campaigns and capitalism

We're in difficult times. Every Glasgow University adult education student knows this. So does anybody who reads the Herald, or who's a Facebook friend of mine or of the fabulous Hetherington Building Occupation ("Glasgow Uni Occupied"). I was really pleased when I discovered somebody had already set up a Save DACE" Facebook group.

I had some chats today with a friend in another institution. Our local troubles in Glasgow are not unusual just now, not at all unique.

The original version of this posting attempted to construct some sort of big picture view of what's happening, to think beyond the local. It made reference to this, to this really interesting discussion of some of the recent trends in higher education and to this great book looking at capitalism and its consequences, in a time when many feel it to be the only viable way of organising our society. It was too long; I'm sure you can piece the arguments together for yourself.

Should Glasgow University continue to offer adult education courses for the public or not? This should be an argument about values, in which views on the nature and function of universities hold centre sway. We do not yet have private universities in this country (and it's interesting that many of the most famous US examples, Harvard, Stanford, etc., have very large extension studies departments, which they apparently do not find inconsistent with their missions). So it's only right and proper that all sorts of people, the ultimate owners of the universities until they withdraw from the state system, are involved in this argument.