I think the latest argument about universities rests on some strange notion that somehow what goes on there should be representative of the range of existing views in the country when the whole point of universities is that they generate new knowledge.

What would be the point of a university that uncritically accepted a country's national myths? It would just be a more refined version of what you read in the right-wing newspapers.

Of course there is another possible purpose of universities, which is to perpetuate and legimitize a system of power. To some extent of course they do, even in the UK. But if you think freedom of speech is an issue in UK Higher Ed, ask a Chinese student what they think about it.

We know the real reason the government is doing this. It's part of a culture war agenda to persuade working class voters the Tory party is on their side. Anyone interested in freedom of speech wouldn't be silencing critical views of British history at the same time.

British universities are not blameless. We don't try hard enough to get low income groups into higher education. Some ideas don't come under the scrutiny they should (yes economics, I mean you). Our openness to the world blinds us to the way many people experience globalisation.

But the idea that there isn't freedom of speech because the at best half-baked, and often ludricrous, ideas that dominate the current Conservative party don't get enough respect... Give me a break.