Thursday 4 November 2010

Again with the pointless questions, Paul

Yesterday saw the government attack the principle of egalitarian access to higher education and of education as a good thing per se. You'd think, perhaps, that an MP with 23,000 students in his constituency, and a university which is one of the biggest economic forces in the area, one which is in severe danger under the new system, would stand up for us.

I wouldn't think that at all. If I saw Paul Uppal stand up in the education debate, I'd just expect another (literally) pointless platitude that makes him sound attentive without actually doing any damn good at all.

I'd be right, too.


Is the Minister aware of the words of Michael Arthur, chairman of the Russell group of universities, this morning? He said of the coalition's funding initiative that it sends a signal that the Government recognise
"the importance of higher education to the future of our country, its economy and our ability as universities to help the country out of recession."


Well done Paul. The Hegemon isn't in the Russell Group. We provide high quality (mostly) education for local, mature and previously struggling students. Exactly the kind of learners who are going to be cast adrift. We're going to lose our jobs, and our students are going to lose what for many is their only chance to escape a dreary life of unfulfilling labour.

But that's OK. You've allegedly got a politics degree from Warwick, a nakedly capitalist Russell Group institution. Never mind us.

One other interesting note. David Willetts is the Universities Minister who yesterday imposed fees of up to £9,000 on students, and removed all state funding for arts, humanities and social sciences. David Willetts is also the minister who recently published a book called The Pinch, in which he explained that his generation enjoyed all the benefits of a decent state: free education, student grants, final salary pensions, cheap housing, etc. etc., then withdrew them from the generations below. I didn't realise that he was actually suggesting thing as a great wheeze and a blueprint for government. That's why he's Tory Scum.

1 comment:

cartermagna said...

That question was yet another soft serve and further evidence, I feel, that our boy doesn't see himself getting in for a second time.

He's scoring brownie points with the big boys, in the hope of securing some of those all important tax breaks for himself and his property owning pals.

Did you see the other debate he spoke in today? He played the race card so quickly I thought he was going to snap his wrist!

The way he worded it, he made it sound like he escaped from the ghetto. His parents are property tycoons too!

Forked tongue on this bloke I tell he.

I'm glad you're doing regular UppaldatesTM; I only post once(ish) a week, so I'd have a hard time write about anything else if you weren't covering this!