I've got a politics degree, my era at university was the end of Thatcher. We talked a lot about current politics, knew all the ministers and shadow ministers at the time, we were all over what was happening.
No idea what the backstop is about? It doesn't matter what their lectures are about, this is general politics that they should be devouring. These students, most of them, should be ashamed.
With regards to the 'tricky question', I've no idea, nor care what that was about.