Progress

John Denham has brilliantly solved the University funding crisis.

The super-rich are being encouraged to make multi-million-pound donations to their former universities in an attempt to recreate 19th-century levels of educational philanthropy and civic engagement.

Leaving aside the fact that there is a perfectly good system of equitable contribution called progressive taxation, which Labour seem unwilling to use, this would be an unexceptional exhortation if it were not for the following.

... from August 1 the Government will pledge to match donations, made in cash or in shares, over the next three years.

Just what institutions do you think that most of the super-rich attended? Scumbag Poly? No, of course not. Most went to the Russell Group, the wealthy elite. So the government is prepared to throw an extra subsidy to the richest institutions to bribe them to 'rescue' a few students from their class. And then how much is this to cost? £200 million is the estimate. Now the ending of the funding of students to study for a second qualification, which will badly damage part-time and adult education, is being done to save £100 million and it turns out that they have double that spare to throw at the wealthy.

I have another idea. Scrap both these god-forsaken schemes and gives us the combined £300 million to develop properly inclusive part-time education for everyone.