Comments on: Bias in TCS 3

By: Hero and Zero of the Week | The Young Britons' Foundation

Hero and Zero of the Week | The Young Britons' Foundation — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:36:05 +0000

[...] Cambridge University Conservative Association, for their efforts in exposing bias in the University newspaper. Their sound blog reports weekly on what they describe as the [...]

By: Hugo

Hugo — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:41:34 +0000

I particularly liked the Editors' sentence (my emphasis): "In retrospect, while the Law Faculty is a suitable building to occupy with a big lobby, Cambridge law students, who are all-too-often more concerned with their careers than justice, were never going to warm to a principled socialist demonstration". Delicious.

By: Hugo

Hugo — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:59:04 +0000

Hi Pete, The policy meet is today. Fair enough about Prescott. I added "uninformative tosh" as an afterthought, and you're right, it is too harsh. We have disagreed about vouchers before. You never do back up your claim that they will only produce choice "for the upper middle classes at the expense of everyone else". At the moment, only richer-than-average people have the choice because only they can afford it. Vouchers give money directly to everyone. So then everyone can afford it. Via Douglas Carswell, I think much of the article may be based on this interview with Milburn in The Times on 17th January 2009. Hugo

By: Pete Jefferys

Pete Jefferys — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:41:05 +0000

Interesting response to last week’s TCS Hugo. I agree that I was too lenient with Prescott but I only had 7 minutes with him in the end and so didn’t really have much choice but to let him ramble in order to get enough content. Although I think ‘uninformative tosh’ is perhaps a bit harsh!

With regard to the Gaza protesters, I’m glad we took the position we did. Although certainly there was an air of farce to some aspects of the occupation I felt, having spent a lot of time there for TCS, many were genuine in their convictions. Indeed, while CULC and CUCA stand aside debating their constitutions other students tackle (however effectively) real, substantive issues.

I’m afraid I wholly disagree with you about the vouchers article. It was oversimplified, naive and unproductive. In a week where the social divide at universities was highlighted, do we really want to make our already divisive schooling system more so by creating more “choice” – choice, that is, for the upper middle classes at the expense of everyone else.

Sorry I missed the policy meet yesterday, hopefully we can have another before the end of term.