One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
This is the 'we did well without university so so should the youth' policy.
Actually I think a lot of people on ehre have criticised some courses that get offered and spoken positively of apprenticeships as a concept, but the devil is in the details - which courses, what apprenticeships, for how long etc?
Hopefully apprenticeships related to housebuilding….
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
This is the 'we did well without university so so should the youth' policy.
Actually I think a lot of people on ehre have criticised some courses that get offered and spoken positively of apprenticeships as a concept, but the devil is in the details - which courses, what apprenticeships, for how long etc?
Hopefully apprenticeships related to housebuilding….
Issue there is - young people don’t want to do them…
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
I suppose that one solution to the desperate university funding crisis is to start closing them down. Another policy that will appeal to the elderly core vote who nearly all left school when they were 14.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
NEW: LBC’s @IainDale quits radio to run for Westminster.
The 61yo unsuccessfully contested North Norfolk for Conservatives in 2005.
He was chief of staff to David Davis in leadership campaign against David Cameron.
He’s been broadcasting on LBC since 2010.
Surely bollocks? He's been distancing from the Tories for years, he's too sane for Reform, too conservative for the Lib Dems and not got the factional backing to stand for Labour.
He’s going to attempt to become the Tory MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells.
14.6k majority, winnable certainly, but LDs should do better than even 1997 in that seat, given they had about the same share in 2019 as 1997.
(In fairness Labour were easy second in 2017)
I hadn't spotted that Greg Clark had stepped down on Friday. I'm gobsmacked. Holding Tunbridge Wells would be a tough ask, the Lib Dems should be able to squeeze the Labour vote but Iain is a class act and genuinely nice. I would vote for him if he were the Tory candidate in my seat and will start the campaign with name recognition. Question if Iain being parachuted into the seat will annoy anyone else who would have coveted it or think that Iain's not conservative enough.
Bet365 has Tories at 11/10, might be worth a punt.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
This is the 'we did well without university so so should the youth' policy.
Actually I think a lot of people on ehre have criticised some courses that get offered and spoken positively of apprenticeships as a concept, but the devil is in the details - which courses, what apprenticeships, for how long etc?
1 in 8 grandparents now face up to idea that their lovely and "isn't she bright" grandkid isn't going go to university after all.
Another policy they haven't thought through.
Is everyone over 65 only interested in themselves?
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
Well that’s the university sector destroyed - and those apprenticeships will be crap. You need buy in from employers not a few extra quid…
The stupid, irresponsible manchild...
He knows he won't be scrapping anything because there won't be a future Conservative government. And if he doesn't know that, he blooming well should. He's going to invite all current Conservative MPs to do a poo on the Downing Street carpets on July 3, isn't he? Just because he can.
But we're entering recruitment season, and "we're going to scrap some courses" is the sort of talk that causes a run on confidence which will have a real impact.
And from a party that claims to believe in letting people get on with lawful persuits? Pass the sickbag, Alice.
Other policies around uni. The 2-year courses, part-time ones with a job and also making it more attractive not all student move away from home. You can make uni cheaper through these approaches.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
This is the 'we did well without university so so should the youth' policy.
Actually I think a lot of people on ehre have criticised some courses that get offered and spoken positively of apprenticeships as a concept, but the devil is in the details - which courses, what apprenticeships, for how long etc?
1 in 8 grandparents now face up to idea that their lovely and "isn't she bright" grandkid isn't going go to university after all.
Another policy they haven't thought through.
Is everyone over 65 only interested in themselves?
I think not.
Their love is surely not dependent on whether their children or grandchildren go to university.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
This is the 'we did well without university so so should the youth' policy.
Actually I think a lot of people on ehre have criticised some courses that get offered and spoken positively of apprenticeships as a concept, but the devil is in the details - which courses, what apprenticeships, for how long etc?
Hopefully apprenticeships related to housebuilding….
That would be a wasted skill to provide them at present.
NEW: LBC’s @IainDale quits radio to run for Westminster.
The 61yo unsuccessfully contested North Norfolk for Conservatives in 2005.
He was chief of staff to David Davis in leadership campaign against David Cameron.
He’s been broadcasting on LBC since 2010.
Surely bollocks? He's been distancing from the Tories for years, he's too sane for Reform, too conservative for the Lib Dems and not got the factional backing to stand for Labour.
He’s going to attempt to become the Tory MP for Royal Tunbridge Wells.
14.6k majority, winnable certainly, but LDs should do better than even 1997 in that seat, given they had about the same share in 2019 as 1997.
