Core of the Erasmus program was and is the international exchange of students. This purpose has become synonymous with the program.

The British obviously think they do not want to subsidize foreign students in their British universities while their own students must pay more for access to the very same British universities.

In Germany, when i studied it still was free. The result was that many students did not study economically, and wasted their time, too semesters and years longer than would have been needed, broke off more often than students in other countries where it costs them money, started another branch, and took longer time. All this at the expense of the taxpayer.

Thats why I think studying should cost. Not as excessive as it is the case and that it leaves you in debts you pay back for the rest of your life. But it should cost. And better universities should cost more.

I am not against studying for twenty years if somebody wants that. But then he should come up for the costs he causes.

What a bad idea, eh?
First this is not "the British" this is Johnson alone, and maybe England. I doubt Wales, Scotland and Ireland had any say in this typical Johnson ad hoc decision.
Second, most university fees in England are of a type no one not born into a rich family can ever hope to visit it. Which means it is not the talented, but the rich who get this kind of education. Which cements and further widens the good old traditional instrument of class division.
There are ecxeptions, but of course they do not have the "reputation". Someone who believes in science and research rather than "reputation" will of course not become a Rees-Mogg, or Johnson.
Maybe the Turing program helps more talents Brits to study overseas when they have no chance in England, but i seriously doubt the underlying intention.
Third, and not the last argument but i'm tired to read this kind of bull, is that the better-known english universities get their fees anyway. If the government decides they can get through with it in the third millenium, their problem and their class society.
Studying in Germany in universities meanwhile costs money, and a lot more than in the 1980ies or 90ies, though no comparison to something like Eton of course. Politicians like Merz are of course interested in founding private universities, with their own certain "private" fees. The outcome is usually worse than what leaves the "classic" public universities.

You have usually several kinds of people who want to study, some are really interested, and maybe talented, and may or may not have the money, and then there are those entirely career-horny types with their geled hair and interest in quick money, like Guttenberg. The latter will often finish their "studies" earlier, now you tell me whether those will be the better scientists and researchers, or "valuable" for the society (including sympathy, improving international relations and such).
Young people have interests but few know whether studying, and what, is something for them. If not they will soon find out and there is no problem in letting them find out. Einstein was not a "good student", nor was Heisenberg. No government can order students to think and be brilliant, as China will find out sooner or later.

Germany stil has a federalist system, meaning each county can make its on rules regarding what and how things should be tought, which makes them more individual, which is a good thing.
Why exactly? Not necessarily, full/associate professors usually get the same money within a county's university/ies. There are certain posts in the university hierarchy of course like C1 or C2 professorship, but ..
Then there is the question of educational equipment, which has to be paid for alright. But why should they be more expensive for students? Education should not be primarily an economical contraption, and they should attract talented people, not rich ones.

It is funny how just of all those who pay no or few taxes have the biggest mouth about how they should be spent.

You can exchange students. I have nothing against that. I just reject to foot the bill. You want to study in England, in Germany, in France, in Austria, while being a foreigner there? Fine, do it. But pay what it costs, do not expect the locals to feed you through. Even more so when afterwards you do not stay there and give back what you took: by working in their place and paying taxes, but return to your original home country. You might be surprised, but maintaining a university costs money, and money does not just rain down from the sky, even if the ECB and FED want you to believe that.

Strange, eh?

It becomes even more strange when locla students in the end are expected to pay more for their university education than some foreign guests who get it cheaper.

And if you want to calculate the mutual effect of students from two countries visiting each others universities in an exchange program, with the one country havign much better and prestigious universities than the other, and the students of the "inferior" country thus logically visiting the better country's universities in much bigger numbers, again you do not end up with a well-running calculation.

See the need to see things more differentiated. And also see that foreigners have no automatic claim for another people's assets: material or intellectual. Why should they have any moral obligaiton to educate students of other nations so that these nation bring them home and then can comepete stroinger with the first? China has done like this, sent many students to the US and Europe, gained much knowledge, and now uses it to crack down on Western economies. That was stupid that we allowed this. Not to mention that HGermans lack behind Asian in PISA scores more and more, and numbers of patents by Germans - we once held the worl drtecord for that! - are in steep declvine while South Korea have and China and Japan are on the brink of overtaking us. No good omens for the German economic competitiveness in the forseeable future.

Since brexit in 2016, the numbers of foreign students in England have been declining, maybe Johnson did not consider the 200 million Euros per year from the EU as enough.

"While this year many students could not and cannot take part in the Erasmus exchange program anyway due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of foreign students in the United Kingdom had already declined before. Brexit is cited as the reason for this.

While the UK has long been considered "the place to be", especially among young French, German and Spanish students, the former EU member state on the other side of the English Channel has apparently lost its popularity: In the 2018/2019 survey period, 11,656 foreign students were in London, Newcastle & Co. In the EU country Spain, however, there were significantly more at 15,175.

Laure Coudret-Laut, director of the Erasmus + France agency based in Bordeaux, told the AFP news agency about this change: “This topic has been with us for a long time.” The students would now prefer other destinations that also offer courses in English . “Many go to Norway, Finland and Ireland. The number of students there has increased significantly. So other exchange partners were found."

https://www.euractiv.de/section/juge...hr-number-one/

The crap keeps coming even though we are supposed to be in christmas mode :doh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6YTLnL3GOI

Don't known where did they find all that BS about French and Irish fishermen. Did they live in an alternative universe ?

^ Seems Google tracked it back to India, and from there to Russia. So propaganda for diversion is effectively spread :hmmm:
But look at the comments, seems they are from real brexiters.


From Heise, a german computer magazine, translation by Google:

"After all, there is now a "deal" between the EU and Great Britain in which both sides sigh of relief over the big or small fish compromise.
The status can still fluctuate between Great Britain, Central Britain or Little Britain, because London will not be able to veto in the future, if Scotland and its fishing zones want to be reintegrated into the EU.

Even if many details are still pending, it is clear that Great Britain is still involved in research projects such as Horizon Europa, Euratom, Copernicus and ESA's Space Surveillance and Tracking segment.

On the negative side, there is clearly the exit from the Europe-friendly Erasmus project for student exchanges. So we are no longer waiting for Santa Claus or the Christkindle, but for Boris Johnson, who has promised to turn the island into the leading solar and wind power production facility after the deal. Allegedly it was the EU that has kept hindering these projects all the time. And yes, Johnson's prognosis is also waiting to be implemented: "In the future, voice connectivity will be in every room and almost every object: your mattress will monitor your nightmares; your fridge will beep for more cheese."
:D

More 'Propaganda'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKhGCGRL-eM

I was referring to this "UK News" site, not all critical comments :D

Oh I realised that but imho they are only worth viewing for what in the main is the 'comedy' element.

There seem to be different views on in how far the levelled playing field also affects low custom harbours that the last video above mentions. The EU so far seem to m ake it appear as iof anything non-levelled in business competition, including low taxes and such such, has been banned, as it wanted.



In times of trade disputes I also predict conflicts on how to man that planned arbitratge court that is meant to settle it in place of the UK govenrment or the European court. Obviously both sides have an interest in having people seating in it who are friendly to their side's stand.



Yesterday insiders from the EU side already threatened with legal sanctions and the nevertheless activation of the EU court if London decides for especially low tax regulations to undercut the high tax standards in the EU in order to attract entrepreneurship that way.



And I am still rejecting the Scottish in the EU if they do not pay in more than they get out of it. :O: No further net receivers, please, there already are too many. By numbers they have the majority now, 17:10, without the UK, which was a net payer.