As a Middlesex student, it was somewhat disconcerting to read that the university has been fined £1.4 million for recruiting too many students. This was part of an £8 million package of fines handed out to 19 universities by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
How will the university pay this fine? Hopefully, the money can be found by reducing bureaucracy - there is no publicly funded institution in the country which does not waste money in one area or another. However, if sufficient savings cannot be made, will Middlesex join the growing ranks of universities proposing to charge the maximum £9,000 a year to new students from next year, or will the existing teaching budgets be cut back?
Business Secretary Vince Cable has now issued a threat of further cutbacks in funding and student places. This is the same Vince Cable who stood for election last year having made a cast iron pledge to vote against any increase in university fees. For all the years the LibDems were in opposition, they argued for an increase in public expenditure for education. Once their grubby mitts were on the reigns of power, they proved themselves to be the lying sanctimonious hypocrites many of us always suspected them to be.What is particularly unpleasant about this, is that when Labour first introduced university tuition fees, having promised not to do so, the Conservatives bitterly opposed the decision. They too have betrayed their consciences.
Every Member of Parliament who accepted without compunction a university education paid for by the taxpayer, should be required to reimburse the Treasury for the cost of their tuition now that they have voted to deny the same rights and privileges to everyone else.