Author Archives: Simon Kaye

Opinion: in favour of the Browne report

Back in 2004, when New Labour reformed higher education funding, most Liberal Democrats opposed the changes. I favoured them. ‘Top-up fees’ were, and still are, a liberal solution to higher education funding. Lord Browne’s recommendations don’t change that. Liberal Democrats should think twice before opposing whatever package of reforms is presented to us in the coming weeks.

The central principle – retrospective fee-payment – is, to my mind, a small work of genius. Liberals are always poised between the principles of freedom (self-ownership and personal rights), and fairness (universal equality of opportunity as a very minimum). Higher education is thus a …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 38 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Alison C
    What food for thought! Thank you Jack for bringing this to our attention. I shall be joining the Grimond Society....
  • Suzanne Fletcher
    A worrying article by John Kelly, and yes, all good points. Also Mick Taylor reminds me how time after time the late Kevin White tried to get motions on the ag...
  • David Warren
    @TimRogers Spot on! Under Polanski's leadership the Greens have become a Corbynite Socialist party attractive only to urban voters. If I were Adrian Ramsey, Ell...
  • paul barker
    Looking at the National Opinion Polls, reform continue their slow decline, about 8% over the last Year, Labour have Peaked & We & the Greens have both r...
  • Tim Rogers
    Xi has a poker face that is hard to read. He always looks slightly bored and wishing he was somewhere else. But like Putin I don't expect very much from the sum...