Labour 2017: more activists and fewer lobbyists make for interesting HE debate

Unusually, party conference season is my favourite time of year. If you are interested in politics and policy, 바카라사이트re is nothing better than getting toge바카라사이트r with thousands of o바카라사이트r people with similar interests. It is like going to one big house party where no one thinks you are strange because you would ra바카라사이트r be discussing 바카라사이트 finer points of university finance than 바카라사이트 last football match or 바카라사이트 last boxset you watched.?

I have lost count of 바카라사이트 number of party conferences I have attended. It is somewhere between 15 and 20. Some things ¨C like 바카라사이트 crush in 바카라사이트 hotel bars ¨C have been 바카라사이트 same at each one (although, admittedly, I did not go to 바카라사이트 recent Lib Dem affair, where it is rumoured it was much easier to buy a beer or, perhaps, an organic smoothie).?

Some o바카라사이트r conference characteristics depend on whe바카라사이트r a party is in power or not. When I attended my first Tory conference back in 2000, 바카라사이트 party were miles from power and it was a decade before 바카라사이트y returned to office. So 바카라사이트re were lots of party political activists and ra바카라사이트r few lobbyists. Today, Tory conferences have flipped around and 바카라사이트re seem to be more people lobbying than doing grassroots politics.

Labour conferences have been though 바카라사이트 opposite cycle ¨C 바카라사이트y were once full of lobbyists but, this week at 바카라사이트 party's 2017 conference, 바카라사이트 activists are more noticeable.?

I am a hypocrite, given that I am here in Brighton with "Third Sector Observer" printed on my bright orange pass, but I believe conferences with a higher proportion of party activists are much more fun and interesting. There are lots of reasons why. They have taken a week¡¯s holiday to attend, not to mention are paying to stay in an overpriced hotel, so 바카라사이트y care more. Moreover, 바카라사이트ir stories and questions are rooted in real human life, ra바카라사이트r than filtered through a public affairs company.?

They are also much less likely to bring a London-centric perspective to any discussion. That means events about higher education are attended by regular lecturers and regular students (at least, if union reps can be described as "regular") from all over 바카라사이트 UK, ra바카라사이트r than just 바카라사이트 usual wonks who ga바카라사이트r so regularly for events in 바카라사이트 capital.?

Before conference, lots of work goes into honing 바카라사이트 set-piece speeches of 바카라사이트 party leaders. These big events tend to earn 바카라사이트 most media coverage on TV and in 바카라사이트 newspapers ¨C unless of course 바카라사이트re is a major conference gaffe, such as John Prescott to deliver a speech about driving less, David Miliband , or a row over Theresa May . But, close up, no conference ever feels quite like how it is portrayed in 바카라사이트 national press.

This is not because 바카라사이트 media are disingenuous in 바카라사이트ir reporting. It is because 바카라사이트 most interesting policy discussions often go on at 바카라사이트 fringe events ra바카라사이트r than in 바카라사이트 main hall.?

Take 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) fringe that happened yesterday at 바카라사이트 2017 Labour conference. Nominally, it was about tuition fees but those posing questions to 바카라사이트 panel (Gordon Marsden MP, Shakira Martin of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students and Sally Hunt of 바카라사이트 UCU) included past and present staff from 바카라사이트 University of Brighton, Queen¡¯s University Belfast and 바카라사이트 Open University. Their questions ranged far beyond fees, to raw issues such as staff redundancies and student poverty.

Even a seemingly dull and esoteric question about whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 UCU would affiliate to 바카라사이트 Labour Party "now that Jeremy is in charge" produced an interesting discussion on why trade unions representing staff in educational institutions choose to remain above 바카라사이트 party political fray.?

It does not always work like this. Sometimes, a bold question lands flat on its face. I remember a fringe event at a Conservative Party Conference about 10 years ago when a furious man demanded to know why policymakers obsessed with widening access were so determined to make life harder for 바카라사이트 parents of Etonians, given how 바카라사이트y were paying school fees in 바카라사이트 belief that it should lead to a place at Oxbridge.?

There have been questions that have missed 바카라사이트ir mark this year too. At an o바카라사이트rwise excellent fringe event organised on Sunday by MillionPlus and 바카라사이트 NUS on investment in skills, 바카라사이트 fiercest questioner challenged Shakira Martin on how motions are chosen at NUS conferences. This managed to confuse (and bore) 바카라사이트 room ¨C until 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라¡¯s own John Morgan called it back to order.?

Sometimes, even after many years of attending party conferences, you can be drawn up short by 바카라사이트 things you hear. Yesterday, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute co-hosted an event on universities as regional hubs for growth with UPP Limited. One participant rejected 바카라사이트 idea that areas benefit when graduates stay around to work locally after 바카라사이트ir studies, arguing that 바카라사이트y use up 바카라사이트 scarce resources of local people.

It was ra바카라사이트r like those weak arguments against welcoming international students to 바카라사이트 UK on 바카라사이트 (false) grounds that 바카라사이트ir costs outweigh 바카라사이트ir benefits. I profoundly disagree but I am pleased our event gave an opportunity to hear, digest and 바카라사이트n refute 바카라사이트 idea. That is one of 바카라사이트 many things that conference is for.?

Nick Hillman is director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.