(In fairness Labour were easy second in 2017)
The Tunbridge LibDem candidate is a war hero. Last year he fought his way across the Donbas to the Sea of Azov armed only with an orange crayon.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
This is the 'we did well without university so so should the youth' policy.
Actually I think a lot of people on ehre have criticised some courses that get offered and spoken positively of apprenticeships as a concept, but the devil is in the details - which courses, what apprenticeships, for how long etc?
Hopefully apprenticeships related to housebuilding….
Issue there is - young people don’t want to do them…
A little more than a week ago, on @TheLastWord, I pointed out how Michael Cohen's admission to stealing from the Trump Org contradicts the defense theory of the case.
They argue Cohen stole the money—and it was legitimately earned.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Only your money you're spending if you're likely to pay it back.
@NatashaC Iain Dale bids us farewell after 14 years as he announces he'll be standing to be an MP
"Now I am putting my hat in the ring again... Whatever the result I feel I can play a role in restoring trust and honesty in politics. I would forever kick myself if I didn't have a go."
I like Iain Dale and hope he wins which might seem like heresy given I’m a Labour supporter . He certainly would be a welcome addition to parliament and he’s always been very fair on LBC and not frightened to criticize his own party .
The thing is nobody is really talking about the core crucial issues. Things like productivity is a huge problem. When France is smashing you at productivity given when they aren't on strike they are taking the whole of August off, you know something is seriously wrong.
Instead we are pissing about with putting people in national service or tweaking zero hour contracts so they aren't quite zero hours.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Only your money you're spending if you're likely to pay it back.
They’ve changed the rules so now the majority of people will pay it back, yes.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
I am, as you know and love to mock, a lawyer. I mostly do employment law but had a bit of a sideline in business visas for my clients. Became a big earner post-Brexit. I ran a really anodyne, boring, Twitter account advertising myself as an “Employment and Business Immigration Lawyer” as the Marketing Dept got keen on social media. Nothing political, stupefyingly dull, updates on legal changes, I got to a measly 500 followers - mostly other lawyers. My big moment was being retweeted by Joshua Rosenberg. I tweeted really dull stuff the PR team suggested, avoiding politics.
However, starting in about 2014 or 2015, I started getting abuse. Snide comments at first, then over time they started to get more personal, and then, in 2022, I became of of these lawyers -
The worst actual DM a threat of comedy death, the guy had imagination, but it directly referenced Rwanda. Others referenced Patel’s speeches. Eventually I closed the account anyway - before Braverman. I don’t do any asylum work, the immigration practice I had was visas for complained and HNWI’s, the sort of people “Global Britain” was supposed to be attracting, but nevertheless I was clearly an enemy of the people.
Tories also hate me because I’m married to a foreigner. My specific foreigner is a white Irish-American New Englander but, nevertheless, the hoops we have had to jump through regarding her immigration status have grown increasingly tighter. Now she’s just taken dual nationality the issues will have stopped but we met when I was a student and we would not be allowed to get married now.
So, if not me, then the Tories don’t want “people like me” to vote for them. So I won’t.
I’m not really a “victim”. Others have it far worse than me. The list of people Tories hate is long. But you can see why I can’t see myself as the the sort of person they’re gunning for.
You are a good person Doug and I am glad to have you posting here. I am sorry for the way you have been treated.
Good for you. Until enough of us stand together and say "No more, this far and no more, there can be no more slightly mad and weird threats on social media against wealthy people" then these slightly mad and weird threats on social media against wealthy people will inexorably continue and possibly WORSEN until millionaire lawyers with their rich Boston born wives become slightly anxious before lunch. And the people in Ukraine think they have it bad?
This, this here. This is where we must finally stand, and turn, and FIGHT
DEFEND THE WEALTHY IMMIGRATION LAWYERS
IIRC it was you who pointed out that most people live their lives online these days. I don't like it but that's how it's gone. We used to believe that we lived in a country where most people thought like us, for any given definition of "us". But now we have access to social media and now we know that for any given definition of "us" there will be people who hate us and want us dead, and that there are people in other countries who think more like "us" than our compatriots. This leads to a loosening of the nation-state and a growth in anxiety, both of which I hate.
Well yes maybe whatever: but the last people I will feel sorry for, in this context, is very wealthy lefty immigration lawyers
I do not personally wish ill on @dougseal, of course, but I cannot find it in me to feel deep sinks of sympathy
In which case, why bother commenting? Unless, of course, you are a troublemaking arsehole. You should get a job with some right wing rag like the Spectator.
Sadly, writing for the world's most prestigious and longest running English language magazine - the Spectator - is very much out of my league. I leave that to its various famous contributors, like Graham Greene, George Orwell, @SeanT, Alexander Pope, Sylvia Plath, sundry Prime Ministers and Chancellors, and Lionel Shriver. And Taki. For me it is the humble Knapper's Gazette, but maybe one day. Who knows?
