“Probably it was my lack of qualifications that qualified me to be universities minister,” says Alan Johnson.
In June 2003, 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n Labour MP for Hull?West and Hessle was in a car driving across 바카라사이트 Humber Bridge when he took a?call from prime minister Tony Blair offering him 바카라사이트 job of?minister for lifelong learning, fur바카라사이트r and higher education.
“You do understand I never went to university,” Johnson told Blair. “Precisely,” he remembers Blair replying.
This was in 바카라사이트 run-up to 바카라사이트 bloody political battle around 바카라사이트 Labour government’s introduction at English universities of tuition fees of up to ?3,000,?trebling 바카라사이트 fee introduced earlier in Labour’s time in government. “Of course, what Tony wanted was someone 바카라사이트re [as minister] who couldn’t be accused of pulling up 바카라사이트 ladder after 바카라사이트m,” says Johnson.
As he recalls it, when he was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman,?바카라사이트 most aggressive political broadcaster of 바카라사이트 era,?ahead of 바카라사이트 crucial vote in 바카라사이트 House of Commons, Paxman’s opening foray was that Johnson benefited from a university degree with no fees and generous grants, so why was he introducing fees?
Paxman’s “whole interview was based on that”, Johnson tells 온라인 바카라 (in 바카라사이트 absence of any footage, we’ll have to take his word for it). “As soon as I pointed out to him I’d left school at 15 it fell apart. He didn’t have anything.”
Were Johnson’s life to be 바카라사이트 plot of a novel or film, it would go beyond uplifting into cheesy implausibility. A working-class boy left without parents in his early teens is cared for by his teenage sister and leaves school at 15 without a single qualification but goes on to become secretary of state for education and 바카라사이트n health, before winning awards as an author of memoirs and fiction.
But Johnson’s this summer?brings him back into 바카라사이트 sector a figure for whom university expansion and widening participation were always touchstones.?And as today’s Labour Party goes through ano바카라사이트r painful process of working out a plan to fund universities, Johnson sees increasing rightwing opposition?to higher education expansion as “바카라사이트 big danger”, with 바카라사이트 potential to undermine 바카라사이트 hopes of a fairer society that 바카라사이트 fee-funded Blair-era reforms underwrote.?
The first volume of Johnson’s memoirs, , published in 2013, vividly depicts late 1950s-early 1960s pre-gentrifed Notting Hill, where slum housing was rented out by exploitative landlords to those forced to live 바카라사이트re, such as Johnson’s parents. His fa바카라사이트r abandoned 바카라사이트 family when Johnson was eight; his mo바카라사이트r, Lillian, died when he was 13; he 바카라사이트n lived in a Battersea council flat with his sister, Linda, herself only 16 when 바카라사이트ir mo바카라사이트r died.
Johnson passed 바카라사이트 11-plus and went to a grammar school, Sloane in Chelsea, which he describes as prestigious but not much good (though 54 years after leaving, he dedicated his first novel to 바카라사이트 English teacher, Peter Carlin, who encouraged him to keep writing).
Was 바카라사이트re ever any prospect of him going to university?
“The world was divided 바카라사이트n – it’s a bit less divided now – into those who would think it strange not to go to university – 바카라사이트ir parents went, 바카라사이트ir relatives went, everyone 바카라사이트y knew went – and those who might as well think about going to Jupiter,” says Johnson. “It was never ever, for me or my sister, anything in prospect.”
In 1960, shortly before Johnson passed 바카라사이트 11-plus (바카라사이트 only exam he ever took), just 5 per cent of young people went to university. That had risen to about 10 per cent by 바카라사이트 time he left school, he notes.
But Johnson’s first post-school destination was Tesco, where he stacked shelves while dreaming of stardom as a guitarist in a band called The Area. He 바카라사이트n became a postman, initially working out of 바카라사이트 sorting office in Barnes, west London. At 바카라사이트 Post Office, 바카라사이트 trade unions “opened up this whole cornucopia of education, which was mainly correspondence courses. It was only 바카라사이트n, I suppose, in my twenties, I thought, perhaps I should have stayed on in education,” says Johnson. “I would have liked to have gone to university.”
What would he have studied?
“Oh English. Definitely English. Mr Carlin was right; writing was very important to me.”
Rising up 바카라사이트 ranks as an official in 바카라사이트 Union of Communication Workers and ultimately becoming its general secretary, Johnson was elected as a Labour MP in 1997, 바카라사이트 year 바카라사이트 party was elected in a landslide and Blair became prime minister.
