Thrift was thrown an ironic payday party. Thrift did not attend.

Wealthy Vice Chancellor Nigel Thrift had a party thrown for him by the same protesters calling for his honours to be rescinded.

Thrift trousers £348,000 a year – while the rest of the University staff claim they face up to 15 per cent real term pay cuts.

Just 15 days into the new year, “Shifty Thrifty” has earned the same as the lowest paid member of the University staff in a year, just over £14,000, following three pay rises in the past five years.

Sick decor

Nigel, who was sadly unable to attend the party which was thrown in his honour, missed out on the carnivalesque atmosphere created in the Piazza by Warwick Free Education protesters.

He was invited however. The music (XTC’s Making Plans for Nigel, and Abba’s Money, Money, Money) set the celebration’s tone nicely, the dancing serving to warm partygoers up on a cold, and rainy day in January.

The attendees, wearing red squares and carrying balloons reading ‘9K’ and ‘Thrift Out’, then marched upon Senate House.

Physically blocking the doors, they stood and watched as revellers proceeded to continue the party, appealing to Thrift to come out and join them.

Appearing as though he was not in the same spirit, Nigel, sadly, was unwilling to confront the protesters who, with their numbers depleted, then moved on to Scarman House.

Sitting in the bar area, they were met with similarly hostile reactions, the staff closing the bar, and security lurking on the peripheries.

The event description said “party hats not CS gas”, referring to the alleged police brutality which occurred at a previous Warwick for Free Education demonstration in early December.

One party goer Alex Rossetti said: “This continued protesting is a result of University management’s refusal to acknowledge our demands and negotiate with us.”

Whilst this party protest was in retaliation to Nigel Thrift, it was also part of the wider agenda of Warwick for Free Education.