How swingeing SNP cuts to colleges are undermining Scotland's very foundations

“... our mission will be the renewal of our public services. There is nothing more important to making Britain a fairer and stronger country. Our top priority was, is and always will be education, education, education. To overcome decades of neglect and make Britain a learning society, developing the talents and raising the ambitions of all our young people.”

In the days when politics was more about practical, real-world issues and less about waving flags, “education, education, education” turned out to be a winning slogan. Tony Blair’s speech, ahead of the 2001 general election, now seems very much of its time, a message that, if repeated today, would be quickly drowned out by the combined cacophony of populist and nationalist noise.

Entranced by such political obsessions, we have been neglecting to notice that the foundations upon which our society and economy are built – education and the NHS – are crumbling. The health service’s problems have been well-documented for years; now the mounting financial crises in higher and further education are providing another source of deep concern about the direction of this country.

READ MORE: How NHS waiting lists in Scotland and England reveal difference between SNP and Labour in government

In 2001, Tony Blair made 'education, education, education' a winning election slogan (Picture: David Silverman) | Getty Images

20% cut to college budgets in five years

While Keir Starmer spoke at the Labour party conference about his ambitions to revitalise further education – “so long a Cinderella service” – south of the Border, the Scottish Funding Council has warned that most colleges in Scotland are “not sustainable”, with 22 out of 24 expected to spend more than their income. Several have said they could run out of money by the end of the financial year.

Speaking to the Scottish Parliament’s education committee yesterday, the new further education minister Ben Macpherson said colleges faced a “deeply challenging financial outlook” but was unable to say how much money they would need simply to survive.

READ MORE: 'Classist' SNP would have saved closure-threatened Forth Valley College campus if it were a university – MPs

A new Audit Scotland report has revealed college budgets have been cut by 20 per cent in real terms over the past five years, a situation that should prompt scrutiny of almost all other SNP spending decisions.

Scotland needs a well-educated and well-trained workforce. Without it, our fortunes will inevitably decline. Blair’s stock may not be what it once was, but “education, education, education” is a slogan we must embrace once again.