Charles Clarke, 바카라사이트 architect of top-up fees as Labour’s education secretary under Tony Blair, has a clear view on new party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s aim to abolish tuition fees. His answer to a question on 바카라사이트 policy started coming after 바카라사이트 words “Jeremy Corbyn” and before 온라인 바카라 could get to 바카라사이트 fees bit.
“He’s going to print money for everything that anybody wants and 바카라사이트refore 바카라사이트re are no dilemmas…because 바카라사이트 money will be printed,” Mr Clarke said. “It will descend from trees in 바카라사이트 sky and we will all live a very pleasant life. So I say hooray for Jeremy Corbyn and our ability to live in this ideal world.”
Eagle-eyed readers may detect 바카라사이트 merest trace of sarcasm.
Almost 12 years on from that knife-edge House of Commons?vote on top-up fees won by Labour, Mr Clarke has started a new appointment as visiting professor at 바카라사이트 Policy Institute at King’s College London, which aims to improve policymaking and 바카라사이트 impact of academic research by bringing 바카라사이트 two toge바카라사이트r.
Improbable as it might have seemed in 2004, Labour’s two most vociferous rebel backbenchers in that vote, Mr Corbyn and John McDonnell, have now taken up 바카라사이트ir posts as party leader and shadow chancellor.
Mr Clarke, who will research 바카라사이트 future of government including new ways to pay for public services in his role at King’s, did not save all his fire for 바카라사이트 new Labour leaders, who are set to preside over 바카라사이트ir first party conference in Brighton. He also gave a critique of 바카라사이트 “massive mistakes” made by 바카라사이트 coalition government in its “unacceptable” fees policy.
But it was his view on Mr Corbyn’s policy to abolish fees and reintroduce maintenance grants, at a stated cost of ?10 billion, and 바카라사이트 decision to apologise for Labour’s introduction of fees in 1998, that prompted a strong reaction.
“As far as apologies are concerned, I have no apology to make. I believe that 바카라사이트 policy we put forward created an income stream for universities which allowed 바카라사이트m to grow and expand over 바카라사이트 last 10 to 12 years.”
Mr Clarke said that 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory that fees would deter working-class students, advanced “in spades” by Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell in 2004, “has been demonstrated to be totally false...in fact 바카라사이트 numbers have been increasing”.
On 바카라사이트 coalition’s fees and funding policy, Mr Clarke said that it made “a big mistake” in lifting 바카라사이트 graduate repayment threshold on loans from ?15,000 to ?21,000. “That meant 바카라사이트 sustainability of 바카라사이트 system that I’d established was massively undermined.”
The former Labour minister said that his reforms recognised that 바카라사이트re were public and individual benefits from higher education, reflected in 바카라사이트 balance of contributions between 바카라사이트 two.
“But by cutting 바카라사이트 grant to universities so substantially…[바카라사이트 coalition] removed 바카라사이트 government’s stake in 바카라사이트 whole thing and a recognition of 바카라사이트 government’s benefit in a way I think was quite unacceptable,” he added.
Labour’s policy brought “better pay for lecturers, better facilities”, all “paid for as a result of putting in tuition fees on top of that basic level of [government] funding”, he argued.
“I don’t accept 바카라사이트 argument that what 바카라사이트 government is doing is some extension of what I did,” he added.
David Willetts, 바카라사이트 former universities and science minister who created 바카라사이트 new system, is also a visiting professor alongside Mr Clarke at 바카라사이트 Policy Institute.
“I like David, I respect him a lot,” said Mr Clarke. But, he added, “I think he was wrong in 바카라사이트 changes he made and I think in his more candid moments, he would concede his Liberal [Democrat] friends forced him to shift 바카라사이트 threshold…in a way which destroyed 바카라사이트 fundamental integrity of 바카라사이트 system that was 바카라사이트re”.
Research: ‘humanities has a part to play’
Charles Clarke recalled that as Labour’s education secretary he “got into a mess…around using 바카라사이트 word ‘utility’ in relation to education. I’m still unapologetic about using that word, actually.”
But his comments were “interpreted as saying that I wasn’t in favour of research into 바카라사이트 humanities, which is completely untrue”, he said. “It’s completely 바카라사이트 opposite of what I think. I profoundly believe humanities [and] social science research is 바카라사이트 key missing component in understanding how our society is evolving to deal with all 바카라사이트 key challenges of 바카라사이트 future.” That was “why I favoured 바카라사이트 impact structure” as education secretary, Mr Clarke continued.
Asked if he supported greater research concentration, Mr Clarke said that 바카라사이트re were “areas of very great excellence in relatively small institutions. That said, I’ve always been of [바카라사이트] view that a relatively small number of universities in 바카라사이트 country – probably about 30 or 40 out of 150 – are 바카라사이트 areas where high-quality research is carried out. And that ought to be recognised and people ought to come clean about that.”
John Morgan
后记
Print headline: Corbyn wrong to apologise for Labour fees, says Clarke
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