Monday 15 November 2010

NUS & tuition fees

Thanks to @OllyGrender for pointing ot this excellent blog on tuition fees. Reasons why the NUS's protest is wrong:

  • It is impossible for all the students on the march and everyone commenting to have voted Lib Dem, if they had we probably would have been in Government. Surely the argument about the pledge is then a Lib Dem problem?
  • Tuition rises is a Coalition policy, so why should Nick Clegg be hounded out?
  • Tuition fees were introduced by Labour (as I understand it, even though they promised NO tuition fees) did NUS react the same then?
  • Browne report was commissioned by Labour (and before I get comments on it, I know that they didn’t have to implement its findings)
  • The pledge was signed and policies were Lib Dem policy, yes and if we were in sole Government would have been adopted. We are not, we are part of a Coalition Government and are a junior partner at that.
  • An intelligent guess, may I suggest that without LD influence there may have not been a cap put in place, as I was told yesterday though, I can’t prove it.
  • The majority of the students on that march will not be affected by the tuition fees rise as they will have left before they are brought in. A noble gesture or a chance for NUS to ‘have a go’?
Read it here.