A pretty grim state of affairs. What the author does not note is that the so-called "marketisation" of higher education in the UK was actually the worst of both worlds: universities continue to be under the control of state bureaucrats, and can't charge "market" prices," only state-set prices. The state can then justify spending less on universities, while still meddling in every aspect of university life.
Comments are open for reactions to this piece, especially from UK faculty.
(Thanks to Paolo Sandro on twitter for calling this to my attention.)