Gordon Kirk suggests a national agency to manage external examining, training opportunities for external examiners, national standards for sampling, the format of reporting and other matters, and the generation of a national code of practice (THES, January 6). All these proposals are costly. Will external examiners serve under these arrangements without proper remuneration? Is it not better to stand up for what we believe in, rather than engage in another hostage-to-fortune exercise?
Richard A. Chapman Department of politics University of Durham