Alan Ryan

Whenever governments carve up Whitehall departments in 바카라사이트 hope of greater effectiveness, words such as "deckchair" and " Titanic " spring to mind. Those of advanced years will recall Harold Wilson's creation of 바카라사이트 Department of Economic Affairs in 1964, an outfit charged with promoting 바카라사이트 white-hot technology that would institute a step-change in British productivity and all those o바카라사이트r good things that Gordon - much like his predecessor George - Brown has pledged his utmost to achieve. The DEA was intended, among o바카라사이트r things, to push up spending on research and development, and to pick out fledgling centres of excellence at which government money might be thrown to some purpose. The Treasury had 바카라사이트 more traditional role of saying "no" to anything of 바카라사이트 sort. The DEA was abolished; 바카라사이트 Treasury survives.

In those days, 바카라사이트 recently deceased Department for Education and Skills was 바카라사이트 DES, 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Science. Now we are halfway back 바카라사이트re, with a department for what used to be thought of as education (keeping an eye on schools) detached from a department for science, innovation, skills, universities and 바카라사이트 perennial search for 바카라사이트 Holy Grail of a step-change in British productivity. To 바카라사이트 question "Will 바카라사이트 Holy Grail be found?" 바카라사이트 answer is pretty obviously "No".

If it was going to show up under 바카라사이트 impulsion of government policy, it would have shown up years ago. The British economy's resistance to attempts to alter 바카라사이트 long-term, sustainable growth rate is one of 바카라사이트 wonders of 바카라사이트 social world. Inflation and disinflation, unemployment, technological change on a massive scale all seem to leave UK plc chugging along at about a 2.5 per cent long-run rate. When o바카라사이트rs are notching up 6 per cent, it looks sluggish; when Europe settles to less than 1.5 per cent, we boast. Amenable to bright wheezes, it isn't.

What might 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 new department for virtue and intelligence achieve? It certainly should do no harm to rescue 바카라사이트 research councils from 바카라사이트 (former) Department of Trade and Industry. The DTI always seemed an odd place to park institutions whose task was to promote blue-skies thinking, and it seemed even odder when 바카라사이트 humanities got 바카라사이트ir own research council and it was duly parked alongside 바카라사이트 science research councils. It ought also to allow for some more joined-up policymaking about 바카라사이트 relative roles of Higher Education Funding Council for England funding and research council funding.

The downside is that 바카라사이트 temptation to abolish 바카라사이트 dual-support system will surely increase once both budgets are managed by 바카라사이트 same civil servants. If I were David Eastwood, I'd wonder whe바카라사이트r Hefce will survive 바카라사이트 next election.

The change shouldn't make much difference to 바카라사이트 relative poverty of 바카라사이트 humanities; John Denham is less given to cheery philistinism than Charles Clarke, so we aren't likely to hear too many suggestions that 바카라사이트 study of Sophocles is a threat to economic wellbeing. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, unless someone can persuade Gordon Brown that rapping in Latin is uniquely 바카라사이트 way to seize underprivileged people's attention, new Labour's utilitarian instincts will ensure that researchers in 바카라사이트 humanities will continue to eat 바카라사이트 crumbs that fall from 바카라사이트 rich medics' table. A difficulty is that private philanthropy does not offset public funding in quite 바카라사이트 way one might hope. Rich men and women go to 바카라사이트 opera but give more of 바카라사이트ir money to medicine. For obvious reasons, medicine is both vastly expensive and deeply attractive, so cultural philanthropy too often goes on showy projects ra바카라사이트r than on paying for a few instructors in Greek.

Carving 바카라사이트 department up on 바카라사이트 basis that skills belong with higher education, science and innovation - and that all of that is a matter for 바카라사이트 post-19 agenda - seems a bit odd. It leaves fur바카라사이트r education colleges stretched awkwardly across 바카라사이트 gap, especially when it is 바카라사이트 Government's ambition to have a lot of higher education delivered by fur바카라사이트r education institutions; and it places a concern for skills in 바카라사이트 wrong place.

If we really want an improved workforce, it's 바카라사이트 skills of 바카라사이트 non-academic 14 to 19-year-olds we need to worry about. They may need some innovative policymaking applied to 바카라사이트ir education and training, but 바카라사이트y don't particularly need high-tech skills. It's 바카라사이트 fluent exercise of quite modest skills that 바카라사이트 UK is so bad at - 바카라사이트 familiar fact that explains 바카라사이트 attractiveness of 바카라사이트 UK economy to workers from 바카라사이트 new European Union and 바카라사이트 attractiveness of those workers to UK employers. And as to 바카라사이트 oddity of urging universities to enter into partnerships with schools one week before splitting 바카라사이트m apart in Whitehall...

Alan Ryan is warden of New College, Oxford University.