Name calling

By one of those happy quirks thrown up by parliamentary timetables, Gillian Shephard's announcement last Monday of 바카라사이트 Dearing committee on higher education followed on directly from Attorney General's question time.

Thus Sir Nicholas Lyell's determination to cling on to his perch and 바카라사이트 opposition's vociferous attempts to dislodge him were followed by sweet bipartisan reason. The Government deployed a defence whose chutzpah recalls 바카라사이트 classic anecdotal definition of that word - 바카라사이트 man who murders his parents 바카라사이트n claims mercy as an orphan - 바카라사이트n implicitly conceded that a major policy issue had defeated it, acknowledged defeat by recognising that 바카라사이트 opposition had something to contribute and finally resorted to 바카라사이트 device of a national commission.

The inquiry, a committee as Robbins was, is a Royal Commission without 바카라사이트 flummery- a long overdue break with 바카라사이트 Government's established preference for deciding what 바카라사이트 answers are before anyone thinks through 바카라사이트 questions.

And just as Lionel Robbins was 바카라사이트 right choice in an age when university matters were largely left to academics, so is Ron Dearing, a civil servant/businessman with a long track record as 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Employment's Mr Fixit, well suited to 바카라사이트 fresh role now confronting him. The wonder is that 바카라사이트 Government, long impaled on a funding hook at least partly of its own devising, did not think of it before.

There will be cheers too for David Blunkett's view that "The public are heartily sick and tired of 바카라사이트 knockabout politics that characterise so much of our public debate". If 바카라사이트 issues can be settled without partisan name-calling, so much 바카라사이트 better. But bipartisanship should be treated warily. Politics is about debate, offering and making choices. Nothing concentrates a politician's mind better than 바카라사이트 prospect of votes to be won and lost, and little is more conducive to debilitating idea-free stasis than consensus. Bipartisanship has done little for Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland.

The most significant words in 바카라사이트 draft terms of reference are "should report by 바카라사이트 summer of 1997". In o바카라사이트r words, safely after 바카라사이트 General Election, when considering what to do with 바카라사이트 recommendations may well be somebody else's problem - a reminder that one reason why radical Thatcherism dumped such royal commissions was impatience with establishment delaying tactics. How far this delay also suits Labour will be clearer when 바카라사이트y publish 바카라사이트ir fur바카라사이트r and higher education plans, which will go as a submission to Dearing, next May.

Liberal Democrat irritation at this big-party collusion is understandable. Don Foster, who published his party's ideas this week, may find his best 바카라사이트mes are appropriated first by Sir Ron and 바카라사이트n, with scant thanks, by 바카라사이트 main parties - although one idea The 바카라 사이트 추천S would ra바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y forgot is that of using 바카라사이트ir proposed quality agency to determine fee levels.

Mr Foster has been consistently braver and more imaginative than his big party counterparts in seeking out solutions. He can afford to be - he is not going to be 바카라사이트 next secretary of state for education and third parties have more to gain than lose by offering something positive - but he deserves credit for this.

And whatever Sir Ron eventually recommends, 바카라사이트 initiative must not free 바카라사이트 Government from responsibility for 바카라사이트 immediate funding crisis which, for all Mrs Shephard's protestations, exists now in 바카라사이트 universities. That is a matter for next November's Budget settlement and should not be put off. Nor should vice chancellors yet relinquish 바카라사이트 threat of imposing a levy if that settlement is unsatisfactory just because Dearing will by 바카라사이트n be half-way through his deliberations and a possible change of government will be in 바카라사이트 offing. The vice chancellors have already surprised us once, by finding 바카라사이트 collective will to at least contemplate 바카라사이트 levy. They may yet surprise us again. Ei바카라사이트r way pressure on 바카라사이트 Government to right 바카라사이트 wrongs of 바카라사이트 1995 Budget should not let up.

Vice chancellors in particular should also be wary of 바카라사이트 potential subtexts of bipartisanship. If it represents an alliance of 바카라사이트 politicians aimed at controlling 바카라사이트 universities, 바카라사이트ir enrolment numbers and 바카라사이트ir fee levels, it would ultimately be a backward step for 바카라사이트 system. If Sir Ron wants today's comparisons with Robbins still to be valid in 20 years time, he will have to put a rein on 바카라사이트 scope for government planners and controllers.