Op een recente werkconferentie van Britse en Nederlandse universiteiten sprak Buma, toen nog fractieleider. Hij begon met de grote belofte van zijn eigen academische loopbaan. Die had immers Groningen gecombineerd met niets minder dan Cambridge. "That was a an excellent start for a great career, but somewhere along the line it went wrong, because I ended up in politics. Now my life is made up with making the best of that." 

Britse toets en Hollandse zorgen

ScienceGuide had al gemeld, dat het CDA in de begrotingsonderhandelingen voor 2013 zou inzetten op hervormen, saneren en investeren waar het de kennissector betreft. Juist om groei en werkgelegenheid zo snel mogelijk te herstellen en waar mogelijk te behouden tijdens de recessie. Buma werkte deze denklijn nader uit in een speech doorspekt met Britse humor en Nederlandse ernst.

In zijn betoog werkte hij eerst de gedachte en noodzaak van groei en groeiherstel uit.

"Today's blunt facts show that the Netherlands has a bleak economic outlook for 2012 with a set back of 3/4 %. The deficit for 2013 is predicted at 4,5 %, where the European target to meet is -3%. Somewhere along April Holland has to present the European Commission with a thorough plan as to how to meet that goal. Not if, but how.

These facts bring me to the prime minister's residence in The Hague, where the coalition is negotiating since last week. We meet on a daily basis, the two coalition partners Liberals and Christian Democrats, and the supporting right wing Freedom Party. We are assigned with a formidable task, of tightening next year's budget with maximum 1,5%, which is a cut unseen in recent history.

Under the dark clouds of economic decline, in a politically unstable atmosphere. The center parties such as Christian-democrats and Labour are in decline, and the political outposts left and right on the rise. Who claims that Britain's present day political situation is difficult, hasn't experienced the Dutch. So when I read "higher education at the heart of growth", I first ask: what growth? It would seem more accurate to talk of "higher education at the heart of decline" or at least, "higher education in times of decline."

De zware klappen van de dubbele recessie

Met enkele harde cijfers schetste de fractieleider wat de crisis in 2008 en die van de schulden-en-euro van het voorbije jaar de Nederlandse economie aan groei en concrete welvaart heft gekost. En nog aan het kosten is.

"The banking crisis of 2008 has cost us in the long run about 5% of our average growth. It now seems that last year's sovereign debt crisis may cost us another 3%. In 2008 the Dutch government supported banks with billions, it bought ABN-Amro, and the then government agreed on a short term economic stimulus package of €6 billion, together with a long term saving package of €5 billion.

Sadly enough looking back the stimulus hasn't worked and the savings never fully have been filled in. It left us with rising unemployment and a debt that rose from under 50 to over 65 % of gdp. we do not yet know the effect of the present crisis, but it is evident that the national debt speedy rises again. It is no longer an option spending ourselves out of the crisis.

Financial crises are fiercer than cyclic economic crisis. The loss of wealth is bigger, up to 8% already, and other than cyclic crises, the gap with the previous growth path is not refilled by extra economic growth after the crisis. Quite the contrary, a long time period of relatively low growth is likely, as the examples of Japan and Sweden show.

So, we are 8% poorer, have a bleak economic outlook, have to cut expenditure as never before, in a political unstable environment. You can imagine, preparing for the conference, I seriously considered buying a one way ticket out of the country, a stopover in Manchester and then on to Aruba! By the way, an Island with a growth of over 10% this year."

De impact op en van hoger onderwijs

Hoe kan het hoger onderwijs in zo'n penibele situatie het hoofd boven water houden en zelfs krachtig bijdragen aan groei en herstel? Buma gaf aan, dat daarin niet alleen maar vanzelfsprekendheden gelden.

"Here we have had days of lively debate on how to promote higher education as an engine for growth. And it seems that we end up with an agreement on the fact that universities produce growth. I attend many conferences.  They can be on all issues. It could be about multinationals at the heart of growth, or small businesses at the heart of growth, consumer confidence at the heart of growth, or even development aid at the heart of growth. 

In present day society universities compete with many players that claim a position on being on the heart of growth. So what makes universities differ from other institutions when it comes to growth? It is a fact that investment in education is a long term investment. First education, than research, then comes the result, than the investment and at last the benefit. So universities are the engine. Or even better, they are the key to the car engine."

Hoger onderwijs als autosleutel

"Not only in economic terms, also in social terms universities are the key to the engine. In the sixties they were the key to democratization , in the eighties they were the key to economic liberalisation and now they are the key to globalization. In this respect universities often feel lost, certainly in the Netherlands in an atmosphere hesitant towards globalization in general, and  immigration in particular. It seems that universities try to turn the key, but the engine won't start running. There is 'kortsluiting'.

It is my opinion that in the heart of this lies a growing gap in society between people who experience the benefits of globalization and the information revolution and those who experience the problems. The former are the young, the better educated. The latter are the elderly, the lower educated . The ones who take their chances against those who see threats.

This is not primarily an economic division, but one based on identity, or its loss. People who are afraid of globalization turn against its visible exponents: immigrants, international bankers, employers with bonuses. Until the sixties in this country there was a long and accepted division along the lines of class and here in the Netherlands also along the line of religion and 'levensovertuiging'. That division has vanished.

But then came this new division, perhaps even more difficult to surpass than earlier divisions. And universities are situated solely on one side of that divide. A large part of society is on the other side. Politically they are emancipating, finding their way to new political parties. Here in Holland the Socialist Party and Freedom Party.

Together we can indulge ourselves here in self-confidence about our international approach and open mindedness. But outside the world looks completely different. Universities are aliens for many there, far away from everyday life. In Groningen the Campus was named after its original function, Paddepoel, frogs pool, a swamp where nobody came. Universities have their eyes focused on the outside world, but they will have to work harder to stay with their feet on the ground."

Combineer wereldwijde blik met hechte binding

Voor velen in de samenleving blijven het HO en de kennissector een ver van mijn bed show. Dat besef wilde Buma nog eens adresseren in het gezelschap van Britse en Nederlandse academische experts. Ook die 'Bildungsferne' burgers moeten de politiek én de sector zelf zien te winnen voor een publieke en financiële prioriteit aan investeringen in kennis.

"We can find the key to a new society, if we are able to combine the world scale of globalization with the human scale of society. For universities it is an asset to have  25% of staff from abroad, to many ordinary people it is another sign of their society being taken over by 'the others' This morning Rod Coombs put this picture very clear when he asked 'the people's question': 'Whatever did the universities do for us?'

A dangerous question maybe, but for many a daily feeling. And Pauline van der Meer Mohr yesterday was very right, when she said Rotterdam, Delft and Leiden would not merge but closely work together. For universities it may sound futile, but for the people it is not. The future is not for universities that internationalize. The future is for universities that combine the global scale with its local community and connections.

A serious task lies ahead for all of us. Arriving in this building we are warmly welcomed with the sign of  the museum of science and industry. It is my nightmare that in two decades foreigners are welcomed at the airports of London, Amsterdam and Manchester with signs saying: 'Welcome to Europe, the world's leading Museum of Science and Industry'. It is my dream that visitors will be welcomed by signs saying: 'Welcome to Europe, the key to the world's engine'."