I took advantage of being in Cambridge for two work meetings today to pop into the Senate House, accompanied by Harlow friends and fellow Cambridge graduates David Wright and Peter Mabey, to cast my vote for the Chancellorship of the University of Cambridge.
It's a long time - 1847, in fact - since there was an actively contested election to choose the Chancellor of the University; the winner on that occasion was Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert. This time, following the retirement of Prince Philip earlier this year, there are four candidates: the 'establishment' candidate Baron Sainsbury of Turville; local shopkeeper Abdul Arain; left-wing lawyer Michael Mansfield QC; and actor and national treasure Brian Blessed.
As someone who has taken their MA at the University (by the usual method of staying alive for three years after getting my BA, and paying a small consideration into university coffers), I'm entitled to vote in the election, and if I'm not going to get another chance until I'm 216 years old, I thought I'd better get in there while I could.
The whole event was impressively well organised by the University, from the stock of academic gowns available for us to wear (in line with university rules) while we voted, to the tea and cakes afterwards, and the desks where we could update our contact details, renew our CamCards (money off all sorts of things in Cambridge!), or pick up brochures for alumni holidays, lecture programmes and other delights.
I was very pleased to have the chance to chat with Dr Tilby, Director of Studies for modern languages at my old college (who once kindly sent me down a glass of wine at dinner for reading the Latin grace before the meal); and to bump into Cambridge's energetic MP Julian Huppert on the way out of the Senate House.
Voting takes place today and tomorrow, using the Liberal Democrats' preferred fair voting system (the Single Transferable Vote), and I'll be fascinated to see who wins.
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