Rishi Sunak said you don’t have to go to university to succeed and got thoroughly schooled – 24 harsh lessons

The Conservatives’ policies in the election campaign so far have clearly not been created to appeal to the 18-25 demographic, with National Service for 18-year-olds and a tax cut for pensioners grabbing the headlines.

It’s a good job they haven’t launched an attack on university courses they consider to be less than valuable.

Oh!

NEW: If elected, Rishi Sunak will shut down "Mickey mouse" university courses studied by 1 in 8 students to fund 100k new apprenticeships

[@Telegraph]

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 28, 2024

People had a fair idea of which courses might be targeted.

Just say “arts subjects”, you coward https://t.co/KebLd2rXSl

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) May 29, 2024

what a future for young people, National Service then denying them the choice of subject they want to study, real cool stuff https://t.co/89m5D6FZMP

— Toby Earle Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) May 29, 2024

Candidate for the biggest "Mickey Mouse degree" on all recent evidence is surely PPE at Oxford?

— Stephen McGann (@StephenMcGann) May 28, 2024

I studied Film Theory at Uni. I’m fed up with courses like mine being dismissed as Mickey Mouse degrees. I mean yes there was an animation component.

— Inkwell Paul (@InkwellPaul) May 29, 2024

Tories threaten "Mickey Mouse" degrees, like art, in favour of apprenticeships in decorating https://t.co/bN7vRLEkVi pic.twitter.com/wv9cVbbDMh

— Trumpton (@Trump_ton) May 29, 2024

To support the policy, Rishi Sunak posted his Thought for the Day.

It got every bit of the pisstaking you’d expect.

1.

No, you can just befriend a Tory MP and get your startup business fast tracked through a VIP lane.

— Sue Perkins (@sueperkins) May 29, 2024

2.

yeah you can get to the best schools in the world and still be Rishi Sunak https://t.co/mh5wqoG6ft

— Mollie Goodfellow (@hansmollman) May 29, 2024

3.

First draft of “Kiss” by Prince, amended and rewritten later in the studio https://t.co/jXbKxchYRl

— Rhodri Marsden ⏏️ (@rhodri) May 29, 2024

4.

Most people don’t go to university to “succeed”, which we know to you means “become rich”.

— Mike Fenton Stevens (@fentonstevens) May 29, 2024

5.

Just an NVQ in cardiothoracic surgery is fine x https://t.co/9NLGNeUpVN

— Buckers (@deathofbuckley) May 29, 2024

6.

…but it helps?

— christhebarker (@christhebarker) May 29, 2024

7.

Agree hun. DM me. Snakes on ere. xx https://t.co/UUt0NL7G3E

— Jason Reid (@JasonReidUK) May 29, 2024

8.

No, just marry a billionaire

— Simon J Warner (@simonjwarner) May 29, 2024

9.

This is very true.

I left school at 16. Never did A-levels. Did go to University as UG (at 21) but didn’t finish.

And ended up as a Professor (long story).

But don’t use it as an excuse to deny something to others you had and will buy for your kids you hypocrite. https://t.co/L3BentwhDf

— Professor Colin Talbot (@colinrtalbot) May 29, 2024

10.

“We want your kids mowing a grass verge on the M6. We don’t want them going to university. Vote Tory”. https://t.co/5ZB0AowQHO

— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) May 29, 2024

11.

Dire comms: it doesn’t remotely tally with Sunak’s own life, and crucially – who thinks for a moment that Sunak doesn’t want university for his own children? https://t.co/JwasqXb09E

— James Ball (@jamesrbuk) May 29, 2024

12.

You don’t have to wait till the election to fuck off. https://t.co/dDU2tRPwkw

— Dave Lee (@davelee1968) May 29, 2024