perhaps a tad intellectually obscure but is there any UK example of this kind of list?

[zippitippitoes]

and what do you think of doing it anyway, \link{http://www.uclaprofs.com/articles/dirtythirty.html\ Dirty thirty academics}

Oh, well by that definition, I'm not. The interesting stuff comes from the constant (dare I say it)dialectic between, oh, I dunno, Rousseau's social contract and Hobbes Leviathan, for example. It only works when they rub together..a bit like the cold war. I definitely am for the government taking a hands off approach to some things, but not in others. But that's stating the obvious - if I had to choose, I'd choose politics every time.

Never heard of Mark Oaten, BTW. Will have a google.