you look at all the different institutions that, you know, make up the British state, you find out that they're all hollowed out completely.And they themselves have bought into this idea that in order to have any sense of mission or purpose, they need to show that they are not elitist, that they are prepared to listen to the victims.And they've all been on equality, diversity and inclusion courses.And so they've got this narrative in their head.But the thing that's frightening in a way, never mind anything else, is that this won't be a lone case.We just know about this ludicrous story.

And I think his resignation letter, if it waswas written by AI, the fact that he didn't correct it when it said, you know, I'm not denying anything.I refuse to accept the narratives around me.Narratives is a good word because it really is storytelling.But as I say, it's not him that is the issue here.It's the British establishment.

It's so full of self -hatred.that its institutions are so desperate to prove themselves as being on the side of the victim that they will sell their soul, diminish all standards, and that includes the police.All those people who signed the letters, many of them, by the way, in the House of Lords.

Zak Polanski, several MPs, various Lords, Paul Bottang, all essentially signing a petition to say that Queery, in questioning this incredibly dodgy, preposterous professor and his ludicrous lies, was an act of racism, that we're picking on him because he's black.Now, this issue of his colour, People say, well, you know, this wouldn't be a story if he wasn't black.Well, he's the one who brought it up.A guy called Jack Grove is the reporter for the Times Higher Education Supplement.was written to by Jason Arday's lawyers saying, you know, you should cease attacking our client and we believe that these attacks may be racially motivated.I mean, what a preposterous, what a disgusting thing to say in the first place.

It's a disgusting thing to say.But it brings the race issue into it.We didn't start that.Those of us criticising this guy, it's nothing to do with his colour.As you say, Clare, this is about the press prestige and the reputation of, you know, basically our finest university, along with Oxford, one of the world's great universities.If this guy was white and

had achieved this lofty position with the same litany of lies, it would still be the same kind of story.It's nothing to do with his colour, except for they celebrated, ooh, we've got the 39 -year -old youngest black professor.It's down to them.They're the ones who focused on his colour, not the rest of us.

Yeah, and they became credulous in doing so.And the point about the autism was they, you know, because neurodivergent ADHD, autism is the kind of new black as it were, which is where you basically say, this person is special.And we're going to give them all sorts of credit as a consequence.I just think that what we have to say here is that the accusation of racism is used to chill then any interrogation.Yes, exactly.But imagine how insulting it is to all those black students, and I'm referencing that they're black, who fought like hell to get into great institutions because they put the work in, they absolutely proved that they were intellectually able to cope with the highest degree of intellectual scrutiny, only now to find out that one of their peers was celebrated actually not based on any academic credentials or indeed any academic ability because one of the things that's been shown is that he was allowed to, he got away with talking gobbledygook.

His PhD is hilarious.

And also you listen to him doing talks.Right?And it is very funny.I mean, he was on a kind of Patrick Christie show on tour when Patrick did that.

Yeah, he came on here to say that Enid Blyton was a racist, yeah.

But he also, he says all these words, and we can all understand the words, but they don't make any sense.They don't string together.And nobody dared say, it's like the Emperor's New Clothes, nobody dared say, you're talking absolute rubbish.Jason, go away and read a book.Yeah, yeah.But then of course, that would probably be

kind of discrimination because he couldn't read very well, as he keeps pointing out, and he's acquired knowledge in a different manner.Exactly, exactly right.And I think that why I'm concerned is because Jason is just a bit player in this.He is, you're right, absolutely, absolutely.He's the people in control, in power in this country with enormous levers that can change the lives of many people who are in charge of the seat of learning like in Cambridge.The fact that they sold out, sold the pass on this, and it's their heads I want to see roll.

Jason can go up and be a Walter Mitty somewhere else.Mind you, you did say he's no longer a professor.I'm afraid you don't lose your professorship.

So he is a professor, is that right?

He's a professor in a number of universities.It'll be hard to get rid of the title.

It's ridiculous.I mean, he's a sad little man who needs help.You're right.The story is about all the people who opted to be taken in by his fantastical, nonsensical claims.extraordinary story of our times, Claire.Thanks so much for coming on about it, good to talk to you as always.

Baroness Claire Fox there, Director at the Academy of Ideas.