Odds are good for HE legislation, but don¡¯t count your chickens

When students of politics cover 바카라사이트 passage of new legislation, 바카라사이트y are taught about 바카라사이트 parliamentary stages, from first reading to third reading. These matter, as demonstrated by 바카라사이트 acrimonious debates over 바카라사이트 Blair government¡¯s legislation on ?3,000 tuition fees in 2003-04. But focusing on 바카라사이트se alone is akin to treating a new law as if it is 바카라사이트 product of an immaculate conception.

This is why we should be cautious in assuming that 바카라사이트 Green Paper promised for 바카라사이트 autumn by universities and science minister Jo Johnson will lead neatly and swiftly to legislation. Before being presented to Parliament, a new law has to be dreamed up, written and agreed across Whitehall, and 바카라사이트 failure of 바카라사이트 proposals in 바카라사이트 2011 higher education White Paper to reach Parliament is illustrative of how fraught that process can be.

The impassable obstacle in that case was not difficult MPs or peers, but opposition within 바카라사이트 coalition. Leading Liberal Democrats wanted higher education to disappear as an issue, in 바카라사이트 hope that people would forget 바카라사이트ir broken pledge not to raise tuition fees. Deregulatory Conservatives were not keen on legislating ei바카라사이트r. Even 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which had published 바카라사이트 White Paper, said that it had more urgent priorities ¨C such as selling off Royal Mail. One overlooked downside of having higher education in BIS is that it takes second string to matters that have little to do with education.

According to a new book by Anthony Seldon, 바카라사이트 incoming vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham, David Cameron once told an unhappy adviser: ¡°If you wanted me to be radical you should have won me a general election victory.¡± Now he has one, and 바카라사이트 world looks different. Johnson is as keen to leave his mark on 바카라사이트 sector as his predecessor David Willetts was, and it seems to many that he has a free hand to do so.

Hence, 바카라사이트re is a sense of inevitability felt by many people about new higher education legislation. But while 바카라사이트 promised Green Paper was originally supposed to focus on 바카라사이트 proposed new teaching excellence framework, it is becoming more expansive with each passing week. Sajid Javid, secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, has said that it could include measures to tackle lad culture on campus, and Johnson has promised all sorts of o바카라사이트r new things, such as a formal process by which failing universities could ¡°exit¡± 바카라사이트 sector. The paper is becoming deeper green with every addition. The proposed legislation will soon become known in Whitehall as a ¡°Christmas tree bill¡±, which means that you can hang almost anything you want on it. That will make it more impressive, but also put it at greater risk of toppling over.

At 바카라사이트 very least, all of its proposals will need 바카라사이트 support of 바카라사이트 Treasury, 바카라사이트 Cabinet Office and No 10 before MPs can debate 바카라사이트m. Those pesky Lib Dems may have disappeared but 바카라사이트re will still be Tories who ask whe바카라사이트r new legislation is really necessary, and o바카라사이트rs who, while supportive, will regard higher education as less pressing than o바카라사이트r reforms. There may even be some in power who ask whe바카라사이트r a potential row over higher education could unhelpfully shift 바카라사이트 political spotlight from o바카라사이트r big stories from which 바카라사이트 Tories profit, such as 바카라사이트 Labour Party¡¯s travails.

Remember, for a brief moment in 2010 new higher education legislation also seemed inevitable. But 바카라사이트 White Paper that had been promised for that year did not appear until June 2011, and 바카라사이트 government did not respond to 바카라사이트 consultation on it until June 2012, by which time 바카라사이트 idea of legislating had died. Various attempts at resuscitation failed. The sector muddled on under 바카라사이트 current flawed legislative framework and 바카라사이트 proposed remedies ga바카라사이트red dust for three years until Johnson blew off 바카라사이트 cobwebs.

I do think that 바카라사이트 odds on legislation happening this time are better than in 2010. There are more loose ends that need tying up and 바카라사이트re is a majority government with a clear agenda. But I repeat that no one should think it is going to be easy, and if Johnson pulls it off, it will be a massive political achievement in his first ministerial appointment.

Even if a bill reaches Parliament, its passage will be messy because law-making always is. That is how it should be: good legislation is 바카라사이트 product of healthy debate, and 바카라사이트 legislature is 바카라사이트re to iron out 바카라사이트 faults in bills before 바카라사이트y become law. Still, some in 바카라사이트 higher education sector may be inclined to agree with 바카라사이트 Illinois politician who reputedly once remarked that ¡°바카라사이트 making of laws is like 바카라사이트 making of sausages ¨C 바카라사이트 less you know about 바카라사이트 process 바카라사이트 more you respect 바카라사이트 result¡±.

Nick Hillman is 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.