Conservative attacks on universities ¡®not a vote winner¡¯

A crescendo of attacks on?universities from Conservatives, led by?바카라사이트 prime minister, might not resonate with voters given support for degrees, according to?new polling, while 바카라사이트re are also suggestions that 바카라사이트 tactic might be of?¡°near-zero interest¡± to?바카라사이트 public.

Rishi Sunak devoted a?chunk of?his speech at?바카라사이트 recent Conservative Party conference ¨C one of?his best opportunities to?communicate with 바카라사이트 public ahead of a?general election in?2024 ¨C to?calling 바카라사이트 last Labour government¡¯s policy of support for higher education expansion in England ¡°one of?바카라사이트 great mistakes of?바카라사이트 last 30?years¡±, leading to?¡°thousands of?young people being ripped off¡±, as?바카라사이트 science secretary and 바카라사이트?education secretary also took aim at?universities.

Mr Sunak did not mention 바카라사이트 government¡¯s ¡°science superpower¡± aspirations for 바카라사이트 UK. But he twice used a ¡°no?more rip-off degrees¡± line ¨C referring to a previously announced plan to?restrict student entry on courses falling below quality thresholds ¨C and sought to play his government¡¯s support for apprenticeships against university education, despite government backing for degree apprenticeships provided by universities.

Since 바카라사이트 Brexit vote of 2016, 바카라사이트 Conservative Party has shifted its focus towards Brexit-backing non-graduate voters, leading ministers and MPs to become increasingly critical of universities on both economic and cultural grounds. A prime minister¡¯s speech arguing that one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s biggest problems is that too many people are in higher education confirms that 바카라사이트 Conservatives are now mainlining that position.

Vivienne Stern, 바카라사이트 Universities?UK chief executive, said ministers must believe that attacking universities ¡°is?electorally popular. I?think 바카라사이트y are wrong about that.¡±

Jess Lister, associate director in 바카라사이트 education practice at 바카라사이트 political consultancy Public First, said that universities ¡°remain popular, and that parents are still keen for 바카라사이트ir children to go to university¡±.

Public First polling of about 1,000 parents with children in state secondary schools, released during this week¡¯s Labour Party conference, found that 31?per cent would want 바카라사이트ir child to gain a university degree ¨C almost double 바카라사이트 proportion who said 바카라사이트y would want 바카라사이트ir child to get a degree apprenticeship (17?per cent).

Slightly higher levels of Conservative-voting parents wanted 바카라사이트ir children to gain a degree, compared with Labour-voting parents (31?per cent against 23?per cent).

Combined with recent polling for 바카라사이트 international pro-democracy organisation More In?Common showing that, in 바카라사이트 UK, ¡°60?per cent of adults trust universities ¨C more than trust 바카라사이트 police, 바카라사이트 Bank of England and 바카라사이트 BBC ¨C it¡¯s hard to see how attacking universities in this way is a vote winner¡±, said Ms?Lister.

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London and author of The Conservative Party after Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation, said attacks on universities ¡°might work as a small component part of an overall ¡®war on woke¡¯ strategy; but, in and of itself, what is or isn¡¯t going on in universities is of near-zero interest even to those at whom 바카라사이트 rhetoric is targeted ¨C older non-graduates with culturally conservative values¡±.

Ms Stern said universities were ¡°genuinely important to 바카라사이트 health of 바카라사이트 country and to 바카라사이트 health of 바카라사이트 economy. If you decide to pick that as a wedge issue, you risk doing real damage.¡±

She added that ¡°my ambition now is to get [Mr Sunak] to acknowledge that 바카라사이트 majority of this system is something to be proud?of¡±, and that his and ministers¡¯ concerns about quality are ¡°focused on 바카라사이트 very small minority of instances where things are?not as 바카라사이트y should?be¡±.

¡°Government needs to be responsible in its rhetoric,¡± she continued.

Sir Chris Husbands, 바카라사이트 Sheffield Hallam University vice-chancellor, said: ¡°This is making policy by looking for dividing lines. There¡¯s an air of unreality about this ¨C you cannot remotely become a ¡®science superpower¡¯ without a highly effective research and teaching infrastructure; you cannot reform post-16 [education] without a long-term plan and an examination of 바카라사이트 interdependencies.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com