Stan the Statistician

This post is dedicated to the bloke who had perhaps the most unenviable job at Ruskin; that of introducing hairy-arsed new Labour Studies students to the esoteric delights of economics & statistical analysis. Let's hear it for the great Roy Moore.


Roy's mission was to convince us that, as alleged in the title of the much-derided book, "Statistics is Fun". Well yes, Roy. But, as the saying goes, it's all relative. Statistics is fun - but only in comparison to being rolled downhill in a barrel of scorpions. Come to think of it, I daresay that there's a mathematical formula to expound that proposition. And the thing is, Roy would be able to rattle it off without even thinking about it.


It is to his undying credit that he managed to get pretty much all of us through the stats paper. Even Chris Shannon. I say "even" for a reason: during the mock examination, Chris sat just across from me. At the instruction "turn over your papers", Chris did so, looked at the questions, laughed, stood up and walked out. I think he went for a pint. Yet he made it in the end. That speaks volumes for Roy's skills as a motivator & teacher.


Ian and I were paired up for tutorials with Roy in Comparative Industrial Relations during the second year. It was a great term & Roy kept us constantly on our toes. "I will continue to challenge this position robustly during tutorials" he wrote on one of my essays. And he did, too.

Later, he was my dissertation supervisor & I couldn't have wished for a better person to do the job. Roy was (is) an academic, but - because of his constant contact with trade unionists & his participation in the real world of industrial relations (TURU etc) - could put the theory into both context & practice.

This man was always in demand for one thing or another: I remember him trying to grab a five-minute fag break (indoors - those were the days!) before a Labour Studies Board meeting & being swamped by half-a-dozen students & another tutor all wanting something or other or trying to set up a meeting. And he actually managed to answer all their points & demands!

I hope that we can persuade him to come to the Reunion. Ian - have a word, Comrade! This is one bloke I've long wanted to have a pint with. But if he starts talking about regressional analysis techniques after a skinful of beer, I'm off until he sobers up.