Ideologists or idiots?
If you have paid any attention to the current wave of strikes, or even last year's presidential election, you may have noticed that much of what is being said by the discontented often bares little relation to the 'controversial' changes being pushed through by the government. Students in Strasbourg are currently blockading the city campus because recent changes to the law enable universities to 'select' students (via the new website Parcoursup). On an ideological level, they see this as unacceptable because no one should be barred from an education on any basis. Ideologically speaking, they are absolutely right. But, practically speaking, they couldn't be more wrong. The basic premise for the change in the law was to enable universities to manage the number of students walking through their doors. Sure they can take anyone - but a lecture theatre only has so much space. It's all very well saying every school leaver can go study - but if there are only 300 seats in the room what are you going to do? Close the doors, right? And that's exactly [...]