Cliff Snaith, 1958-2015

A lecturer in law who played a prominent role in the University and College Union has died.

十二月 24, 2015
Obituary: Cliff Snaith, 1958-2015

Cliff Snaith was born on 1 January 1958 and educated at Spalding Grammar School in Lincolnshire before going on to a BA in English and theology at the University of Hull (1976-79). He took a postgraduate certificate in education at what was then North Staffordshire Polytechnic (1983) and returned to Hull for a PhD (1983-86) on the Victorian novelist Mrs Humphry Ward.

After a period lecturing at Hull College of Further Education (1986-87) and teaching English at Hornsea School in North Humberside (1987-90), Dr Snaith decided to change direction. He headed back to the University of Hull to pursue a law degree (1990-93), worked briefly as a lecturer at Teesside University (1994) and then moved to the law school at the University of North London – which merged with London Guildhall University in 2002 to form London Metropolitan University – where he remained for the rest of his career.

A passionate believer in free education for all and in widening participation, which was a priority at London Met, Dr Snaith was always active in what is now the University and College Union. As branch secretary, he was often involved in disputes with a succession of vice-chancellors. After the controversy about the accuracy of data on student numbers under Brian Roper (2004-09), Dr Snaith was one of many staff who provided evidence to Sir David Melville’s independent investigation.

“Of all the submissions to the London Met review,” Sir David wrote after Dr Snaith’s death, “Cliff’s was the most comprehensive, embodied the deepest analysis and was the most helpful in enabling me to understand the complexities of the management and governance failures.”

A keen student of history, Dr Snaith had long planned a book about English monarchs (especially Henry VIII) and their influence on English law. Although this will never be completed, his colleague and fellow unionist Mark Campbell, senior lecturer in computing at London Met, remembered the fun they had comparing “our various v-cs and managements to failed Roman emperors and their ineffective senators”.

Paul Mackney, former general secretary of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (which merged with the Association of University Teachers to form the UCU), described Dr Snaith as “a model union representative” whose speeches “reinforce[d] with his whole body the contempt he was expressing with his voice. People remember that commitment and fury, but individuals also recall incredible acts of kindness and sensitivity to them personally.”

Dr Snaith died of cancer on 27 November and is survived by his partner, Rose Veitch.

matthew.reisz@tesglobal.com

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Reader's comments (1)

Very sad news. I went to Hull University with Cliff (the first time) and remember him well. There were nights in the Cottingham Arms and Sorrento's for pie and chips afterwards. I remember his devotion to the (to me) unknown Mrs Humphry Ward. I only met him once again, many years later in London, but he was the same entertaining, acerbic, honest Cliff. I did not know of his Trade Union work; it only makes me respect him more. Alasdair Spark (University of Hull 1976-84) University of Winchester.