I WOULD certainly have been on last Saturday's march protesting at the sacking of the Markeys by Bolton University if I had not had a previous engagement which took me away for the weekend.

I did however apologise to the Bolton Office of Unison for my absence. Professor Holmes, the Vice Chancellor, claims that the Markeys were responsible for leaking material to the press which would bring the University into disrepute, but he does not appear to see that it is he who has really brought the university into disrepute by sacking them.

I understand that the Markeys claim that they did not leak the material alleged to the newspapers concerned and this is supported by the newspapers themselves. But what if they had?

The only possible objection to leaking information about the university is that the information is untrue. If it is true, then even if the Markeys revealed it (I am of course just supposing that for the sake of argument), then they were whistleblowers, and whistleblowers everywhere have my unconditional support. They enable us to know the truth which the organisations which employ them are anxious to conceal. And it is the truth which brings those organisations into disrepute not the disseminating of it. So will Professor Holmes tell us whether the information leaked was true or not? That is the only thing that matters. If it was true the Markeys must be reinstated immediately

Malcolm Pittock

(Former Senior Lecturer in English)

St James Avenue,

Bolton