Iain Mansfield
@igmansfield
Current affairs, politics, education and miscellany. All views my own. Substack at edrith.co.uk
And again, while it's true that the best technical qualifications require strong academic performance - not everyone can get these, either. Not everyone can be in the most successful half of the population. Does that mean we just write the others off?
First time in over a year that Tories and Labour have both been in the 20s.
- Capping bus fares. - Cutting energy prices. - Scrapping ID cards and keeping trial by jury. I argued Burnham succeeded in Manchester by focusing on things people want - rather than what stakeholders say they should want. He's clearly maintaining that! www.edrith.co.uk/p/thoughts-i...
I, for one, am 100% here for this Labour Government cutting foreign aid in order to support better transport links here at home. There's several billion more that could be reprioritised from that bucket.
I've made the Right Wing Archetype Quiz a standing feature on the blog. Are you a Free Marketeer, a Libertarian, a Social Conservative, a Traditionalist or a Nativist? (Or none of the above!). Check it out if you've not already done so! www.edrith.co.uk/p/right-wing...
Seven Public Policy Rules of Thumb. Just over a year since I posted this one - and still one of my most read. www.edrith.co.uk/p/seven-publ...
In Tarnished Towers we argued not for cuts, but for significant increases to Teaching Grant funding. A new duty on the OfS to maintain the health of disciplines. UUK may resile in horror - but Is defending uncontrolled recruitment and no entry standards really worth the cost?
Compared to the last Conservative Budget, spending in 2028/29 will be £105 billion higher (up 8%) and borrowing will be £47 billion higher (more than double previous plans). And it keeps ratcheting up. Via Neil O'Brien. www.neilobrien.co.uk/p/which-taxe...
Without consequences, systems collapse. The consequences of being ‘kind’ to everyone, all the time, will result in kindness to no-one. Yet Britain has become a country that can't say no. www.edrith.co.uk/p/a-culture-...
The Canary claimed cancel culture was a 'myth'. Tempting as it is to quote Bomber Harris in these situations, even those we detest have a right to free speech - and I'm pleased to see the FSU is rising to the occasion.
ICYMI: A Taxonomy of Public Spending Schemes. From universalism to contributory-based to means-testing, how we design public spending schemes matters. What are the trade-offs - and how can we choose? www.edrith.co.uk/p/a-taxonomy...
Feels a good day to mention Andy Burnham's endorsement of our report on University Technical Colleges last November - where he described them as 'a tried and tested model, and one that is much needed across more schools in England.'
Words change meaning. Here's the CIPD definition (not a notable right-wing organisation). People have real disagreements on policies: use of positive action, diversity targets, race action plans, significance of outcome disparities - I don't know why you insist it's just a 'misunderstanding'.
Tuesday's piece now my second most read ever - check it out! Ten responses to common objections to the under 16 social media ban. And six thoughts on how we could begin addressing social media harms for adults. open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Universities have presided over a collapse in standards, at every stage of study from admission to awarding. They cannot be trusted to reject those unqualified to succeed. Minimum requirements to access student loans are essential to restore trust in the system.
We'll look back at the idea we let children drink from the social media firehose with the same disbelief that we now apply to letting them smoke. A ban for under 16s isn't a silver bullet - but it's a good first start. Responses to 10 common objections: open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Wider access to LEO, student contracts for student rights. And an end to the public sector requiring 'a degree' (ideally the private sector would do the same) unless this is strictly required.
Reduced casualisation and better support, such as on-site nurseries, for female staff - consistent with meritocratic principles. A cap on the proportion of international students.
We need better governance - and a strengthening of the academic voice.
But we cannot continue the current approach of tens of thousands of students not remotely qualified being admitted. CCC should be the minimum standard for student loan eligibility - while those on BTECs and other vocational qualifications would need a set score on the new UAT.
We need more support for the most able individuals from poorer backgrounds - both for them, and for the institutions that teach them. And we need a route by which students taking non-traditional qualifications can show their ability.
As universities can no longer be trusted not to pursue social engineering and 'equity', strict prohibitions on background discrimination need to be imposed. Yes, in an ideal world we'd leave them to use their discretion - but it's gone to far for that.
The costly and bureaucratic New Labour access regime - introduced in the wake of the trumped up Laura Spence affair - needs to be abolished. Replaced by a requirement for transparent, meritocratic and non-discriminatory recruitment.
A return to cyclical inspection - and a national exit exam, to see if graduates can meet basic standards. No more arts graduates with 2:1s who don't have basic literacy skills.
The current regulatory system manages to be simultaneously massively bureaucratic and completely ineffective. We need tighter controls on the things that matter, and stepping back on the rest.
We need caps on the proportion of Firsts and 2:1s awarded. Firsts have gone from 13% to 30% in 18 years. This is a collective action problem that requires a central solution. And the baleful National Student Survey needs to go.