In praise of Kemi's 'rip-off' degrees

In some ways, it is scarcely worth responding to Kemi Badenoch's pledge to end “ripoff” degrees such as — we presume - performing arts, English, design, sociology, anthropology, media and psychology.

- Naomi Alderman

One does not wish to dignify this kind of vandalism with a response and you have to wonder whether the Tories will give Badenoch even one election before booting her out.

But she's the Leader of the Loyal Opposition right now. So let's do it.

Slashing arts degrees because they don't make enough money, you say? First of all: what on earth do you think the purpose of human life is? Isn't it something like: “pursue joy, deal justly with your fellow humans, love well, try to understand and see as much of this beautiful world and of the richness and variety of human culture and experience as you can before you die”?

The Conservative party - whose current leader studied computer systems engineering and law - used to believe that there was a real value to British culture: what is that if not our novels, our art, our music, our brilliant ideas? Is their view now that the best human life is “be a valuable cog in a productivity machine, purchase an acceptable home, fill it with the usual items which must change whenever fashions alter, consume media but don’t get any ideas of your own”?

You might read about that type of life in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. But only if you do actually read literature, of course.