SIMON EMMETT . net

When I have discussions with Labour supporters I amazed at how much they believe the party spin, and seem to KNOW what tory policy will be should we get elected. One of their most common accusations is that “the Tories won’t invest in Britain”. Well, with Labour’s record so far that is an accusation that they should hurl at themselves. It seems as though that the die-hard left of the 1980′s Labour is now the mainstream voice of the party.

Today’s announcement by Lord Mandleson is another example of how Labour are failing to invest in Britain.

Labour today announced that they plan on cutting University funding by half a billion pounds. What I find amazing about this cut is that it penalises University for “following” government policy over the years!

Since coming to power the government has pushed more and more people to go into to further education. This has been for many reasons. The spin masters won’t you to believe that this is to give “the poor” (their terminology) the same opportunities. In reality it is because there are very few opportunities for young people in the workplace, and by getting students to go to University delays them from appearing on unemployment figures.

So we have seen a big push to get young people to go to University, with artificial targets on entry and “the class war” on selection methods of the top universities. These measures have seen some universities being forced to take on more students than they should, because of the demand. Of these Universities Lord Mandelson has asked the HEFCE “to claw back £3,700 per student where this has happened, to cover the costs of their financial support“. So for following increasing its admissions they are being penalised. For giving more young people opportunities, they are hit with financial penalties.

If the government get away with this funding thousands of potential university students will have that opportunity snatched away from them, and will be left on the employment scrap heap.

Labour have made it quite clear that they will run their general election campaign as a class war. If you fall into one of their attack categories, i.e. you earn more than £20,000 pa; have any amount of savings – small or large; own your house; you are married; have a pension fund; or want to go to university, then the Labour party view you as privileged and will penalise you at every turn.