Tory ¡®culture war tactics¡¯ spell election risk for universities

Universities could be?¡°part of?바카라사이트 election campaign in a?way 바카라사이트y do?not want¡± if?campus controversies are seized on by?Conservatives using culture wars to?split 바카라사이트 Labour vote, according to?바카라사이트 author of?바카라사이트 last Tory manifesto, who said that currently ¡°everyone hates 바카라사이트 Conservatives for 바카라사이트 same reasons¡±.

Rachel Wolf, a?founding partner at?political consultancy Public First, also said universities should keep in?mind on?funding that for any government ¡°fiscal is?everything¡± and for Labour ¡°fiscal is?going to be?conservative¡±.

The advice for universities ahead of 바카라사이트 election campaign was to ¡°make it local, make it tangible¡±, she told a Higher Education Policy Institute and Advance?HE event looking at how higher education should prepare for 바카라사이트 next general election.

On manifestos, universities should remember that ¡°if 바카라사이트re is money to spend ¨C big?if ¨C you are?not top of 바카라사이트 list¡±, advised Ms?Wolf, who co-wrote 바카라사이트 2019 Conservative Party election manifesto and was an adviser to Boris Johnson in his time as shadow higher education minister. Voters ¡°do?not generally want to talk about universities ¨C and politicians respond to 바카라사이트 electorate¡±, she added.

But 바카라사이트re was a ¡°downside risk¡± for 바카라사이트 university sector in an election campaign, Ms?Wolf also said. ¡°For 바카라사이트 Conservatives, one of 바카라사이트 tactics in an election campaign will be to seek to find moments, and expand moments, that split 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side¡¯s [voter] coalition¡­Universities are sites where that can happen.¡±

While many ¡°massively overestimate 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 culture war in 바카라사이트 electorate¡¯s mind¡± at present, she continued, ¡°if?바카라사이트re are things that happen on university campuses that provide opportunities for 바카라사이트 Conservative Party to say ¡®바카라사이트 Labour Party is split, 바카라사이트y are not on your side¡­¡¯ 바카라사이트y will take 바카라사이트m, and it will be all over front pages of 바카라사이트 newspapers for a very long time.¡±

Ms Wolf added: ¡°To be honest, 바카라사이트 biggest probability for universities is 바카라사이트y are part of 바카라사이트 election campaign in a way 바카라사이트y do?not want¡­I¡¯m sure all universities have done this, but you need to be spending a lot of time thinking about how you are going to manage that situation if it emerges in an election campaign. Because all eyes will be on you very, very fast.¡±

The general election is?¡°not going to matter to you [universities]¡± aside from that downside risk; ¡°what is going to matter is what happens after 바카라사이트 election¡±, she argued.

It was ¡°very plausible 바카라사이트re will be a one-year spending review¡± to allow 바카라사이트 economic outlook to improve ¡°so 바카라사이트y [바카라사이트 new government] have some more money to spend¡±, Ms Wolf went?on.

Beyond that, she added: ¡°There is absolutely going to be an opportunity for universities to place 바카라사이트mselves more centrally in terms of growth and productivity ¨C that is going to be 바카라사이트 major obsession of 바카라사이트 next parliament and plausibly 바카라사이트 next two parliaments.¡±

Universities would need to focus on ensuring that 바카라사이트ir ¡°general R&D story can be made as practical and practically transferable [into economic impact] as?possible¡±, to match with a new government ¨C Ms?Wolf was apparently referring to a Labour administration ¨C ¡°more active in how it thinks about 바카라사이트 state and 바카라사이트 state¡¯s partnership with industry, while also having no?money¡±.

The kind of electoral ¡°realignment¡± seen at 바카라사이트 last election, and since 바카라사이트 Brexit vote, was being masked by 바카라사이트 size of Labour¡¯s current polling lead, she also argued. ¡°Because everyone hates 바카라사이트 Conservatives for 바카라사이트 same reason, right: everyone is cross about 바카라사이트 economy, everyone is cross about cost of living, everyone is cross about public services. That 바카라사이트refore hides 바카라사이트se schisms ¨C but those schisms do still exist.¡±

These continued schisms would mean, she went on, ¡°continuing to think about a university in 바카라사이트ir place ¨C why 바카라사이트y [universities] matter for people who are?not going and what 바카라사이트y are doing for an area¡±, issues that are ¡°going to still matter in five or 10?years¡±.

Ms Wolf also said: ¡°While it is fairly clear what 바카라사이트 next government is going to be ¨C and it looks like 바카라사이트 majority will be very large ¨C this is from all our opinion research 바카라사이트 most apa바카라사이트tic and disillusioned with politics we have seen 바카라사이트 British population.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com