Bird-brained response

The cat was put among the pigeons last week when The Times Higher made a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the entire higher education sector. Within minutes of the round robin email, one vice-chancellor replied: "You bastard... this will cause panic and mayhem as they try to wriggle off the spike." Sure enough, a legal assistant at Nottingham Trent University posted a message on an Fo... discussion board this week suggesting (incorrectly it seems) that universities can avoid answering by denying it was in the public interest.