Glasgow University’s new Principal, Sir Muir Russell, began his term of office by refusing to answer basic questions about his policies towards the major issues facing students and the University............We go Underground.

In an evasive hour long interview with Student Underground, Russell refused to be drawn on his view on top-up fees, his plans to ‘widen access’ to the university, and his widely anticipated summons to the Holyrood enquiry into the spiralling cost of the Scottish Parliament building.

The man who the University head-hunted to navigate them deftly through the corridors of power is expected to be called as a key witness in Scotland’s biggest ever public money scandal. The inquiry could make Sir Muir Glasgow’s most high-profile Principal ever.

As head of the Scottish Office, Sir Muir was closely involved with the initial underestimate of £40 million for the Scottish Parliament Building. MSP’s have blamed the Scottish Office for orchestrating the building contract which did not make the contractor liable for overruns of the project, leaving the tax payer to foot the bill for an estimated £200 million overspend.

When interviewed by Student Underground, the stoic Principal was tight lipped about the inquiry, saying only, ‘If called I will do my level best to give Lord Fraser the knowledge in my head’. When asked if he feared being made a scapegoat for the scandal, he curtly replied, ‘I’M NOT GOING THERE.'

However John Swinney MSP, leader of the SNP, told Student Underground that ‘It is inconceivable that Sir Muir Russell will not be held to account over the key decisions made by the Scottish Office during the planning stages of the parliament building’. The SNP are expected to make much of Sir Muir’s decision making procedures during the planning period in order to deflect as much flak as possible from the nationalist advocates of the project.

Meanwhile, a number of Labour MSP’s still have long memories of Sir Muir as Margaret Thatcher’s chief implementer of the poll tax in Scotland. Although civil servants are not the authors of the policies they are tasked to implement, Labour MP John Maxton who served on the bill’s committee told Student Underground that when Sir Muir was heading up the Poll Tax, ‘He seemed to be enjoying it, he believed in it and was determined to push It through’.

John Hulme Robertson MSP, added that Sir Muir was, ‘directly briefing the press on the poll tax in a way which would put Alastair Campbell in the shade’.

In the Student Underground interview this week the Principal did not comment on what position he had taken during the Cubie committee into student funding, only stating that he was ‘comfortable with the recommendations’.

Sir Muir has already stated that he aims to 'widen access' to the University, but when asked if he would follow Edinburgh's policy of giving special consideration to children from poorer school backgrounds, he replied: ‘I do not have a view on whether that would be the right thing to do’.

Sir Muir, who accepted the offer to become Principal over a year ago, spoke broadly about 'reviewing and focusing strategy' and 'improving communication'. However, when asked if there was anything specific he had in mind he replied, 'Well, it's only my third day here. I think it's a bit soon to talk about that.'

He would only state that University funding problems might be relieved by ‘streamlining and concentrating funds on the best performing departments’, and posed the question in a recent speech, ‘How well set up are we to make radical choices, to focus on priorities…?’ These comments have led to speculation by academic staff that he might be planning to cut less successful courses.

A senior academic said, 'It is my understanding that most of the Deans did not want him, as the last civil servant Principal, Sir William Kerr Fraser, was not considered successful by the majority of staff at the time. 'Radical choices', that’s all we need!'

Sir Muir’s unwillingness to be drawn on fundamental policy decisions is curious given the comments of a member of the committee which appointed him as Principal. The committee member stated that Sir Muir had impressed them with his ‘exciting ideas for the future of the University.' However when pressed on these ideas, the member of the committee stated that they could not remember exactly what these ideas were.