It's a shitty rag wherein 87.4% of its writers are pretty standard journeymen churning out pedestrian prose which panders to and stokes the prejudices of the red cord-wearing rural types you enjoy making fun of so much yet of whom for some unaccountable reason you are in awe.
12.6% of its writers get the joke and manage to turn out great prose which laughs at that demographic without it being obvious.
Despite your huge self-regard in particular when you come onto PB to parade your supposed sophistication to the yokels, you are comfortably in the former group.
You actually took the pains to redirect that to a new post, bless
If you're aiming for @SeanT he has I believed moved on, anyway, and now writes for Unherd
What care I? I write for the Knapper's Gazette and I do not aim for such heights, the Spectator was the favourite magazine of Ted Hughes, T S Eliot, e e Cummings, and Evelyn Waugh, I am but a knapper
FFS why do you persist with this inane charade?
I understand you need to distance yourself from some of your more extreme drunken comments on here to avoid becoming persona non grata with your publishers but really, you can do that without maintaining this fairytale.
Unless, unless Leon really is being stalked by a weirdo who posts on twitter… I’m afraid the worst thing is CHB now thinks it’s a ‘cool’ thing to do too. It isn’t.
"£1 of every £4 borrowed by students is never paid back"
That's got to be on the old plan, surely? On the new plans it must be higher, even accounting for interest and disregarding inflation.
I was reading about this the other day. On the new plan a higher fraction will be repaid, probably because it is now cancelled after 40 years.
You mean cancelled counts as "not unrepaid"? Bizarre..
No, it will now be cancelled after 40 years compared to 35. A longer collection period means more money is collected overall.
Mine (plan 1) is cancelled at age 65. I thought plan 2 was cancelled after 25 years. Never heard of 35 or 40.
Also, if I borrow £40k and pay back £40k (but don't pay it off, due to interest) does that count as "£4 of every £4 borrowed by students is ever paid back". It's not a very useful phrasing...
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
When will the Referendum on the death penalty be announced?
I’m not sure that’s on the list. It’s not sufficiently discriminatory against young people. Corporal punishment would be more on brand. Bring back the cane and slipper.
Is any political party even addressing the threat of AI? Now I am not Leon level hype (as I actually work in the business so I have slightly more knowledge of the limitations), but it is undeniable is going to change the world of work and that is already happening. To totally ignore it foolhardy.
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
"£1 of every £4 borrowed by students is never paid back"
That's got to be on the old plan, surely? On the new plans it must be higher, even accounting for interest and disregarding inflation.
I was reading about this the other day. On the new plan a higher fraction will be repaid, probably because it is now cancelled after 40 years.
You mean cancelled counts as "not unrepaid"? Bizarre..
No, it will now be cancelled after 40 years compared to 35. A longer collection period means more money is collected overall.
Mine (plan 1) is cancelled at age 65. I thought plan 2 was cancelled after 25 years. Never heard of 35 or 40.
Also, if I borrow £40k and pay back £40k (but don't pay it off, due to interest) does that count as "£4 of every £4 borrowed by students is ever paid back". It's not a very useful phrasing...
@christopherhope I am just back from interviewing Rachel Reeves for GB News. It is extraordinary how Labour is so cautious on its plans and the Tories are not. Labour says there will be no increases in income tax, NICs or corporation tax, nor any wealth taxes. Meanwhile Conservatives spray around cash on pensions and national service etc It is like the roles played by the partes in the 2017/2019 campaigns (remember Jeremy Corbyn's 'magic money tree') are reversed. I was struck too by Reeves - standing in front of a podium saying "change" - telling her audience of business leaders today: "Stability is change." #GE2024
It is not only extraordinary but also alarmingly poor politics. Labour are running far too timid a campaign at a point in time when the country wants to be given a bit of hope. The saving grace for Labour is that country is so determined to get rid of the Conservatives that they will win big regardless, with people voting for Labour in the hope that they surely will do much more than they feel they can reveal.
When will the Referendum on the death penalty be announced?
I’m not sure that’s on the list. It’s not sufficiently discriminatory against young people. Corporal punishment would be more on brand. Bring back the cane and slipper.
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
That is quite surprising. I always thought it was under served in the same way as we don't train enough engineers. It appears we are down to about ~50 that run some sort of chemistry course these days.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
The thing is nobody is really talking about the core crucial issues. Things like productivity is a huge problem. When France is smashing you at productivity given when they aren't on strike they are taking the whole of August off, you know something is seriously wrong.