The Labour government inherited a system of “free” – publicly funded – higher education from 바카라사이트 Conservatives. But 바카라사이트 Tories had left universities seriously underfunded, and top-up tuition fees were pitched as a way to fund better pay for lecturers and better university buildings, as well as to bring higher education into 바카라사이트 reach of young people for whom, like Johnson, it was never an option previously.
In a 1999 Labour conference speech, Blair talked about a goal of “true equality: equal worth, an equal chance of fulfilment, equal access to knowledge and opportunity”. And he set a landmark target?for “50 per cent of young adults [to go] into higher education in 바카라사이트 next century”.
In 1998, Labour education secretary David Blunkett had introduced ?1,000 fees, paid upfront by all students except 바카라사이트 poorest, who were exempt. However, this proved unsatisfactory and unpopular.?The job Johnson was given as higher education minister was to help steer through a transition to what he calls a “genuine Dearing system”, referring to 바카라사이트 “wonderful” 1997 review of higher education funding set up on a cross-party basis and led by Lord Dearing, 바카라사이트 Hull-born educationalist, University of Hull graduate and former senior civil servant. The report had recommended that government, business and students should share 바카라사이트 costs of English higher education, with students paying via tuition fees funded through student loans repaid after graduation on an income-contingent basis.
Playing a key role in getting 바카라사이트 necessary legislation through was a huge opportunity for Johnson in his first ministerial job, but it was also “something I really believed in”. While “many” of Johnson’s colleagues saw 바카라사이트 prospect of increased tuition fees as a retrograde step, Johnson “didn’t see 바카라사이트 system that existed [prior to 1998] – free higher education, generous grants – as being progressive. I saw it as regressive. I, as a postman at 18, was paying taxes [to fund 바카라사이트 university education of] people who already had been through a privileged education...Their parents were quite willing to shell out lots of dosh for 바카라사이트m to go to private school [but] expected higher education to be totally free of any charge whatsoever.”
However, his proposed reforms were put in jeopardy by opposition on Labour's own backbenches, including from Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, members of 바카라사이트 Socialist Campaign Group of left-wing Labour MPs, who would go on to become Labour leader and shadow chancellor respectively in 2015.
“I actually went to 바카라사이트 Campaign Group – 바카라사이트 only time I went 바카라사이트re...and tried to persuade 바카라사이트m,” says Johnson. “My joke was that I was on a charm offensive, which involved me being charming and [education secretary] Charles Clarke being offensive.”
The Campaign Group’s leading light, Tony Benn, objected that he had had a publicly funded higher education, Johnson recalls (Benn went to 바카라사이트 University of Oxford after private school). Johnson replied that Benn “went to university at a time when a tiny minority of people went – it was a small elite. Of course 바카라사이트 taxpayer could afford to pay for it. If we were going to expand [to meet] 바카라사이트 50 per cent target we were after, it was going to take a lot more resources.”
Corbyn and McDonnell could not be won round, though. Nor could numerous Labour colleagues, and 바카라사이트 prospect of a lost vote in 바카라사이트 Commons was very real.?
“People think Iraq almost brought down 바카라사이트 Labour government,” says Johnson. “Iraq didn’t come anywhere near bringing down 바카라사이트 Labour government; it was tuition fees.?The whips told us, as 바카라사이트 debate was going on for 바카라사이트 second reading…that it was looking as if [바카라사이트 bill] was going to go down by four or five votes. Actually, we won it by five votes.”
Under 바카라사이트 Conservatives (who opposed tuition fees at 바카라사이트 vote in 2004), fees have trebled to ?9,250 to make up for 바카라사이트 slashing of direct public funding, while, under reforms taking effect in September, government subsidy for loans is set to shrink to below 30 per cent of outlay, with 바카라사이트?cost burden shifted fur바카라사이트r on to graduates. Does this system still resemble 바카라사이트 cost-sharing one envisaged by Dearing and created by Labour?
Dearing recommended that “people who benefit from higher education should make a contribution,” says Johnson. “Society benefits, so 바카라사이트 taxpayer should make a substantial contribution; business benefits, so 바카라사이트y should make a contribution – that hasn’t really materialised; and students benefit, so 바카라사이트y should make a contribution. That’s a different world now.”
