The strike is an opportunity to rescue Wales’ great universities from consumerism and profit

If I open an university, with a group of like-minded investors of an educational background and expertise, and individuals place their confidence in our university by choosing to study with us and give us their money, I have done nothing wrong. If the State opens an university, by all means let it be run in that non-private manner if it can be afforded, and let it compete with private universities so that students, and employees, and directors, have choice between universities run by the State and those run privately. Universities’ boards of course, should be able to choose which they… Read more »

it would appear that the former UW universities are caught between a rock ( their own failing defined benefit schemes) and a hard place (USS for Academics) Whereas USW and Cardiff Met & Glyndwr have staff in Teachers Pensions and Local Government. Where that leaves conglomerates like Trinity, Lampeter and the former West Glamorgan Institute remains to be seen. There were various options that UUK could have looked at but didnt. such as ending the the automatic cash from 2019 or introducing tiered contributions for employees. Should a lecturer pay at the same rate 8% as a vice chancellor. They… Read more »

The introduction of fees, the shift in focus from education to employment skills training, the degradation of working conditions, and the downsizing of pensions are all the inevitable side effects of financialisation aka. neoliberalism. The effects of financialisation on our economy has already taken a far worse toll on the lives on working men and women in the now de-industrialised Welsh Valleys. Simply put, we need to de-financialise and re-industrialise the Welsh economy. Not as complicated a task as we are lead to believe. Until then, opportunities will shrink, poverty will increase, and pensions will be gutted. As we can… Read more »

Ardderchog Huw.

Isn’t it a clarion call of the capitalist doctrine to know ‘ the cost of everything and the value of nothing ‘ This was a wonderful contribution from Huw. To the insights of one of the most respected of institutions in our land of Wales, with respect of the whole community it serves, to be the subject of the accountants mind set. ‘ if it can’t be measured, it can’t be managed’. How do you measure knowledge, culture, insight, awareness and inspiration. Indeed the framing of the conscious. And much else that education plays in the ’rounding’ of individuals. Education… Read more »