Instead we are pissing about with putting people in national service or tweaking zero hour contracts so they aren't quite zero hours.
Productivity requires investing in machinery, software and training.
Guess what that requires = money and money spent on investment is profit that doesn’t go to shareholders. Hence few companies invest enough…
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
"£1 of every £4 borrowed by students is never paid back"
That's got to be on the old plan, surely? On the new plans it must be higher, even accounting for interest and disregarding inflation.
I was reading about this the other day. On the new plan a higher fraction will be repaid, probably because it is now cancelled after 40 years.
You mean cancelled counts as "not unrepaid"? Bizarre..
No, it will now be cancelled after 40 years compared to 35. A longer collection period means more money is collected overall.
Mine (plan 1) is cancelled at age 65. I thought plan 2 was cancelled after 25 years. Never heard of 35 or 40.
Also, if I borrow £40k and pay back £40k (but don't pay it off, due to interest) does that count as "£4 of every £4 borrowed by students is ever paid back". It's not a very useful phrasing...
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
The problem is the government eventually writes off the loan to do a course for students who don't earn enough in later life.
It is not only extraordinary but also alarmingly poor politics. Labour are running far too timid a campaign at a point in time when the country wants to be given a bit of hope.
It's proper expectation management.
Labour are determined not to promise anything they don't think they can deliver.
Tories are offering the moon on a stick. It's a cargo cult tribute to the Brexit campaign, targeting the same voter pool.
Well at least Sir Ed brought some colour to the campaign today when falling off his paddle board (otherwise it would have been Farage ranting about the boats in a pub). Better than Starmer and Sunak wandering around factories all day with workers bored witless listening to them rambling on when they should be getting on with their work.
What happened to campaign rallies and meeting voters in the street and getting on your soapbox?
One in eight university degree places would be scrapped under a future Conservative government and the funding diverted into apprenticeships, Rishi Sunak will pledge on Wednesday.
In a crackdown on so-called Mickey Mouse courses, Sunak will accuse universities of “ripping young people off” by offering degree places that do not increase their long-term earnings potential.
Instead Sunak will say the money should be spent creating an extra 100,000 apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.
@christopherhope I am just back from interviewing Rachel Reeves for GB News. It is extraordinary how Labour is so cautious on its plans and the Tories are not. Labour says there will be no increases in income tax, NICs or corporation tax, nor any wealth taxes. Meanwhile Conservatives spray around cash on pensions and national service etc It is like the roles played by the partes in the 2017/2019 campaigns (remember Jeremy Corbyn's 'magic money tree') are reversed. I was struck too by Reeves - standing in front of a podium saying "change" - telling her audience of business leaders today: "Stability is change." #GE2024
It is not only extraordinary but also alarmingly poor politics. Labour are running far too timid a campaign at a point in time when the country wants to be given a bit of hope. The saving grace for Labour is that country is so determined to get rid of the Conservatives that they will win big regardless, with people voting for Labour in the hope that they surely will do much more than they feel they can reveal.
I’ve been saying this would happen for years. Starmer is refighting 1997 when the country is ready for a bolder offer.
@christopherhope I am just back from interviewing Rachel Reeves for GB News. It is extraordinary how Labour is so cautious on its plans and the Tories are not. Labour says there will be no increases in income tax, NICs or corporation tax, nor any wealth taxes. Meanwhile Conservatives spray around cash on pensions and national service etc It is like the roles played by the partes in the 2017/2019 campaigns (remember Jeremy Corbyn's 'magic money tree') are reversed. I was struck too by Reeves - standing in front of a podium saying "change" - telling her audience of business leaders today: "Stability is change." #GE2024
It is not only extraordinary but also alarmingly poor politics. Labour are running far too timid a campaign at a point in time when the country wants to be given a bit of hope. The saving grace for Labour is that country is so determined to get rid of the Conservatives that they will win big regardless, with people voting for Labour in the hope that they surely will do much more than they feel they can reveal.
I’ve been saying this would happen for years. Starmer is refighting 1997 when the country is ready for a bolder offer.
Blair offered a lot more bold vision than Starmer (so far). I mean we talked about the 2024 pledge card, 6500 new teachers over 5 years, its literally a rounding error against the 450k teachers / 40k leave every year (and less than the increase this year).
Well at least Sir Ed brought some colour to the campaign today when falling off his paddle board (otherwise it would have been Farage ranting about the boats in a pub). Better than Starmer and Sunak wandering around factories all day with workers bored whitless listening to them rambling on when they should be getting on with their work.
What happened to campaign rallies and meeting voters in the street and getting on your soapbox?
