Yesterday saw the annual return of an equally loved and maligned institution: the 158th University Boat Race. Few could predict, however, as Middle England dutifully sat down to watch, the carnage that was about to ensue. For anyone too busy, or too nonplussed, to watch, let me set the scene: about halfway through the race with the Light Blues holding a slender lead, a wee bearded bloke paddling across the Thames is spotted, smiling a toothy grin as a razor-sharp Oxford oar near-decapitates him. Confusion ensues.

This man, it transpires, is Trenton Oldfield, who terms himself an ‘anti-elitism’ activist. As far as one can tell, he is the only man in its history to single-handedly bring the Boat Race to a halt. Shortly before the event Oldfield had published a blog entry: “Elitism”, he says, “always leads to tyranny”! “GUERILLA TACTICS” are the only answer, and he shall be the tactician. It’s for our own good, after all. What follows is a string of what can only be described as self-indulgent, semi-literate garbage, during which he tries to excuse the inexcusable.

Yet his premise is a decent one. He is right that both universities need to do a hell of a lot more to shake off their reputation, particularly with regards to access. The disparity between the percentage of privately-educated pupils in England more widely (under 10%) and the percentage of privately-educated pupils at Oxbridge alone (nearer to 50%) remains staggering. When it comes to black and ethnic minority applicants, the situation is even bleaker. A ‘not for the likes of us’ culture has surrounded Oxbridge for far too long, making a raft of bright, working-class youths understandably wary.

So #boatraceswimmer, as he was immediately christened, complete with obligatory ‘Twittersphere’ hash tag, might well have been on to something. Yet the real challenge, both for the establishment and for the would-be-Oldfields, is to do something about it, and not something this brainless and infantile. It’s hard to see how, in this situation, dear Trenton could believe that this ludicrous act could result in anything but near-universal condemnation.

If Trenton Oldfield wants to do something about the unrepresentative composition of Oxbridge’s student body, then that is his right. I don’t believe that to be controversial; I believe it to be crucial. Nor do I believe, as some do, that because Mr. Oldfield is a graduate of an arguably very similar institution (the LSE) he should be forbidden from raising an issue that should be of concern to every student and staff-member here. No, if Trenton Oldfield wants to protest, let him, but not like this: cheap stunts like his are inevitably construed as objects of ridicule, serving only to detract from an otherwise very important issue.

And what of the rowers themselves? ‘Boatie chat’ is as anathema to me as it is to the next non-rowing student, but the Boat Race is an apolitical event with a glorious history. It showcases some of the country’s best young oarsmen and, for this year at least, women. For Oldfield to intervene in this arena was just plain wrong and just plain stupid. Karl Hudspith, President of the Oxford University Boat Club, put it best. He tweeted: “... my team went through seven months of hell... this was the culmination of our careers and [Trenton Oldfield] took it from us.”

Though no doubt deluded enough to think otherwise, Oldfield is no modern-day Emily Davison. No, he is a short-sighted, ill-informed, imbecilic symbol of an unwanted and unhelpful political extremism. Men like Oldfield are giving protest a bad name, at a time when we need it most. They should hang their heads in shame.