Cost of living crisis/kWh Measuring Contest

I think something like only 25% of student loans are ever fully paid back so, logically, their options were to just give up on it and fund higher education or fuck graduates even harder.

Obviously option 2 is the one they are going to take.

One of the reasons Im incredibly reluctant to vote labour is that they introduced tuition fees about 30 seconds after I became old enough to vote for them.

The aim of 50% of the population being university educated feels really pointless, if there aren't the jobs to sustain them.

It also relies heavily on the idea that your country will do all the thinking, high salary jobs and then export the grunt work.

It was really pointless. Loads of people have degrees now, which devalues them to some extent, and then in turn makes people think they need a masters degree (or higher) to look exceptional, which cost a fortune. And, in many cases have been cobbled together by departments short on cash and short on staff because they've had to drag researchers into teaching roles which they aren't trained for/don't want to do.

Honestly, universities in this country are increasingly fucked. Pay is appalling (last I read a 17% pay cut in about the last 5-10 years because of lower than inflation pay 'rises'), ridiculous expectations on research staff conducting teaching effectively for free when they aren't even trained to do it, Brexit causing many staff to return to their countries, and - most recently - the USS pension scheme being totally fucked meaning that one meagre financial slither of promise that academics have is now gone.

Problem is, the academic plight is so abstract or too far removing from everyday benefits to wider society, that it's easy to just ignore and let it decay. Researchers and lecturers in their brown blazers with placards isn't a relatable issue so their complaints largely fall on deaf or ignorant ears.

Put it this way, I wouldn't be surprised at all if we start slipping down international league tables in the coming years.

Even the domestic league tables are bullshit. Obviously Northampton isn't the same as UCL, but it's incredibly reductive.

Rachel Maclean, the safeguarding minister, told Sky News' Kay Burley:




Ah, so it's that simple!

How long have you worked in govt policy

So there'll be quarterly energy cap changes now to allow them to change more quickly when energy prices go down.

Why do I have a feeling it'll be a long fucking time before we see them going down.

Just some inspiration for you poor folk

Think having a father that owned an emerald mine probably helped a little.

We can't release the oil reserves or increase production as that might actually lower the price.

Saudi Aramco only made 110 billion. That's barely enough to build another 10 idiotic desert skyscrapers!

I had to look that up.

Sounds like fun.

Tbf, if it collapses, it ain't hitting squat.