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
Did he do cadets at Winchester?
First I have heard if he did.
It is such utter bullshit it is as you say vomit-inducing.
He's making May look like JFK as a running candidate.
Thing is the Tories are being true to their long standing form. They talk about all sorts of stuff. Blah blah blah. They never actually fucking do anything.
Levelling up? Nice chat, nothing to show for it. And the national service plan funded by stripping out most of the remaining levelling up fund. Infrastructure? Good news if you live in Old Oak Common and want to get to Birmingham. Groundbreaking trade deals? We can now buy Vegemite. The one thing they deliver on, year after year, is the pensions triple lock.
All of which is probably very reassuring if you’re a 17 year old wondering about national service or a people smuggler finalising the 9+3 budget for this summer’s crossings.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
Absolutely. If the state thinks more people should be studying STEM (which doesn't strike me as an unreasonable position) perhaps it can subsidise the studying of it (also doesn't seem an unreasonable position). But if there's a market for people studying English Literature, and good academics are keen to provide that service - well, great.
I reckon what happened is when Sunak did that GB News direct thing. They had minions go out into the audience and ask for policy ideas.....and that is the Tory manifesto.
Is any political party even addressing the threat of AI? Now I am not Leon level hype (as I actually work in the business so I have slightly more knowledge of the limitations), but it is undeniable is going to change the world of work and that is already happening. To totally ignore it foolhardy.
Well the main parties are broadly ignoring the war in Ukraine and threat from Russia, with very modest plans (if that) when it should be imperative to rapidly and substantially increase defence spending, and the main parties are broadly ignoring Climate Change with pushing back dates and guff like GB Energy, so I'm sure they can manage to stick their heads in the sand about AI as well.
They will though spend a huge amount of time on essentially trivial and marginal issues that will barely make any meaningful difference from what the other party would have done.
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
That is quite surprising. I always thought it was under served in the same way as we don't train enough engineers. It appears we are down to about ~50 that run some sort of chemistry course these days.
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
That is quite surprising. I always thought it was under served in the same way as we don't train enough engineers. It appears we are down to about ~50 that run some sort of chemistry course these days.
Limited jobs in synthetic chemistry as most is not not U.K. based. Chemical engineers are a separate degree. Analytical chemistry will be fairly large. Food chemistry, for sure but honestly I would steer teenagers towards engineering not chemistry unless they have a burning desire for the subject (I did and still do, thankfully).
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s their/your money. Isn’t there a subsidy to the HE sector paid to universities by the government?
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
Thing is the Tories are being true to their long standing form. They talk about all sorts of stuff. Blah blah blah. They never actually fucking do anything.
Levelling up? Nice chat, nothing to show for it. And the national service plan funded by stripping out most of the remaining levelling up fund. Infrastructure? Good news if you live in Old Oak Common and want to get to Birmingham. Groundbreaking trade deals? We can now buy Vegemite. The one thing they deliver on, year after year, is the pensions triple lock.
All of which is probably very reassuring if you’re a 17 year old wondering about national service or a people smuggler finalising the 9+3 budget for this summer’s crossings.
God I hope they are absolutely thrashed in June.
And yet still they can poll at least 20% and probably end up nearer 30 by July.
Believe that Gen. Macarthur took (at least) two takes, thus more than one wading through the surf at Leyte in 1944, to redeem his "I shall return" pledge to the Filipino people.
"I shall return" sounds like a likely slogan for Ed Davey also. Depending on how he delivers it.
However, unless the Lib Dems can (once again) get PB's own BlancheLivermore to handle delivery, may NOT be best to entrust it to . . . wait for it . . . the PO?
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
A son of a cousin of mine got a PhD in nuclear physics. He works in banking.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s their/your money. Isn’t there a subsidy to the HE sector paid to universities by the government?
Oh so when I paid off my student loan you’re saying it wasn’t my money?
NEW: LBC’s @IainDale quits radio to run for Westminster.
The 61yo unsuccessfully contested North Norfolk for Conservatives in 2005.
He was chief of staff to David Davis in leadership campaign against David Cameron.
He’s been broadcasting on LBC since 2010.
Before that he used to front a niche internet TV station called Doughty Street. Very watchable in its day.
It was great - provocative but quite civilised, and alumni have gone interesting ways.
Mike Rowse the techie has been (I think) Cabinet Member for Transport at Worcestershire, arguing on Con Home for the value of electric bikes, and supporting use of things like School Streets and I think 20mph limits, based on local demand - I'm more top down on that. Solid and community focused. Wrote an *excellent* column for my blog, as did Mark Pack (who never told me any LD secrets I had not found myself but was very good as we all know).
