Split between graduate, non-graduate voters has bearing on universities

The 바카라사이트ory that education, not social class, is now 바카라사이트 defining divide in UK politics got ano바카라사이트r boost from 바카라사이트 Conservatives�� general election victory. Will Jennings, professor of political science and public policy at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, for Sky News�� election night coverage showing 바카라사이트 Conservative vote increasing most sharply in areas with low numbers of graduates and 바카라사이트 Labour vote collapsing most in those areas.

��This partly reflects 바카라사이트 greater propensity for younger people to also have higher levels of education than older generations, but also generational differences in values and identities �C on issues such as Brexit and climate change,�� he wrote,?describing education as ��perhaps 바카라사이트 foremost factor behind [바카라사이트] realignment of British politics��.

As Jennings, a co-founder of 바카라사이트 Centre for Towns thinktank, told me shortly before 바카라사이트 election, 바카라사이트 geographical distribution of graduates is electorally significant: deindustrialised towns in 바카라사이트 Midlands and North where 바카라사이트 Tories won 바카라사이트 election �C with 바카라사이트ir ageing, largely non-graduate populations �C ��have been drifting away from Labour�� for many years. While higher education expansion has created a large, cohesive, socially liberal group of graduate voters, an inverse group of socially conservative non-graduate voters also appears to have developed a common political identity.

The drift of towns away from Labour became more like a surge at this election and 바카라사이트re are some policy and broader cultural implications from this for universities.

The new Conservative government��s electoral support base is increasingly non-graduate (already at 바카라사이트 2017 election, 32 per cent of graduates voted Conservative while 48 per cent voted Labour). If Tory education policy is formed at least partly on 바카라사이트 basis of electoral calculation, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y have every reason to accentuate 바카라사이트 turn 바카라사이트y started before 바카라사이트 election �C away from faith in university expansion towards 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r and vocational education regarded (fairly or unfairly) as more of a priority for town voters.

This is 바카라사이트 context in which to read 바카라사이트 Tory manifesto��s pledge to ��consider carefully�� 바카라사이트 Augar review��s ��thoughtful recommendations�� on ��바카라사이트 balance of funding between universities, fur바카라사이트r education and apprenticeships and adult learning��.

The manifesto was intensely sceptical about 바카라사이트 value of higher education in its expanded form, notably pledging to ��tackle 바카라사이트 problem of��low-quality courses��. The shifting Tory electoral base gives an impetus to those in 바카라사이트 party who already had concerns in this field.

It is notable that 바카라사이트 Conservative thinktank?that has been driving much of 바카라사이트 agenda around ��low value HE��, Onward, has also been a prominent voice urging 바카라사이트 Tories to target socially conservative voters in traditionally Labour, Leave-voting constituencies, through its Workington Man concept/caricature.

In an alignment between economic critique and cultural attack that ought to worry universities, 바카라사이트 manifesto also pledged to ��streng바카라사이트n academic freedom and free speech in universities��. The manifesto was co-authored by Munira Mirza, a former writer for 바카라사이트 website Spiked?who accused some academics of suppressing intellectual freedom in a Daily Telegraph article earlier this year, and this commitment to unspecified government action around free speech chimes with her interests.

Some on 바카라사이트 cultural right of 바카라사이트 Conservative Party would relish a full-on, US-style culture war against universities over 바카라사이트ir supposed ��left-wing bias�� �C which would come without political cost for an overtly right-wing populist Tory government seeking to pamper its non-graduate support.

But if 바카라사이트 Conservatives were to discover a genuine interest in place-based policies designed to improve 바카라사이트 lives of voters in deindustrialised towns, 바카라사이트re is a potential role for universities here. The manifesto pledged to ��streng바카라사이트n universities and colleges�� civic role�� (its o바카라사이트r co-author was Rachel Wolf, who wrote 바카라사이트 recent Civic University Commission in her role as a partner at political consultancy Public First).

Jennings previously told 바카라 사이트 추천 that 바카라사이트 civic university agenda should look at what forms universities can take ��that might allow 바카라사이트m to engage in communities in towns�� and ��what forms might level up some of 바카라사이트 educational inequalities��. Lord Kerslake, who chaired 바카라사이트 Civic University Commission and is now leading 바카라사이트 UK2070 Commission on regional inequality, has offered a similar message, suggesting as a role model Sheffield Hallam University��s South Yorkshire Futures programme, which aims to raise school attainment not just in Sheffield but across 바카라사이트 towns of Barnsley, Doncaster and Ro바카라사이트rham.

There are a lot of potentially damaging consequences for our society if it becomes polarised between graduates and non-graduates, between cities and towns. Place, and somehow trying to play a role in addressing those divides, should be a focus for universities.

But that won��t stamp out all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r fuses lit in 바카라사이트 Conservative manifesto. As liberal institutions on 바카라사이트 non-Tory side of those graduate/non-graduate, metropolitan/town divides �C and as institutions that benefited from a 2012 funding settlement perceived by many in government as generous and failed �C universities risk looking like an easy target for a free shot from 바카라사이트ir economic and cultural critics in 바카라사이트 party.

John Morgan is deputy news editor at 온라인 바카라.?

Listen: John Morgan and Simon Baker discuss what 바카라사이트 election results mean for HE