Can I just refer you to Political Networking

Political Networking


This link is to my friend and colleague's Lindas website and gives a multitude of good links to things like the early day motion and the letter to the Guardian of 21st November 2007 signed by leading Vice Chancellors and academics.


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Here is the reply that I wrote to the Guardian in response to that letter. I dont know whether it will be published but it is just as good here(!):-


I agree totally with what is being said by the writers of this letter. This is an ill thought out policy which now has the further disadvantage that the government will not rationally discuss it with anyone and has given a series of obfuscating answers whenever it is asked about the subject matter of its intentions.


To say that it is fiercely keen on widening participation and lifelong learning and then to do this is a very strange thing to do indeed, reminiscent of the best of doublespeak and doublethink. It will not fulfil the requirements mentioned in the Leitch Report.


The effect that these measures will have on Birkbeck College and the Open University is quite obvious because lifelong learning, which is embedded in a lot of the programmes that these two excellent institutions offer, will suffer very greatly.


I for one, am not reassured that these two institutions will pick up the required funding later from additional souces; where is the proof? The additional shock is that these figures are obtained from incomplete data records in 2005.


I would urge the government to go back to the drawing board on this matter as it is clear that this is a most ill-thought out policy.


Donald Hedges, BA(Hons)(Solent), Dip Eng Law(Open).