h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here's a few questions that have been buzzing around my mind recently. Answers on a postcard please

1. If the 'new' Labour Government wants to get 50% of all school leavers into University, how many sixth formers would that take? 70%? 80%? Are there even that many that want to go to university? There are quite a few that simply don't feel university is for them and want to get out into the real world.

2. In the past 6 years there have been a number of military conflicts fought by the British (at least in part). Has 'new' Labour done the unthinkable and fought more military conflicts in 6 years than the Tories managed to do in 18 years?

3. Should a new tax bracket be introduced (along with a move of the 40% tax threshold) to tax the really rich (who can afford it)? This would generate more revenue and improve the country, shurely?

4. Should NHS funding be linked to the number of beds a hospital has? This would stop managers arguing they need to cut the number of beds to save money, whilst really increasing the amount of beaurucrats.

... I really should get out more.

Oberon2001

90%? What a great idea - why not make a University education of even less value than it already is?

Exactly
It doesn't make sense. There aren't that many people that want to do mainstream subjects at degree level, so universities are having to invent subjects, such as degrees in aromatherapy (offered by Napier University in Edinburgh). Why not just limit university to academic subjects and recognise that on-the-job/vocational training is better suited to the workplace or colleges?
Oberon2001

The more people that are going to university, the more commonplace having a degree is. This means trouble because interviewers look at how many qualifications people have got, but if all the candidates have degrees it gets a bit awkward.
As Oberon says, you get some really silly degrees- apparrently you can get a degree in David Beckham's life. But that's not going to help anybody, is it? Unless the person is applying to join the David Beckham Fan Club. Some of these degrees are going to be out of date in afew years, and will mean stuff-all. So, we've got two ends of the scale- Lots of people with degrees, or lots of people with useless degrees.
And I'll be leaving for University in just under 2 years' time.