I think you're talking at cross-purposes. Universities are absolutely drowning in too much regulation but the regulation is both burdensome and ineffective because it pays too much deference to universities nominal independence. It's the worst of all worlds

Barriers to growth, over last 10-20 years, in tentative descending order: 1. Planning 2. Energy prices 3. Over-regulation 4. High/bad taxes 5. Welfare/disability policies 6. Political instability 7. Low pub. sec. capital spend 8. Brexit 9. Public transport 10. HE/FE imbalance

Then advocate for bringing back polytechnics.

Part agree with this, except c. half of the 30% are doing prof./vocational courses (engineering, radiography) where they are gaining skills. But the classic inquiry-led, lightly regulated, knowledge-for-knowledge-sake is something only c. top 10% academically gain from, not half the population.

No, places like Durham, UCL, Bristol now recruiting significantly more domestic UGs and often lowering entry standards to do so through clearing.

Most “good” universities are over-recruiting, (my definition being: staff to student ratios have significantly changed since 2012) if you look at what is happening is RG universities not called Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial.

Fundamentally the nettle that must be grasped here is that our higher education system is now oversized, and you could remove a big chunk of places. Because it’s oversized the Student Loan book has become a huge subsidy to the lowest performing places, which in turn hurts the higher ones.

Expectations are fascinating. On any objective basis, Sunak's government did more things I agree with and fewer I disagree with than Starmer's. But due to my expectations on how they 'should' act, I feel pleased more often, and disappointed less often, now than I did then.

The red/blue button test is fascinating because red isn't just 'selfish'; unlike a classic prisoners' dilemma, it passes Kant's categorical imperative and so is in some sense 'correct'. But in the real world, some (a lot?) of people will press blue, and you can't wish that away.

Guys, this is real

Anyone remotely serious about climate change, you have to be willing to build solar farms. LOTS of solar farms. Great piece by @jamesomalley.co.uk takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/the-green-...

With the history curriculum in the news again today, a reminder about what young people today are actually studying in history - as a reality check to some of the 'why don't they study XYZ?' brigade (on both sides). % of English secondary schools that teach the subjects listed in Years 7 - 9:

With the history curriculum in the news again today, a reminder about what young people today are actually studying in history - as a reality check to some of the 'why don't they study XYZ?' brigade (on both sides). % of English secondary schools that teach the subjects listed in Years 7 - 9:

Alan Milburn tells @samfr.bsky.social the civil service is more risk-averse than in 1997 samf.substack.com/p/my-generat...

Deadlock over. The EU just cleared way for the €90-billion-loan for Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package. Russia’s war economy is under growing strain, while Ukraine is getting a major boost. We will provide Ukraine what it needs to hold its ground, until Putin understands his war leads nowhere.

"The big difference is that the risk aversion is 500% higher." Fascinating interview with Alan Milburn. samf.substack.com/p/my-generat...

Really important Big Read this on what is just straightforwardly a misselling scandal taking place in plain sight in my view:

This never-ending Mandelson affair will be a gift to Reform and the Greens in the locals. Reinforces anti-establishment sentiment. And even many who don't want those parties in power will want Labour to get a black eye. I predict both will outperform their national polling.

More grist for the mill of my take that the UK has become much more equal and everyone hates it. When I said I wanted more equality of income I didn’t mean that my relative status should decline! (Also note this graph is gross pay ie before tax and benefits which would force it even flatter).

S tier: Hamlet, MND A tier: Othello, Macbeth, Caesar, 12N, MAAN, Richard III, Henry IV Underrated but excellent: Richard II, Coriolanus, Tempest

Top 5, no particular order: Lear. Merchant of Venice. Measure for Measure. Hamlet. Richard 2.

Best actual performances or plays that usually work quite well? As a mix of both… Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh film, and Oddsocks) Hamlet (Lord Chamberlain’s Men, also Oddsocks and DT) Richard II (Jonathan Bailey) Macbeth (Duke’s Theatre) High hopes for LCM Othello this year.

No matter how much I read, I just cannot fathom the idea that civil servants should *not* tell ministers that their choice to be US Ambassador has red flags from Security Vetting. That's *not* a defence of Starmer - and Robbins may have been applying the rules correctly. But the rule seems insane.

This is obviously wrong (Henry IV top??) but what is right? My, unashamedly lowbrow, view: 1. Macbeth 2. Romeo and Juliet 3. Twelfth Night 4. A Midsummer Night's Dream 5. A Merchant of Venice Honorary mentions to Henry V, The Tempest and Richard III. www.theguardian.com/stage/ng-int...

