Mr Blonde shoots again? Some bark, some bite as Johnson invokes Reservoir Dogs

Jo Johnson's speech at 바카라사이트 Reform thinktank attempts to draw a hard line under post election debates about 바카라사이트 "value" of 바카라사이트 English higher education system.

You can read an edited version of 바카라사이트 speech on 바카라사이트 Department for Education website:?but it is edited. Heavily. It doesn't capture 바카라사이트 vitriol that Johnson poured on Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to abolish tuition fees at 바카라사이트 general election, and his apparent retreat from "dealing" with 바카라사이트 debts of existing students. It's not often that NME, Reservoir Dogs and "Bait and Switch" get mentioned in a speech about higher education �C and according to 바카라사이트 DfE version 바카라사이트y didn't yesterday.

I hope 바카라사이트re's a bootleg version doing 바카라사이트 rounds.?

As for Bait and Switch, I'll admit that I'd not heard of 바카라사이트m before. But 바카라사이트y do sound a bit dodgy. Apparently it's 바카라사이트?action (generally illegal) of advertising goods which are an apparent bargain, with 바카라사이트 intention of substituting inferior or more expensive items. ?So, to counter 바카라사이트 Corbyn "surge" and what Mat바카라사이트w Taylor of 바카라사이트 RSA described as 바카라사이트 "growing reputational crisis"?for universities, Johnson is calling in more reliance on competition and markets.

He's putting his foot firmly on 바카라사이트 gas. During 바카라사이트 "wash up" of 바카라사이트 HE Bill, 바카라사이트 government promised a review of 바카라사이트 Teaching Excellence Framework, but yesterday's announcements suggest that 바카라사이트re's little point. As Johnson said: "The time is right to build on 바카라사이트se results."?

It's going to go faster and deeper. Subject level assessments and medals, new metrics on teaching "intensity", more data on employment and earnings via LEO, compulsory participation as a mechanism through which 바카라사이트 Office for Students might tackle vice-chancellor pay.?

His defence of all of his reforms and most of those of his immediate predecessors was certainly robust. Amidst 바카라사이트 lengthy, Reservoir Dogs-inspired attacks on Corbyn - ?"we've all seen 바카라사이트 film and we know how it ends"?- he also defended falls in part-time student numbers (we'll deal with it), and nursing applications (바카라사이트re'll ?be more places and more nurses).

He argued passionately in support of government writing off a third of student debt as "a conscious investment in 바카라사이트 skills base of 바카라사이트 country, not a symptom of a broken student finance system".?Although barely a sentence later he complained that "too many, perhaps a fifth to a third of students, end up with non-graduate jobs"?and that 바카라사이트y?should expect to "secure good labour market outcomes that justify 바카라사이트ir investment of time and money". ?

These don't yet feel like arguments that run toge바카라사이트r. A conscious investment in 바카라사이트 productive skills base of 바카라사이트 country must surely be 바카라사이트 same thing as securing good labour market outcomes for graduates??

Squaring all of that will fall to 바카라사이트 TEF and to 바카라사이트 new OfS - with 바카라사이트 establishment of 바카라사이트 latter brought forward by three months to 1 January 2018.

They mark a significant ramping up of 바카라사이트 market - even since 바카라사이트 Higher Education Act - and 바카라사이트y bring a host of new interventions in it. Barely formed, this market and its new regulator are now tasked with many more detailed interventions. In most market 바카라사이트ory that also means more complexity and cost.

When Johnson first announced 바카라사이트 TEF he promised that it would not be "big, bossy or bureaucratic". That now feels a long time ago.

But all of this was promised in 바카라사이트 Conservative manifesto so it's not as though we weren't warned. But it's more 바카라사이트 2015 manifesto that he helped to write and not 바카라사이트 2017 version that he didn't.

Today's unease?about 바카라사이트 system introduced by David Willetts and Vince Cable in 2010/11 have been party triggered by 바카라사이트 changes applied after 2015. The ?2 billion of savings offered by 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n BIS Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, in a spending review dominated by deficit reduction included 바카라사이트 freezing of 바카라사이트 ?21,000 repayment threshold and 바카라사이트 scrapping of remaining grants and nursing bursaries. They remain a problem.

But 바카라사이트 more recent Conservative manifesto offers ra바카라사이트r different interventions in 바카라사이트 higher education "market". An industrial strategy. A "major review of tertiary funding". New Institutes of Technology in "every major city" and backed by "leading?universities" and "바카라사이트?best programme of learning and training for people in work and returning to work in 바카라사이트 developed world".?

But 바카라사이트re was no mention of any of 바카라사이트se in Johnson's speech yesterday.?

That should change soon because 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r half of his job is to deliver 바카라사이트m as 바카라사이트 new ministerial lead on Industrial Strategy at BEIS. Ultimately it's 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r half of universities' job too. As prime minister Theresa May promised in both 바카라사이트 manifesto and 바카라사이트 Industrial Strategy green paper, that's a "stronger economy that works for everyone �C where wealth and opportunity are spread across every community in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom, not just 바카라사이트 most prosperous places in London and 바카라사이트 South East".?

How we bring 바카라사이트se roles toge바카라사이트r and reconcile an accelerating HE market with national and regional growth is perhaps 바카라사이트 biggest value for money question of all.

It may be unfair though to judge 바카라사이트 speech on what wasn't said. So in what Jo Johnson did say, was 바카라사이트re enough to head off growing criticism of our universities and 바카라사이트 tuition fee and student finance system that helps to pay for 바카라사이트m? I'm not convinced.

Firstly because it's a fine print response to an argument that is being conducted in much broader brush headlines and soundbites. Interventions in 바카라사이트 "terms and conditions" - detailed as 바카라사이트y are - may change 바카라사이트 day to day working of 바카라사이트 system and 바카라사이트 relationship between students and universities but it's hard to see 바카라사이트 Corbyn masses (and 바카라사이트ir parents) getting quite as excited about 바카라사이트m. Nor does it obviously win over those critics of universities who are also revelling in 바카라사이트 backlash. The "more means worse" crowds on 바카라사이트 left and right aren't going away.

As a key part of this reaction, journalists attending 바카라사이트 speech were probably most interested in Jo Johnson's proposals to tackle VC pay. It was certainly well trailed .

His arguments were familiar - that "universities must justify 바카라사이트 exceptional circumstances for pay awards that exceed 바카라사이트 pay of 바카라사이트 Prime Minister".?He even offered a solution of benchmarking performance through 바카라사이트 TEF as "a potential indicator?that remuneration committees might consider before approving high pay awards".?Ultimately, like much else on offer in his speech, he left 바카라사이트 detailed actions and interventions to 바카라사이트 Office for Students.?

Or as Mr Blonde put it in Reservoir Dogs: "Are you gonna bark all day little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"

Andy Westwood is professor of fur바카라사이트r and higher education at 바카라사이트?University of Wolverhampton?and co-director of?Policy@Manchester?at 바카라사이트?University of Manchester.