DIARY
ANTHONY O'HEAR On Tuesday I was inveigled by my daughter Natasha into leading a discussion group at the joint St Paul's school's study day. The theme was progress and I injected a note of pessimism. The very things in the modern world on which we pride ourselves are directly responsible for decadence in other areas: equality, human rights, democracy, reason, science and technology are all very well; they can hardly be got rid of or forgotten. But in their wake they bring the expansion of the state, dema- goguery, the mass media and general mediocrity. We have no philosophy more exalted than utilitarianism, few goals beyond those pertaining to material com- fort. Without the ennobling vision which religion once provided — and which sci- ence has eroded — higher aspirations, true excellence and serious art become all but impossible. This is a theme present in Toc- queville and Nietzshe, but I filled it out with illustrations from the history of archi- tecture. I was vociferously attacked by some for elitism and, strangely in the cir- cumstances, for my dislike of state monop- olies, particularly in education. One boy described himself as an anarchist, which I thought meant he might be supporting me. But 'anarchist' meant totalitarian, a confu- sion common among undergraduates as well. Some were strongly on my side, though, and we had to break for lunch before any conclusions were reached.
Universities provide a telling illustra- tion of my Pauline point. On Wednesday I i went to the Reform Club, to debate what is now called higher education with Lord Ron Dearing. My former colleague on the school curriculum authority will be remem- bered for recommending that students pay fees, but his report has other far less wel- come consequences. To foster the illusion of a genuine university education for more than a third of the population, Dearing is inflicting on all courses 'quality assurance', modularisation and a baroque structure of levels and 'stopping-off points' (in part so that students of 'more modest prior attain- ments' are not 'set up to fail in higher edu- cation'). All courses must include key skills and work experience, and research and scholarship must be mote actively related to the 'wider needs of society'. Dons, no Matter how learned, will have to undergo teacher training. So under the weight of Petty bureaucracy vanishes the idea of a university as a place of withdrawal from the world, aiming at nothing more (or less) than the cultivation of the mind for its own sake, and, as a by-product, the formation of gentlemen. Ron fiercely disputed my analy- sis, and seemed quite cross. But it is not enough to have the words 'standards', `excellence', 'diversity', etc., in a 466-page document, when in practice its provisions appear designed to bring about the oppo- site.
This section can legitimately be called `my World Cup'. Having won two tickets for Brazil v. Scotland, I was present at the opening with my son Jacob. In the stadium we had to hold up cards whose significance was unknown to us, but which doubtless made a vital contribution to a pattern tele- vised throughout the planet. Before the match, we had lunch in the main square of Saint-Denis and, realising that the Romanesque façade opposite was quite `We only have an artist's impression of this one.' something, we went in. Jacob was as impressed as I at the soaring simplicity of the church inside and at the purity of its stained glass. It was only when we got home that night that I realised we had been in Abbot Suger's great cathedral, the source of all European Gothic. Saint- Denis is not just the focus of sporting attention of the whole world this week, it is also the cradle of a style, a spirit and a myth which elevated our continent for nearly half a millennium. from 1140, the abbey church of Saint-Denis, to 1998, the Stade de France: a perfect illustration of Spenglerian decline. We have moved from a culture of high religion in Europe to today's global civilisation of overbearing technology and of panem et circenses for the urban masses.
Ronaldo, by the way, was the electrify- ing presence he had been cracked up to be, though for one brought up on tales of Celtic v. Rangers pre-1914, the Scots sup- porters were disconcertingly sanitised and well behaved (perhaps deliberately so to annoy the English). On England's dark night of the soul, I was reminded of Mexico in 1970, and of Peter Bonetti, England's reserve goalkeeper who played in the 3-2 defeat by Germany. The following season, the poor man endlessly endured the taunt- ing of rival fans: 'Who lost the World Cup?' David Beckham might be well advised to go to Italy or Spain next season, where they probably won't mind so much. Or even to Argentina, where Posh's sultry hauteur could qualify her as a latter-day Evita. Michael Owen is, as they say, a great prospect, but the lad needs further work on his left foot.
We spent the weekend in the High- lands of Scotland and climbed Munros and lesser hills. We boated and fished. Some of us cycled round the loch for good measure. A misty breeze kept the midges down. It also demonstrated that the mountain water-colours of Turner and Ruskin are lit- eral truth. At one point we had to cross the railway line. An 1894 sign saying 'Beware of Trains' (three words) has been replaced by a 107-word Health and Safety diktat. Drivers of vehicles with trailers and other unusual loads are instructed to contact the nearest manned station (40 miles away) before daring to venture on to the single track. Chris Woodhead is a great man, a great friend and a great climber, but he had difficulty padlocking the gate. Shock hor- ror! The Chief Inspector of Schools fails his Dearing level 1 in key skills!
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