Is this big enough for you?

Is The Economist becoming radicalised? Or was J.F. just stating the obvious yesterday when, wondering why conservative Americans "lament the loss of the America they grew up in," they tagged conservatismǂ and racism as currently inseparable

I tend to agree with the sentiments in the above article. Conservatives can readily be viewed as a group who are "loss[ing] of their own social privilege" and trying to claw it back.

This idea ties in very nicely with a post today, by W.W., and shows just how this idea of social privilege is perpetuating World problems.

In summary W.W. is replying to an an article by the USC's Neal Gabler (seemingly the sociologists' everyman) which claims that: "Big ideas are almost passé."

In a wonderful rebuff W.W. quotes an article by NYU economist Michael Clemens which argues that "barriers to emigration place one of the fattest of all wedges between humankind’s current welfare and its potential welfare."

Dissent over Student Visas

The Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) have called on the Coalition Government to stop trying to reduce the number of student visas. Their report, published today, criticises many aspects of government proposals. They highlight the planned crackdowns on pre-degree programmes and language requirements which I have highlighted before.

The reports I have personally heard and seen (on the BBC Website, BBC Radio4, and in The Metro) quote Keith Vaz, the Chair of the Committee and a Labour MP. What the reports fail to mention is the membership of this Committee (besides the BBC's use of "cross-party" in their strap-line).

Universities need International Students

The UK Border Agency has begun (and ended) a review into proposals by Immigration Minister Damien Green to cut student visa numbers. The changes will reduce the total number of student visas allotted, but apparently not for university students.

Damien Green has focussed on 'bogus colleges' and students with low standards of English. The cuts in numbers look at students studying at below degree level.

Ask a stupid question... Census2011

and you get a stupid answer. Or so the phrase goes.

On the 27th March Office of National Statistics (ONS) will ask almost the entire population of England and Wales 61 questions. This is the 2011 Census. Censuses do invade privacy, however they create very useful and interesting data; but only when they ask the right questions, in the right way.

There has been a census every 10 years since 1801 (excluding 1941). Before that famous censuses include the Domesday Book, of 1085, and the Roman habit of carrying out censuses for tax purposes.

Hair today, deported tomorrow

The Association of British Science Writers' story of the year brings together bad science, immigration and human rights into a horrifying mess. John Travis of "Science" has written one of the journal's best award winning articles this year.

The UK Border Agency, under instructions to cut down on immigration are planning to test the origins of applicants using untested methods which experts have described as "horrifying" and "scientifically flawed".

The article is available here. And if you would like more info on the issues involved try No Borders.

Students Again

Mark Easton, the BBC's home editor, has written a wonderful blog post looking at the benefits or otherwise of student immigration into the UK. He shows yet more of this misreporting by government, in particular Mr Damian Green.

Unsustainable Students?

No, this isn't going to be a discussion of how students get into massive debt (definitely not sustainable) or use lots of energy (in fact they tend to be frugal, but not universities themselves).

I will be looking at Immigration Minister Damian Green's announcement that student immigration is "unsustainable". Yes the same Mr Green who was arrested in 2008, resulting in a row over the use of arrest warrants in Parliament, though this is of no consequence here. At the same time the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has claimed that a graduate tax, proposed by the coalition, would cause graduates to leave the country.