It’s the economy, stupid

The history of higher education policy over the past 30 years shows the realisation of the Thatcherite dream.

In the brief hiatus as university leaders wait to learn what will happen to the higher education and research bill post Brexit vote, it may be worth reflecting how higher education policy has developed over the past 30 years.

Take this statement from the 1985 green paper The Development of Higher Education into the 1990s: “The economic performance of the United Kingdom since 1945 has been disappointing compared to the achievements of others. The government believes that it is vital for our higher education to contribute more effectively to the improvement of the performance of the economy.”