Author Archives: Alan Riley

Grants not fees – squaring the Lib Dem circle

Liberal Democrats should not give up the battleground of higher education finance just yet. The Party should counter-attack by arguing the case within the Coalition for substantial maintenance grants for students paid out of cutting university bureaucracy and cross-subsidy from foreign students. The Party will have to take on the red tape merchants of British higher education and the immigration obsessives in parts of the Conservative Party. However, taking on bureaucrats and right wing obsessives in the cause of student grants is a far better place from which to win the higher education argument.

Amid the student demonstrations and party …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 25 Comments
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  • Peter Hirst
    However political parties are funded there are some common sense considerations. Politics depends on equal votes and to this should be added equal funding. At l...
  • expats
    Chloe 11th Oct '26 - 10:39am.........expats; Looking at the big three economies in the EU – maybe they have a point. Where is this magical growth going to com...
  • Hywel
    Found this. Doesn't sound like a challenge is coming soon! https://www.politics.co.uk/2026/10/full-list-where-lib-dem-mps-stand-as-bid-to-topple-ed-davey-em...
  • Hywel
    I'm surprised nothing further has developed from Charlie Maynard's resignation. Usually with these things there is a sort of plan so the first stone leads to a...
  • Chloe
    expats; Looking at the big three economies in the EU - maybe they have a point. Where is this magical growth going to come from. Stagnant growth across the big ...