A little too supportive of chicane barriers on too many urban cycle through paths for my liking but that was mainly the predecessor (imo and ime that forces cyclists back onto roads - in Ashfield onto the bypass narrow shared footpaths - by making them less attractive and undermines useability).
Freddie Gray who took over running it is doing interviews for I think the Telegraph, and at a couple of other places (Unherd?).
@christopherhope I am just back from interviewing Rachel Reeves for GB News. It is extraordinary how Labour is so cautious on its plans and the Tories are not. Labour says there will be no increases in income tax, NICs or corporation tax, nor any wealth taxes. Meanwhile Conservatives spray around cash on pensions and national service etc It is like the roles played by the partes in the 2017/2019 campaigns (remember Jeremy Corbyn's 'magic money tree') are reversed. I was struck too by Reeves - standing in front of a podium saying "change" - telling her audience of business leaders today: "Stability is change." #GE2024
It is not only extraordinary but also alarmingly poor politics. Labour are running far too timid a campaign at a point in time when the country wants to be given a bit of hope. The saving grace for Labour is that country is so determined to get rid of the Conservatives that they will win big regardless, with people voting for Labour in the hope that they surely will do much more than they feel they can reveal.
I think too timid too.
The reason surely is that Labour are very likely to be the next government and will be expected to deliver, while the Tories can promise the moon on a stick, paid for by bottled sunshine because they know they won't have to deliver.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s their/your money. Isn’t there a subsidy to the HE sector paid to universities by the government?
Oh so when I paid off my student loan you’re saying it wasn’t my money?
No, that is not what I am saying. I am questioning the statement that (to paraphrase) it’s their money so they can do what they like with it. If the government is paying a subsidy to the university, and you don’t repay your loan, there is a net cost to the taxpayer for you having taken that course.
Thing is the Tories are being true to their long standing form. They talk about all sorts of stuff. Blah blah blah. They never actually fucking do anything.
Levelling up? Nice chat, nothing to show for it. And the national service plan funded by stripping out most of the remaining levelling up fund. Infrastructure? Good news if you live in Old Oak Common and want to get to Birmingham. Groundbreaking trade deals? We can now buy Vegemite. The one thing they deliver on, year after year, is the pensions triple lock.
All of which is probably very reassuring if you’re a 17 year old wondering about national service or a people smuggler finalising the 9+3 budget for this summer’s crossings.
God I hope they are absolutely thrashed in June.
And yet still they can poll at least 20% and probably end up nearer 30 by July.
What a country.
Actually I’m being unfair. When faced with urgent national crises they’ve generally let the state or private sector do what’s needed, and they’ve been rather less cowardly with Russia than some peer countries.
It’s when they have their own ideas requiring a modicum of initiative that things just fall apart.
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
Being that thin means you generally can be pretty good at those distances . But as for seeing him in the army, no he needs to bulk up !
Nah to be fair 47 minutes is a very decent time in the 10K. That’s faster than me.
I’d say it’s ok, but no great shakes. Running club would put that in the bottom 10% but that’s specifically runners. C.F. to the general public it’s good. (And way better than my best 10K time, but my excuse is that I was built to play front row in rugby, not go running…)
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
A son of a cousin of mine got a PhD in nuclear physics. He works in banking.
Our chemistry teacher at school told us most of his degree course had gone on to be accountants.
I reckon what happened is when Sunak did that GB News direct thing. They had minions go out into the audience and ask for policy ideas.....and that is the Tory manifesto.
I know you meant "covert party members posing as members of the public", but I read it as "yellow pill-shaped cyclopoids wearing dungarees and going EEE".
We talked about this the other day. The solution is the opposite you put your thumb on the scale to incentivise the likes of STEM. The problem at the moment is every degree is the essentially priced the same, so why run very expensive Chemistry degree when you can run some bollock for 1/3 of the price.
If I remember correctly, Chemistry is a particular degree that is not available at a large number of universities, even some higher ranked ones. It because it is super expensive to run. But of course the UK needs chemists, what they do is highly valuable.
Speaking as a chemistry grad and PhD I have often wondered how many chemists the U.K. actually needs. Certainly the degree is excellent training for a wide range of careers, but actual chemistry jobs? Less than you would think. I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
A son of a cousin of mine got a PhD in nuclear physics. He works in banking.
Science degrees and PhDs can lead to good careers elsewhere. Most of my degree cohort are nowhere near chemistry now (ok so it’s 30 years on, but even so).
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s their/your money. Isn’t there a subsidy to the HE sector paid to universities by the government?
