There is nothing especially massive about that salary and as was noted the salary falls below that of other universities in the Russell Group.

The average vice-chancellorial salary in the group in 2012-13, according to a Times Higher Education analysis of 19 of the group’s 24 members, an average of £318,500 .

While having been to grad school at QUB and finding it a fine educational establishment lets be honest its global ranking is in the 200s, too low to be individually ranked according to the latest Times rankings. So I guess elite is in the minds of those writing.

And I find it a stretch to believe they had 50 top ranked international academics for the position, most outside of Ireland would have to take a substantial pay cut and then the job went to the QUB insider anyway.

As far as I can tell Prof Johnston did a good job as Dean of Medicine and cleared much dead wood.
But looking at rankings Emory here in Atlanta 80, Trinity College Dublin 129, UCD 161, QUB 251-275. While the Vice Chancellor of Emory, is Dr. Michael Johns, salary $3,753,067. (NY Times) Or several times Prof Johnston’s $410k equivalent.

So BT get off this knocking successful people and reverse snobbery. These people unlike say bankers worked for their qualifications and have provided a service.

At this of compensation many people that’d be attracted are one’s with some link to Ireland, as in Prof Johnston from Donegal and probably within the wider UK. The package as I would have supposed is generous. But it’s not that competitive.

Jeez, too a breather and first thing I see is this! What century...oh wait, 15th century. Insane. I could care less about the monarchy and all the rest, but while they still have a constitutional role etc., anyone should be eligible...oh dear scrap that. Still anyone, gay, straight, whatever superstition they have or sensible atheist. Although I do think you should be barred from being an active member of the clergy and holding simultaneous elected office, and also being an MP, MEP, and MLA. One job at a time surely.

8billion, I often agree with you. Honestly when this all started I stayed away from the BT for a bit and when the NI rellies started on about the "Fleggers" I said "I don't live there, I don't care".

But my point is, you have posted a lot of good economic stuff and this has made it onto the US evening news. For somewhere that wants jobs and inward investment it’s like blowing all your own toes off.

You build the Titanic museum, for instance, and in Atl right now there is a Titanic exhibition, http://www.titanicatlanta.com/ and in a golf crazy State, many people know of McIlroy and Darren Clarke, and I often hear “I’d love to go and play on the courses they learn’t on”. But this just kills all that. 2 steps forward, 3 back. Stay safe.

Hah! Another transplant, welcome. Was in the Pacific northwest last month, Seattle and Spokane. Loved it. My wife asked: “Are the people here just smarter or something?” I replied “Yes, seems that way”.

A female same sex couple, pals of ours in Atl, Caucasian northeasterners (Buffalo and New York), just bought a vacation place in Alabama on a lake. Several retired folks came down on their golf carts etc to help them set-up. Our pals wondered how they’d react to the whole gay thing, they said the people were so helpful and friendly and then started telling them they were there (retired there) to get away from “the blacks”, sigh!

Had to add before I hit the trail.

Our congressman is legendary civil rights leader John Lewis. For Ron who says that it’s not a civil rights issue, well take a look at Congressman Lewis’s website where he clearly states that it is. What would Lewis know? Well an actual founder of the modern civil right movement, a man that marched with Martin Luther King.

I mean what’s he thinking, an actual leader of the civil rights movement, how could he know anything about civil rights? He’s not Ron after all. LOL?

He’s not even worth arguing with, he has no rational basis for his position.

Wow Ox, you are a homosexual because you support civil rights.

Your wife will be surprised.

Since we both support civil rights I guess we must also both be black and catholic? LOL!

And the temptation of the whole rough and tumble lifestyle? Nope can’t say I've ever had those urges, perhaps there is something Ron wants to tell us?

Poor Ron, battling gay temptation every day, must be hard for him? LMAO!

Anyway I’m off to north Georgia on business, later my friend.

Someone marked you down for that, seriously?

Well same in the 90s, I was a manager in an office in Croydon, of all places. Anyhow, same story. Calling around for places, “Sorry it’s gone” after hearing my Belfast accent. Unconvinced by a couple of answers, I had the other manager, Sharon, Londoner, married to an Irish guy, call them back. Lo and behold, yes it’s available.

The people that where happy to rent to me were Indian and Afro-Caribbean.

But I don’t think anti-black posters here have ever lived anywhere else. I call them gold fish.

Ox. Well in NI terms I choose neither of the above. But if one of the generally perceived two sides gets to run their thing then so should the other. Ban them all or allow them all.

But I wasn't going to post except the black comments. WTF. Like you I lived in London for years (1990s), and in an afro-Caribbean neighborhood including a Barbadian landlord.

I certainly never felt excluded, although I did see signs saying “no blacks, no dogs, no Irish”, and try explaining "no I'm Northern Irish, lol!" to which my black neighbors responded “Irish welcome here”.

I never understood where the NI bigot’s feelings of racial superiority came from as it’s not shared by the rest of the world.

Complete nonsense!

You are just a plain old fashioned bigot.

Marriage, like your god and everything else you believe is a made up social construct. I don’t accept your definition or marriage and never had, nor do millions of people. It’s time to change the god squad marriage construct. It’s going to change, live with it.

Your argument isn't even consistent, what about divorce then?

It most assuredly is a civil rights issue.