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The document promises a free market in higher education, deregulation, and the priority to students. It does nothing of these things, says Peter Scott

When Lord Browne has published its report on the costs and funding, said that amounted to a "paradigm shift". Student riots in agreement. Disturbed by the reaction of Browne, the government has destroyed the main recommendations of the report. But now, it came with a "paradigm shift" in their own form of a white paper delayed.

"Bring Browne, all is forgiven", one is tempted to mourn. At least the report Browne offered a coherent whole, however, questionable in the treatment of higher education as a commodity. It might have worked. The White Paper is a disaster. It will not.

promises a free market in higher education. It offers just the opposite. Instead of a simple limit on the number of students in general, there are three catches. A lid "superior" to students, people with grades AAB at a level. This limit will be determined by the whims of a marked level and the will of the "top" universities to develop (for which there is only limited evidence, since in the Russell Group, the only major civic been interested in the growth, and many universities in the group in 1994, was never so great beauty).

The top cover second "cheap" for students - in other words, those resulting from the application to institutions that charge less than £ 7000. But that only affect some of them because the government intends to establish a tax - 20,000 seats initially. The third cap will apply to all others. You will need to be screwed much stronger.

The document promises of deregulation. Again, proposes the opposite. In reading the document, it is difficult to find a significant relaxation of bureaucratic controls - except for a vague promise to review Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the memorandum exemption of Universities desperate salary adjustments "" something to do with the minimum wage apparently (the maximum score for the officer who discovered that one).

plan to allow institutions to charge low fees to attract more students, up to 20,000 additional places are not provided again, only worse places funded. Finally, the suggestion that the government will allow early repayment of loans overwhelmingly in favor of the rich and wealthy. What was the mission of Simon Hughes to make higher education more fair?

course, the white paper is simplistic smart. Who can resist better information for students or recurrence if the education is poor - more than motherhood and apple pie? While critics are beginning to rear foot. But the real purpose of the White Paper is cut coat of higher education to the fabric tight to the Treasury.