Right? I am a vaguely senior manager in a good-sized charity and even I’m conscious of the implications of the things I say and do and how they might be perceived and received (as often as I can anyway). Surely that’s something anyone with any managerial experience inc., say, being DPP, must know?

This is bonkers. If you don't understand that someone - anyone - in No. 10 saying to a department, 'the PM is really keen on X' is a source of significant pressure then you really have no business at all being PM. Or boss of any large organisation, for that matter.

The twice-daily, three mile walk between Liverpool Street and Westminster begins. What joy. Thank you not, tube strikes.

Great piece: frasernelson.substack.com/p/olly-robbi...

Your slow news story for the day: Death rates for cervical cancer in the United Kingdom have fallen by 80% since 1950 from 8.6 deaths per 100,000 women to 1.7 ourworldindata.org/data-insight... @ourworldindata.org

This is actually the normal and legal functioning of a blockade. Blockading ships can order ships running the blockade to stop for inspection - a ship that refuses to stop can be fired upon to make it stop. Ships with contraband or running the blockade can be seized.

By far the most impressive I’ve seen from Badenoch. I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t lead the Tories into the next election - they will love this.

Great piece by @daisychristo.bsky.social debunking the idea that England's more rigorous school curriculum and assessment caused the decline in mental health. TL:DR: Scotland + Wales have parallel declines - despite implementing opposite school policies. substack.nomoremarking.com/p/do-knowled...

England has robust standards for school dinners. But the health food fanatics are now taking aim not at junk food, but at normal foods such as cheese, fruit juice, sausages, ham, croissants and crumble. The busybodies will never be satisfied. ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...

Starmer should just say, 'I knew Mandelson was far from perfect. I took a chance because I thought it was most important for us to have the best person to handle Trump. I made a mistake, I'm sorry.' More forgiveable than the endless 'who knew what when' - and probably true, too.

England has robust standards for school dinners. But the health food fanatics are now taking aim not at junk food, but at normal foods such as cheese, fruit juice, sausages, ham, croissants and crumble. The busybodies will never be satisfied. ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...

The new school food standards have declared war on cheese, meatballs and fruit juice, with traditional school desserts restricted to just once a week. The do-gooders, bureaucrats and 'stakeholder state' will never be satisfied. www.edrith.co.uk/p/they-will-...

The new school food standards have declared war on cheese, meatballs and fruit juice, with traditional school desserts restricted to just once a week. The do-gooders, bureaucrats and 'stakeholder state' will never be satisfied. www.edrith.co.uk/p/they-will-...

Utterly bizarre story! Quite fascinating.

It's time to retire the triple lock. It's unfair to expect a generation who face much higher housing & education costs than their grandparents to indefinitely fund the state pension to outpace wage growth. comment.press/triple-lock

Trying to imagine a training scenario based on Mandelson. ‘We have a former politician who has previously resigned amid scandal, and is dubbed ‘the Prince of darkness’. Do you a) wave him through or b) anything else

Dunno - the totalitarian state and planned economy perhaps?

Have been waiting almost two years for the right article to smuggle this fact into. (From my leader on America's misguided war on taxes: economist.com/leaders/2026...)

Whenever I read a reference to the econonist Hernando de Soto I have a moment of cognitive disjunction, as my mind invariably attributes whatever is being said to the 16th century conquistador.

There are no significant political party differences in the UK on public resource allocation. All believe that pensioners and the NHS are the overwhelming priority, and spending on anything else must fit in around those, to be generated by tackling "waste" or "growth".

Good piece by Aris Roussinos on Orban's fall. Rejecting corruption, cronyism and Putin does not imply embracing progressive values - and Hungary's new leader is explicitly right-wing. unherd.com/2026/04/the-...

"This is the conflict where the rights and wrongs are achingly obvious." Supporting Ukraine was one of Boris's best actions - glad he is using his post-PM platform to highlight the war we are in danger of forgetting. (Also a gripping and engaging read). www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/artic...

Most wrong opinion on social media today. :-) Potatoes are awesome - the best starch by far.

This is a major problem. Certain high-status institutions are hoovering up students for whom they don't have space or teaching capacity. It's not good for students, it's driving other universities to disaster and it has none of the benefits of either a planned or a "market" system.

Tube journey home from a show last night with my wife and kids. At Piccadilly 8 teenagers just barged through the barriers without paying, swaggering in full view of TfL staff who did nothing about it. Muggins here then has to dutifully beep through and pay. Now a daily occurrence.

Very good piece here by Tom.