Busking with Homer and St Paul?

Dear Dr Harcourt,

I came to Oxford in 1980 at the invitation of the Master of Balliol. Ever since then I have devoted all my energy to the study of the Ancient Greeks, Plato and Aristotle in particular.

My only income is a State Pension of £26.95 a week. Yesterday my wife told me that we have a substantial overdraft in the bank. I could not sleep, and in the night I decided to busk with Homer read in the original in front of the office of our Conservative MP in Stroud (I am 76 and so I have a free bus pass), and with St Paul read in the original in front of our local church. If I busk enough money to pay for my train to Oxford, I shall busk in front of Balliol.

I do not like the idea of busking, and I am sure that neither my children, nor my wife will like it, but I can see no other way; all my appeals to the Pension Service to revise their nonsensical decision to impose on me a debt of £11.956.70, which the Pension Service has been deducing from 2009 from my Pension Credit, and from my State Pension ever since I have lost the Pension Credit, have been in vain (see ‘It is all wrong – a letter to the Pension Service’ and ‘It has nothing to do with Oxford University’ posted on my blog on June 15 and 19 respectively).

Before I embark on my busking, would you and the Board of the Faculty of Philosophy consider paying me a living wage for what I am doing? You can inform yourself of my work on my website www.juliustomin.org and on my blog http://juliustominquestions.blogspot.co.uk/.

I hope to be hearing from you soon.

Regards,

Julius Tomin

I have addressed a similar request to Professor Morgan, Chair of the Faculty of Classics.