Is the TEF on the right track?

"The research excellence framework has been in place for some time now and is a recognised way of assessing and incentivising high-quality research" Are you quite sure about that? The audit process has certainly changed the kinds of research output in my department. But I wouldn't disrespect former colleagues by saying that it's driven up research quality at all. Audit gets what audit wants: crudely, inexactly measurable stuff. The TEF looks, smells and walks like a cheese-induced nightmare. Sadly it's not a cheese-induced nightmare but a profoundly damaging politically-motivated intervention which travesties the real values of an HE learning experience. I value my undergrad degree dearly. But I couldn't and wouldn't want to measure it beyond saying that it gave me precious time to read, time to think, time to argue and time to change the way that I did all of those things. But that kind of response doesn't tend to audit well.