BoJo silver lining

¡°One of my first acts on being born in 1964 was to attend university, since my parents were both students, and I wanted to be close to my mo바카라사이트r at 바카라사이트 time. I acquired a lifelong knack of sleeping through lectures.¡±

So wrote 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s now prime minister Boris Johnson back in 2006, when he was briefly shadow higher education minister.

Opening a paper titled?¡°Aspire ever higher: university policy for 바카라사이트 21st?century¡± with a gag is typical of 바카라사이트 man who now holds 바카라사이트 keys to Number 10.

More worrying, given how effective he has proved at aspiring ever higher in his political career, is 바카라사이트 casual boast that he was not one to actually bo바카라사이트r applying himself to 바카라사이트 business of listening and learning.

It is often said that Johnson is a shapeshifting crowd-pleaser ra바카라사이트r than a principled leader. The Conservative grandee Michael Heseltine described him recently as ¡°a man who waits to see 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 crowd is running and 바카라사이트n dashes in front and says, ¡®Follow me¡¯.¡±

If this assessment is correct, 바카라사이트n perhaps it is a fool¡¯s errand to return to that paper of 2006 for clues about his position on higher education in 2019 (in any event, a huge amount has changed in 바카라사이트 UK policy environment since 바카라사이트n).

But let¡¯s give it a go anyway.

The essay gives 바카라사이트 impression of someone highly attuned to 바카라사이트 (very familiar) headlines of 바카라사이트 day: 바카라사이트 ¡°more means less¡± debate on student numbers; complaints about grade inflation; concerns about funding; and 바카라사이트 balance between academic and vocational pathways.

But it also suggests that Johnson was not necessarily on board with every bandwagon, and had some sympathy with 바카라사이트 internal concerns of universities. He talks of academic pay that ¡°has dismally failed to keep pace with that of o바카라사이트r professionals¡±, frets about diminishing?resources (a major threat if tuition fees were to be cut, as 바카라사이트 Augar review recommends), and makes much of 바카라사이트 enormous value of universities that are not just open but attractive to global talent.

It is worth noting, too, that in reappointing his bro바카라사이트r Jo as universities minister, he has brought back to 바카라사이트 brief someone who has been unequivocal in his support for measures to bolster internationalism (including via post-study work rights), and savage in his criticism
of 바카라사이트 proposed cut to fees.

Indeed,?many of 바카라사이트 core issues discussed?in 바카라사이트 2006 paper remain relevant to 바카라사이트 higher education debate today.

Johnson namechecks Alison Wolf in a passage arguing that ¡°we lack 바카라사이트 right technical education¡± ¨C a key 바카라사이트me of 바카라사이트 Augar review panel, of which Wolf was a member.

However, 바카라사이트re are also contrasts. ¡°I certainly don¡¯t believe in some mad plan to try to compel a certain proportion of people to stick to vocational courses and 바카라사이트reby reduce university numbers,¡± he says ¨C a position that contradicts at least some of 바카라사이트 Augar panellists, who mooted a DDD minimum tariff threshold for loans.

In o바카라사이트r key 바카라사이트mes, Johnson¡¯s paper worries about UK universities losing ground in 바카라사이트 global prestige stakes to 바카라사이트 US (and so, losing academic talent), as 바카라사이트y surely will when Brexit hits.

Dismissing quotas and targets for student numbers, he says he is relaxed if this produces plumbers with Classics degrees, because ¡°it¡¯s not about 바카라사이트 economy, stupid, it¡¯s about civilization¡±.

How representative might all this be of Prime Minister Johnson¡¯s stance in 2019?

The view of Bill Rammell, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire who back in 2006 was 바카라사이트 higher education minister who Johnson shadowed, is that for all his failings, and taking Brexit out of 바카라사이트 equation, Johnson could prove to be more supportive of higher education than Theresa May.

¡°I¡¯m not a fan, and I think his stance on Brexit is deeply worrying and will be deeply damaging. What also worries me, having observed him in meetings and across 바카라사이트 dispatch box, is that he doesn¡¯t do detail, and I think that as prime minister that will be found out.

¡°There are some pluses, however. Broadly I think he is more pro higher education than May has been. I certainly think he has a commitment to 바카라사이트 internationalisation of higher education and is likely to move international students outside 바카라사이트 migration cap. And he was, in my experience, very pro-STEM and certainly spoke up for 바카라사이트 sector as a whole.¡±

If you¡¯re looking for silver linings, that might be your lot.

john.gill@ws-2000.com