Scottish, Not British

Before the 2007 election, the SNP made a promise to the electorate to abolish £1.9 billion of Scottish student debt. The 'Yoof voter', a demographic with a short political memory, overwhelmingly supported the policy, a rare legitimate articulation of the SNP's much-professed social democratic vision for Scotland. But once the SNP had settled into government, the time quickly came for them to break that commitment and allow Scotland's universities to continue on a path of mute decline.

The University of Glasgow has proposed to cut courses in German, Russian, Italian, Polish, Czech, anthropology, nursing and social work, and to stop offering adult education courses altogether. It is a sign of the times that the need to pursue 'cost savings' leads to deep cuts in the humanities and languages and a general tendency to overlook academia's obligations to wider society.

In December 2010 Alex Salmond made another promise specifically constructed to engage younger voters, when he pledged the continuation of free tuition for Scottish students. Once again, the pattern of pre-emptive vote-swinging policies carefully timed for the election is emerging into full view. With their tuition fee pledge, the SNP's intention was to shift focus onto the response of the opposition parties to a problem that has become a political shibboleth for our generation.

The Scottish wings of Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems all repeat the same hollow rhetoric voiced by the opposition at Westminster, pointing out that with an imminent election the SNP has little to offer that is novel or different. Student political movements mimic their more mature political role models with more eschatological slogans: 'There is a better way'.

Scottish education minister Mike Russell's green paper on higher education introduced a novel maxim for those concerned about the possibility of egalitarian opportunities for future generations: the Scottish solution. The green paper agrees with Universities Scotland that 'the Scottish solution' will be different from the measures being taken south of the border. Reading between the lines, however, it is obvious that the difference entails nothing more than the introduction of a graduate tax and a reliance on the 'fee refugees' and their willingness to pay £7,000 instead of £9,000. The SNP have committed themselves to preparing a statement of policy before the election, which will prompt the opposition parties to issue their own tentative crowd-pleasing promises.

The Scottish solution will be popular with nationalists who get to see the Sassenachs foot the bill, but it will wholeheartedly disown the tradition of robust humanities faculties that gave Edinburgh the nickname 'the Athens of the North'. Instead, it will renew concern for degrees that serve industry, in the process killing off any belief in education for education's sake.

Whoever is elected to Holyrood in May will be able to affirm the graffiti that is ubiquitous in Scotland: Scottish not British.