During the Second World War he fought in the Middle East, served in Field Security, and put his command of languages to use in the administration of enemy-occupied territories. Alfred Sherman was the child of Jewish immigrants from Russia and his upbringing in the East End of London was a key factor in making him a Communist. More crucial still was Sherman's suggestion in November 1981 that the CPS commission an independent study of the reasons why sterling was riding high, to the detriment of British industry. The Swiss monetarist J?Niehans was invited to Britain and his conclusion, that monetary policy had been too tight, came as a nasty blow. The report played a major part in determining the nature of the 1981 budget, which in turn laid the economic and political foundations for the successes of the Thatcher years. Alfred Sherman was a co-founder of the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) in 1974 and remained its driving force until 1984. He played a key role in bringing economic liberalism back to the heart of political debate, propelling Sir Keith Joseph into becoming its standard bearer and a serious challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party.

When Joseph blew his chances with an ill-advised addition to a speech that Sherman had prepared for him to deliver at Edgbaston on 19 October 1974, he found an apt pupil in Margaret Thatcher, and he continued to draft speeches for both of them until the party returned to government in 1979. Sherman's absolutist temperament made him less well-fitted to advise in government, but the single reference to him in Thatcher's 1993 memoir The Downing Street Years underrates his influence. It was at his instance that the economist Alan Walters was brought back from the United States in January 1981 to provide her with a source of independent economic advice. Alfred Sherman, journalist and political adviser: born London 10 November 1919; co-founder, Centre for Policy Studies 1974, Director of Studies 1974-84; Kt 1983; married 1958 Zahava Levin (died 1993; one son), 2001 Angela Martin; died London 26 August 2006. We have around 150,000 undergraduate and more than 30,000 postgraduate students and 14,000 staff members. More than two million people have studied a course with the Open University.For OU courses information call 0870 333 4340 ; or see www.open.ac.uk/coursesEditorial teamEditor: Yvonne CookAssistant Editor: Peter Taylor-WhiffenE-mail: open-eye open.ac.ukAddress: Open Eye, Communications, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AAPublished with The Independent on the first Tuesday of every month The next issue is out on 3 October 2006.. Open Eye: The monthly bulletin of the Open University Community The Open University (OU) is the UK's only university dedicated to distance learning. What is marginal for most universities is mainstream for the OU.

A comprehensive widening participation policy, promoting social cohesion and strengthening the UK's competitive position, would demand a much more open, flexible and responsive higher education system. We have made a virtue of adapting our provision to the lifestyles and needs of our students. The OU has been built on the premise that higher education is something that people can call on throughout their life. Neither of these makes sense to anyone engaged with The Open University.

It is as if the premise is that universities can do nothing to make themselves more accessible: more students are needed who will fit what higher education is prepared to offer, and in the way it offers it And "students" means "young students". Now this strategy looks as if it is stagnating, and so minds are turning back again to schools. After all, unless they can turn out more young people with at least two A-levels - another trend that is distinctly flat at the moment - how can we expect student numbers in universities to increase?But the gaps in the debate are striking. The middle classes have been the principal beneficiaries of the expansion of higher education.The Government's 2003 White Paper, The Future of Higher Education, spelt out its action plan under four headings: attainment, aspiration, applications and admissions The new money for universities all went into access. Young people in the most advantaged 20 per cent of areas are five or six times more likely to go to university than those living in the least advantaged 20 per cent, and there is no evidence that the gap has reduced since the early Nineties.

It isn't simply that progress to the 50 per cent target is faltering, but essentially no progress has been made to reduce the social class divide. Bill Rammell, Minister for Higher Education, has now asked HEFCE to review its widening participation expenditure and report back this autumn. In the interests of social justice, the concerns are well-founded. A very large amount of public money has been invested to raise the educational aspirations of school pupils, to encourage more to apply for university. More than 400,000 16- to 19-year-olds receive Educational Maintenance Allowances each year.