The Treasury Select Committee has published its report on the Spending Review 2010. Please note especially the section on the SR process, which is highly relevant to the Assignment for BMAN 30171
Month: November 2010
What would it cost? (a retrospective graduate tax)
I have been asked what a retrospective tax would cost. Here’s my very guestimated answer. Continue reading “What would it cost? (a retrospective graduate tax)”
Time for a Retrospective Graduate Tax?
The escalating movement against cuts in higher education teaching funding, linked to potentially huge hikes in teaching fees to £9,000 a year, has taken most commentators by surprise. The scale of the protests, so quickly after policy was announced, is unusual and suggests a deep reaction is underway. Continue reading “Time for a Retrospective Graduate Tax?”
Welfare Reform: it’s the implementation, stupid
It has entered popular mythology that in the 1992 US Presidential election Bill Clinton’s adviser James Carville hung a notice over Clinton’s desk that said “it’s the economy, stupid”. (It didn’t quite happen like that, but it’s close enough.) Continue reading “Welfare Reform: it’s the implementation, stupid”
Coalition systems that replace PSAs etc.
The systems that the Coalition government is putting in place to replace the implementation-side of the Spending Reviews as they existed under New Labour are becoming clearer. Continue reading “Coalition systems that replace PSAs etc.”
Departmental Business Plans
Please see today’s post over on Whitehall Watch about the new Departmental Business Plans, which are linked to SR2010.
Also, for BMAN students, please see the announcements section.
Department Business Plans – new wine in old bottles?
The Coalition government has announced today (8 Nov 2010) a series of ‘Departmental Business Plans’, following up on the Spending Review announcements last month. These plans are supposed to be “revolutionary” in several ways. But this ‘revolution’ is more spin than substance, with much of what they are doing simply following in the footsteps of previous governments – Conservative as well as Labour. Continue reading “Department Business Plans – new wine in old bottles?”
Efficiency….not
Got to comment on the Public Accounts Committee (Parliament) report on failures in the efficiency programme, on the BBC Today programme here
Last item of the day.
University Fees and Muddled Motives
On this morning’s Today programme Education minister Michael Gove – reputedly a man of great intelligence – maintained that raising University tuition fees to nearly 3 times their current level for some Universities would have absolutely no effect on levels of applications from students from lower and middle income backgrounds. Continue reading “University Fees and Muddled Motives”