Another topic really so before we get slapped by another mod I'll just reply..
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Originally Posted by Damien
Others may say that some are blindly accepting whichever cuts planned by HMG. Not everyone agrees with the narrative that the previous government brought the country to the brink of collapse and that the current government are doing all they can to save it while Labour and their supports snipe from the sidelines.
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Oh right so the party in power during the entire period when all this was being allowed to happen aren't responsible for it? That's a novel definition of political accountability.....
Of course not everyone agrees with that and many of them will be the people I referred to. However thankfully enough people did feel they were to blame to ensure they were booted out of power.
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Originally Posted by Damien
I think there is a genuine reason to believe that the government are using the excuse of the cuts to cut back the size of the state and drastically reduce spending, which ideologically appeals to them.
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Well there's genuine reason to believe that the last government was idealogically fixated with the public sector and that's why it mushroomed on their watch. The reality is that the public sector is paid for by the private sector and has got to the point where it cannot be afforded. Whilst simply borrowing money to write out cheques to keep the public sector where it is may be popular with the voters it isn't sustainable and taking the substantial political flak by facing up to that harsh truth is to be commended. Perhaps if Brown had done it he'd still be in power.
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Originally Posted by Damien
The previous government was in favour of a graduate tax. I am too. Rather than this massive increase in students fees, and they want to charge increased interest on these massive loans. This seriously screws over people that go on to pass the £21,000 threshold but not exceed £35,000 in their careers. They end up paying more than people who go on to earn £100k + as they will pay it back in no time and pay less interest.
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You talk as if the £9k figure is cast in stone. I very much doubt all universities will go that far although the very best ones probably will. I'm sure I heard on the radio that universities are going to have to publish performance data. If so, this should allow students them to assess whether what's being offered represents value for money. I think if they're going to be landed with as much debt as they currently are, it's only fair that they have such information at the outset and I'd like to think they'd have some redress if they don't get what they paid for too.
Hopefully all this might better focus the attention of students on where to go and what to study as opposed to seeing university as just the default option after 'A' levels and without considering what happens after uni. The fact is that we don't have suitable jobs for anywhere near all the graduates we produce and if a higher proportion of school leavers can be attracted into viable alternatives then at least the graduates we do produce will have a better chance of being able to put into practice what they've worked so hard to achieve.
Finally, I think it was a very small minority of 'usual suspects' who caused all the trouble yesterday. I just hope that when they plan future protests, however, the NUS will think harder about when/where/how and do as much as they can to prevent this minority hijacking their cause. It wouldn't have done their image any harm if the majority had visibly let their feelings be known to the troublemakers.