Oxford professor of poetry Ruth Padel resigns

[wellinghall]

"The first female Oxford Professor of Poetry resigned today following her involvement in an alleged smear campaign against a former rival."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/may/25/ruth-padel-oxford-poetry-resigns

Comments

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

It's the press office I feel sorry for.

[segh.livejournal.com]

I asked the Constant Reader and he merely described the whole affair as "dark and obnubilated".

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

My Flister juggzy has commented on how sordid it all is, and how it makes women look bad, it would appear that Padel has been caught lying by claiming not to have said anything and then had the 2 journos that she told the story to come forward and say "Wait a minute ..." (or words to that effect).

Mind you some of the commentary on this in the press is shameful - apparently Clive James is suggesting that the women in the Walcott allegations may have lied and thus all women lie: actually I think all humans are capable of lying. On another note though that latter thought is something that regularly escapes CPS and the judiciary ;-)