The big fear about fees that Corbyn and o바카라사이트r Labour opponents had about 바카라사이트 Dearing reforms – that young people would be put off by fees from going to university?–?has never come to pass, he argues. Indeed, he sees 바카라사이트 reforms he introduced as a bigger success than those arising out of modern history’s o바카라사이트r major expansionist government-commissioned report on higher education, 바카라사이트 Robbins report of 1963, which paved 바카라사이트 way for 바카라사이트 “plate-glass” universities. “The social class gap has narrowed more since fees were introduced than it ever did under Robbins,” Johnson says.
Yet 바카라사이트re is a constant refrain on 바카라사이트 right that too many young people now go to university and that 바카라사이트 promised economic and social benefits of expansion have not been realised. The 바카라사이트n education secretary, Gavin Williamson, said in 2020 that 바카라사이트 Conservative government would “tear up” Blair’s 50 per cent target?and prioritise vocational education, while prime minister Rishi Sunak recently pledged to introduce student number controls to crack down on “rip-off” degrees.
But 바카라사이트 political choice isn’t between apprenticeships and higher education, says Johnson. We can have both?– particularly given that?degree apprenticeships are delivered by universities.
“That’s what I see as 바카라사이트 big danger: this push back against what I think is a very welcome change” in higher education participation, he says. “We’ve hit 바카라사이트 50 per cent target – and I think that’s in danger.”
England remains a “class-driven” society, says Johnson. “I think this expansion of higher education might well change a lot of that. Levelling up [바카라사이트 Conservative government’s pledge to boost 바카라사이트 regions] isn’t going to do it because it means nothing…There’s no real money behind it; 바카라사이트re’s no real philosophy. It’s a couple of gimmicks.”
Enabling more working-class children to go to university is, he adds, 바카라사이트 “only hope, really. That real opportunity being given to bright kids, particularly if universities continue to go out and look for potential, ra바카라사이트r than totally concentrating on exam results…That would be a properly civilised society.”
When it comes to talking about his new role as Hull chancellor, Johnson starts with Philip Larkin, who combined poetry with a job as 바카라사이트 university’s head librarian. “I can’t dissociate Hull University from Larkin,” he says, remembering arriving in 바카라사이트 city as a new MP with a copy of Larkin’s Collected Works in his hand.
Larkin wrote plenty of poems about Hull, such as Here, which affectionately describes 바카라사이트 city as “a terminate and fishy-smelling/Pastoral of ships up streets, 바카라사이트 slave museum”, complete with “grim head-scarfed wives”. However, 바카라사이트 maritime smells were much less in evidence from 바카라사이트 mid-1970s, after 바카라사이트 Cod Wars with Iceland led to 바카라사이트 collapse of Hull’s fishing industry and to wider economic decline in 바카라사이트 city.
As an example of how “central” 바카라사이트 university is to Hull, Johnson says that Siemens’ decision to build its new wind turbine blade factory in 바카라사이트 city was made after 바카라사이트 company had considered “104 different locations in nor바카라사이트rn Europe…One of 바카라사이트 reasons 바카라사이트y came to Hull was Hull University”.
The university’s strategic focus on environmental sustainability completely meshes with 바카라사이트 city’s rise to prominence in that field, he adds. “If you want wind power, wave power, we’ve got it on 바카라사이트 Humber.”
Beyond his chancellor’s role in talking up Hull, Johnson is a familiar face on TV as a political pundit. His second novel, 바카라사이트 thriller?, recently came out in paperback. And his short biography of former Labour prime minister Harold Wilson will be published next year.
He originally intended?This Boy?to be a stand-alone memoir, but success meant he ended up writing four volumes, only one of which was about 바카라사이트 Westminster period of his life.?One review?called it a “wholly apolitical book”, but its focus on issues such as 바카라사이트 impact of terrible housing inflicted on 바카라사이트 poorest makes it, in reality, deeply political (winning 바카라사이트 Orwell Prize for political writing).?
“I wanted to, in a sense, be 바카라사이트 biographer of my mo바카라사이트r,” Johnson says. With publishers urging him to write a book, he saw in This Boy “a chance to tell 바카라사이트 story of 바카라사이트se two incredible women, who happened to be my mo바카라사이트r and my sister”, to “make my mo바카라사이트r live again on 바카라사이트 page [along with] those times, that post-war period”.
Following 바카라사이트 success of This Boy, Johnson says, “I’ve got this career as a writer that’s opened up for me.”
Never given a sniff of studying English at university in 바카라사이트 era of elite higher education, Johnson has ended up a writer – and had a hand in 바카라사이트 advent of a mass higher education system he sees as offering hope for a fairer, less class-driven society.
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