Oh so when I paid off my student loan you’re saying it wasn’t my money?
No, that is not what I am saying. I am questioning the statement that (to paraphrase) it’s their money so they can do what they like with it. If the government is paying a subsidy to the university, and you don’t repay your loan, there is a net cost to the taxpayer for you having taken that course.
Since the majority of people pay back the loans now, I would say it is their money. Either way, why is it for the government to tell people what to study?
Rishi Sunak has said he would have opted for military national service rather than volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country.
Telegraph
Dear me it really is vomit inducing . Does anyone believe this nauseating claptrap from Sunak ? He can barely lift a tin of beans , a rucksack would see him hospitalized !
Being that thin means you generally can be pretty good at those distances . But as for seeing him in the army, no he needs to bulk up !
Nah to be fair 47 minutes is a very decent time in the 10K. That’s faster than me.
I’d say it’s ok, but no great shakes. Running club would put that in the bottom 10% but that’s specifically runners. C.F. to the general public it’s good. (And way better than my best 10K time, but my excuse is that I was built to play front row in rugby, not go running…)
We’re talking about the average person. The average 10K time is something like an hour. 47 minutes in the public will put you comfortably in the top 10% of runners.
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s their/your money. Isn’t there a subsidy to the HE sector paid to universities by the government?
Oh so when I paid off my student loan you’re saying it wasn’t my money?
No, that is not what I am saying. I am questioning the statement that (to paraphrase) it’s their money so they can do what they like with it. If the government is paying a subsidy to the university, and you don’t repay your loan, there is a net cost to the taxpayer for you having taken that course.
Since the majority of people pay back the loans now, I would say it is their money. Either way, why is it for the government to tell people what to study?
The majority of students starting now, but only just. But that’s not relevant to the point I was making which was about the claim that people should be able to do whatever course they want because it’s their money. If they paid it all upfront, without the subsidy, perhaps.
Why should the government tell people what to study? Well it does that for most of everyone’s education….
Surely if it’s my money I’m spending I can do whatever degree I want.
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Indeed. It's as I was saying earlier, I'm generally guided by the principle of giving people the freedom to do what they want. If people want to spend however much money on a degree in 13th century Mongolian pottery studies, so what? It's their money, not Rishi's.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s their/your money. Isn’t there a subsidy to the HE sector paid to universities by the government?
Oh so when I paid off my student loan you’re saying it wasn’t my money?
No, that is not what I am saying. I am questioning the statement that (to paraphrase) it’s their money so they can do what they like with it. If the government is paying a subsidy to the university, and you don’t repay your loan, there is a net cost to the taxpayer for you having taken that course.
Since the majority of people pay back the loans now, I would say it is their money. Either way, why is it for the government to tell people what to study?
The majority of students starting now, but only just. But that’s not relevant to the point I was making which was about the claim that people should be able to do whatever course they want because it’s their money. If they paid it all upfront, without the subsidy, perhaps.
Why should the government tell people what to study? Well it does that for most of everyone’s education….
It doesn’t for university education. It’s supposed to be adults making independent decisions. This is a stupid policy.
Comments
Bet365 has Tories at 11/10, might be worth a punt.
Another policy they haven't thought through.
Is everyone over 65 only interested in themselves?
I think not.
He knows he won't be scrapping anything because there won't be a future Conservative government. And if he doesn't know that, he blooming well should. He's going to invite all current Conservative MPs to do a poo on the Downing Street carpets on July 3, isn't he? Just because he can.
But we're entering recruitment season, and "we're going to scrap some courses" is the sort of talk that causes a run on confidence which will have a real impact.
And from a party that claims to believe in letting people get on with lawful persuits? Pass the sickbag, Alice.
That's got to be on the old plan, surely? On the new plans it must be higher, even accounting for interest and disregarding inflation.
A little more than a week ago, on @TheLastWord, I pointed out how Michael Cohen's admission to stealing from the Trump Org contradicts the defense theory of the case.
They argue Cohen stole the money—and it was legitimately earned.
Prosecutors skewered that defense today.
https://nitter.poast.org/KlasfeldReports/status/1795561705038074224#m
This seems incredibly un-Conservative. I suppose I could see the argument (and might support the idea) if they were going to make the remainder free but they’re not.
Instead we are pissing about with putting people in national service or tweaking zero hour contracts so they aren't quite zero hours.
Telegraph
Also, if I borrow £40k and pay back £40k (but don't pay it off, due to interest) does that count as "£4 of every £4 borrowed by students is ever paid back". It's not a very useful phrasing...
I consider myself lucky to still be in the game, as it were.
📈NEW: General election poll shows the SNP slumping to 16 seats in Scotland and Labour rising to 28.
