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Bruce Charlton and Geoffrey Alderman's arguments (Soapbox, THES , July 19) are two sides of the same coin.

Universities have relied consistently on the government to fund their activities - and then wondered why the government keeps interfering in how the money is spent. The sooner they dispense with public money altogether, and with it teaching audits, research assessments and other half-baked paraphernalia purporting to induce quality, the better.

Nick Coleman
President 1998-2000
Newcastle Association of University Teachers