Craig Brandist (鈥The risks of Soviet-style managerialism in UK universities鈥, Opinion, 5 May) highlights the striking similarity between Soviet industrial management and the current administration of UK universities. I take exception only to his translation of krugovaia poruka (not porukha) as 鈥渆sprit de corps鈥, which surely denotes the positive honour of a group rather than the negative mutual cover-up in which the Soviet staff were engaged.
Melochnaia opeka (not opeika) 鈥 literally 鈥渕eticulous guardianship鈥 鈥 can mean 鈥渕icromanagement鈥, but mikromenedzhment is now more usual.
It may be that today鈥檚 UK HR staff 鈥済enerally don鈥檛 do irony鈥, but I found that Soviet university 鈥渕anagers鈥 thrived on it, especially when the vodka bottle was open.
R. E. Rawles
Honorary research fellow in psychology
University College London
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