The Survation poll, commissioned by True North, also reveals John Swinney is less popular than Anas Sarwar and Keir Starmer.
https://x.com/paulhutcheon/status/1795568233430589492
I don't even remember the days less than 15 years ago when the SNP did not dominate Scotland at Westminster.
(In fairness to them it will have been easy for everyone to ignore them back then)
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-england-plan-5/?__cf_chl_tk=2kYiGfNFHKftGfedLE7xOLkOyPxGFWPP0.4CG8_WJrQ-1716931744-0.0.1.1-1727
Looks as though £4 of £5 in the new scheme is eventually repaid.
To answer your question, I think so, yes (probably with some form of inflation adjustment?)
I was Abel to avoid the cane
Not the very slightest bit surprising.
While many people go to university to study to improve their employment prospects, some may be there to enrich themselves and learn more about the things that interest them.
Are philosophy students inherently employable? Probably not. Should the government be allowed to end the teaching of philosophy at undergraduate level because not enough philosophy students end up in high paying graduate jobs?
It's more mindless authoritarianism dressed up as "common sense".
Guess what that requires = money and money spent on investment is profit that doesn’t go to shareholders. Hence few companies invest enough…
Labour are determined not to promise anything they don't think they can deliver.
Tories are offering the moon on a stick. It's a cargo cult tribute to the Brexit campaign, targeting the same voter pool.
What happened to campaign rallies and meeting voters in the street and getting on your soapbox?
Does anyone know whether Rishi's Tory Party Leadership do thought?
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fit-for-office-rishi-sunak-runs-northallerton-10k-6vzl7d38z
First I have heard if he did.
It is such utter bullshit it is as you say vomit-inducing.
He's making May look like JFK as a running candidate.
Otherwise he's not interested.
Levelling up? Nice chat, nothing to show for it. And the national service plan funded by stripping out most of the remaining levelling up fund. Infrastructure? Good news if you live in Old Oak Common and want to get to Birmingham. Groundbreaking trade deals? We can now buy Vegemite. The one thing they deliver on, year after year, is the pensions triple lock.
All of which is probably very reassuring if you’re a 17 year old wondering about national
service or a people smuggler finalising the 9+3 budget for this summer’s crossings.
God I hope they are absolutely thrashed in June.
If the state thinks more people should be studying STEM (which doesn't strike me as an unreasonable position) perhaps it can subsidise the studying of it (also doesn't seem an unreasonable position). But if there's a market for people studying English Literature, and good academics are keen to provide that service - well, great.
They will though spend a huge amount of time on essentially trivial and marginal issues that will barely make any meaningful difference from what the other party would have done.
Libdem-HA
Libdem-HA
For the glory of Lib-tar!
What a country.
"I shall return" sounds like a likely slogan for Ed Davey also. Depending on how he delivers it.
However, unless the Lib Dems can (once again) get PB's own BlancheLivermore to handle delivery, may NOT be best to entrust it to . . . wait for it . . . the PO?
The official NHS target is for 92% of patients to be treated in 18 weeks. Hasn’t been hit for best part of decade. Has been sub 60% for last year
https://x.com/benrileysmith/status/1795572475952329065
Mike Rowse the techie has been (I think) Cabinet Member for Transport at Worcestershire, arguing on Con Home for the value of electric bikes, and supporting use of things like School Streets and I think 20mph limits, based on local demand - I'm more top down on that. Solid and community focused. Wrote an *excellent* column for my blog, as did Mark Pack (who never told me any LD secrets I had not found myself but was very good as we all know).
A little too supportive of chicane barriers on too many urban cycle through paths for my liking but that was mainly the predecessor (imo and ime that forces cyclists back onto roads - in Ashfield onto the bypass narrow shared footpaths - by making them less attractive and undermines useability).
Freddie Gray who took over running it is doing interviews for I think the Telegraph, and at a couple of other places (Unherd?).
The reason surely is that Labour are very likely to be the next government and will be expected to deliver, while the Tories can promise the moon on a stick, paid for by bottled sunshine because they know they won't have to deliver.
It’s when they have their own ideas requiring a modicum of initiative that things just fall apart.
And that was in 1980s.
My version was funnier.
. Support for independence remains at 45% almost a decade on from the 2014 referendum.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/snp-slump-new-general-election-32909000
Oh 'n their lives will pull us (surd)
Oh 'n their lives again
Oh 'n their lives will pull us (surd)
Why should the government tell people what to study? Well it does that for most of everyone’s education….
It might work here but long term they are dooming themselves. One day they might want to think about how best to appeal to voters like me.