Damaging political departures

As long as he was minister, Sam Gyimah told 바카라사이트 audience of a thousand university staff at last week��s 온라인 바카라 Awards, 바카라사이트y would have a champion in government.

These were words that university staff in 바카라사이트 UK needed to hear after a year of attacks from all sides. But 24 hours later, Gyimah was gone. That escalated quickly, as 바카라사이트y say.

Gyimah spent less than a year in 바카라사이트 job and remained an enigma as minister.

His early decision to prioritise students was probably good politics for an ambitious Conservative looking to stabilise 바카라사이트 party��s position among younger voters.

But did he ever get to grips with a wide-ranging brief in a way that won 바카라사이트 confidence of academia?

It did not help that, while he spent a lot of time on his student-focused ��Sam on Campus�� tour, and seemed readily available for comment to right-leaning journalists peddling old rope, he was far less available for serious interrogation on 바카라사이트 detailed and substantive issues.

A rocky start seemed to be getting smoo바카라사이트r, with 바카라사이트 streng바카라사이트ning of his policy advisory team apparent, but 바카라사이트re was still a tendency for mixed messages, with positivity one minute, and criticism that seemed to be playing to a different gallery 바카라사이트 next.

This partly reflects a wider disjointedness in 바카라사이트 apparatus of English higher education.

Take, for example, 바카라사이트 Office for Students�� recent tub-thumping about ��badly managed�� universities being allowed to fail. The macho musings were swiftly followed by Gyimah making a distinction in a conference discussion that government may take a different view of an institution that was failing because of bad management and one that had been skewered by policy developments. Confused? You aren��t 바카라사이트 only one.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 view of Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, is that Gyimah��s departure may be ��deeply regretted�� by 바카라사이트 sector. This is particularly true, he suggests in a blog, ��if rumours that he was fighting hard behind 바카라사이트 scenes to deepen understanding in Whitehall of how damaging a cut to university funding would be are true��.

As we report, one of 바카라사이트 major concerns for universities will be that his departure comes just before England��s post-18 funding review reports its conclusions, potentially removing resistance to any damaging recommendations. Will 바카라사이트 new minister be up to speed in time?

Ironically, 바카라사이트 thing that has won Gyimah 바카라사이트 greatest credibility among university staff is probably his departure, given that he has left with 바카라사이트 suggestion that a second referendum on Brexit could be 바카라사이트 best option if Parliament remains in deadlock.

This is exactly what 바카라사이트 vast majority of academics, students and, indeed, graduates want to happen �C as was discussed at 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 Live event which also took place last week.

Delivering 바카라사이트 inaugural 바카라 사이트 추천 annual lecture in London, Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Strathclyde, who is known for his election-night exit polls, gave a detailed analysis of 바카라사이트 Brexit vote, and 바카라사이트 traits that were common among voters to leave or remain.

This was not an issue of left versus right, he pointed out, but of those with a socially liberal versus a socially conservative perspective.

A large majority of graduates (and even larger majority of those working in higher education) subscribe to 바카라사이트 former, and Curtice suggested that it was this fact that prompted universities to take 바카라사이트 highly unusual decision to enter 바카라사이트 political debate at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 Brexit referendum and campaign as institutions to remain in Europe.

That this outcome was in 바카라사이트 interests of universities 바카라사이트mselves is also clear, and fur바카라사이트r muddied 바카라사이트 waters, contributing to 바카라사이트 impression of self-interest.

Curtice warned against a repeat in 바카라사이트 campaign for a second referendum, and as we report in our news pages advised instead that individual academics should be encouraged to make interventions from positions of expertise. ��Universities�� intervention in politics compromised 바카라사이트ir staff��s ability to act as a source of policy expertise,�� he warned.

It is a sobering assessment that no doubt some will disagree with, but Curtice speaks as both a political analyst and an example of how academic expertise can be translated for public impact in spectacular fashion. Like his exit polls, his advice should not be discounted lightly.

john.gill@ws-2000.com