UCU Petition

Inevitably I have been linked via Facebook to the UCU petition of no confidence in the government's policies in further, higher and adult education.

Now, I think its fair to say, that I think the government doesn't have a good grasp of the higher education sector. It is probably also fair to say that I'm not convinced the UCU actually has any better a grasp of the situation. The sector is riven with elitist divisions between "old" and "new" universities, between researchers and teachers, between science and humanities teaching styles, between businessmen, scholars and engineers, between those who study out of interest and those who study to obtain a qualification, between the worth of the theoretical versus the worth of the practical (however you choose to define those two terms), between the sense of entitlement held by students and the sense of entitlement held by lecturers. The higher education sector has proved itself adept at optimising whatever short term targets the government has chosen to place before it, often to the detriment of researchers, teachers and students and any stated government long term goal the target was intended to encourage. A side effect seems to have been increasing and entrenched factionalism within universities. It would be nice to see the sector more united, with a clearer understanding of its own value and the reasons it does things the way it does. The government could play a part in that, though it would be a brave politician to try. But I don't think tuition fees are, per se, wrong if we know why we are charging them and how a student is meant to make ends meet while studying as a result and I strongly suspect the above petition will primarily be read as "I believe tuition fees are wrong under any circumstances" and not as a wider criticism of successive governments and the higher education sector itself in failing for decades to adequately define its role.

This entry was originally posted at http://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/48192.html.

The Orange Men were Marching in Liverpool this Morning

I don't have a good grasp of the sectarian politics of Liverpool. Though I am often struck, as I arrive on the train each morning, by the way the anglican and catholic cathedrals dominate the skyline.

( Anglican Cathedral )

( The Catholic Cathedral )

A couple of years ago in a "symbol of Christian unity" (which I suspect may have had something to do with modern art) a light was shone between the towers of the two cathedrals. Unfortunately the light chosen was a narrow red beam, creating the unfortunate impression that one cathedral had a laser sight carefully trained upon the other.

This entry was originally posted at http://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/48595.html.

Primeval 5.05

That was a good episode, it benefited from being the first half of a two-parter. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that it is easier to set up a gripping situation than it is to resolve it, as can be seen in many two parters, in Primeval, Doctor Who and other genre shows where episode 1 is often considerably better than episode 2.

( More Observations Under the Cut )

Primeval 5.05

That was a good episode, it benefited from being the first half of a two-parter. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that it is easier to set up a gripping situation than it is to resolve it, as can be seen in many two parters, in Primeval, Doctor Who and other genre shows where episode 1 is often considerably better than episode 2.

( More Observations Under the Cut )

This entry was originally posted at http://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/48643.html.