Lisa Nandy MP has a very good article published this evening on education funding that I agree with almost completely. Her central argument that Labour must admit tuition fees legislation was a mistake is a no brainer.
But the strength of her overall case makes it therefore more disappointing that in seeking to put forward a solution, she states towards the end:
Ed Miliband was right to call for a graduate tax that recognises that the individual’s gain from higher education, i.e. their increased income, should be used to help fund others’ education.
Sorry Lisa, but he wasn’t right, and this reveals a fundamental error in thinking amongst the left and centre-left of the PLP. Even when they do believe top-up fees to have been a mistake, they draw the wrong conclusions and favour a graduate tax instead.
An NHS patient doesn’t pay a ‘patient tax’ afterwards to fund healthcare for others – why should university graduates be any different?
Anyhow, this is all a little by-the-by. The Labour Party isn’t about to admit that their introduction of top-up fees was catastrophic, nor is the current debate about top-up fees versus graduate tax. What we need to see from the Labour party is an uncompromising and ferocious assault on the Browne review and the Tory plans to use it to significantly raise fees. It’s Ed Miliband’s task to deliver.
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