Why run-up £40,000 of debts to destroy one's powers of reasoning?

The BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, discussed the 'A' Level examination results due out shortly for England and sought to dissemble, obfuscate and avoid the obvious evidence that a huge increase in university fees has led to a drop in admissions. Later in the same programme one of its auotmatom BBC presenters made sarcastic reference to a newspaper's phrase "walk the walk and talk the talk" which at least carries a clear message, unlike about 66% of their programming output.

The headline to this posting provides ample reason for any young person to think twice before entering university, (the costs being based on an estimate given by the BBC,) as opposed to career orientated education.

The huge waste of money incurred in obtaining a university degree not only cannot guarantee a later job, it also quite clearly often also poisons the mind.

The revealing interviews with sensible Olympic medal winning Britons over the last couple of weeks provides further proof of thisd long obvious truth. Many of the young athletes seem to have retained the ability of clear communication rather than the twisting of language to impart zero or neutral meaning and inability to take decisions that is so evident amongst nearly all university graduates, with the more prestigious the university and the degree the less able or normally accomplished the product appears. Cameron, Clegg, Hunt,  and Osborne are prime examples from the government side, while across the aisle the complaint is almost universal on the Labour benches.

As part of  the extra cost cutting now required in the absence of any prospect for UK economic growth, university education for anything other than a tiny minority of school leavers is a luxury the country can ill afford, at least not until the system is cleared of the majority of its present incumbents. Now Patten is quitting the BBC, ridding Oxford of his presence seems a worthwhile first step in the right direction.