In a recent blog from our friends at BUCF the issue of top up fees was introduced.
“Take students for example, you have brought in top up fees and now left the average student crippling under the weight of £20’000 odd worth of debt and the worst graduate prospects since the World War Two…. Why would an average student consider voting Labour based on what your government has done??”
Young Labour, and Labour Students, will always be the fiercest critics of the regressive nature of higher education funding. While it is clear that free education is not on the table under a Labour or Tory government, the top up fee system is a perpetuant of societal inequality.
It is Labour Party members in NUS driving forward the campaign for a fairer funding system. It is a Labour MP (Paul Farrelly) who tabled this Early Day Motion.
The EDM calls for a full review of higher education funding that
“should encompass full consideration of both student support and tuition fees, should aim to ensure that students are supported according to their needs while they study, and that their contribution to the costs of higher education should reflect its true benefits after graduation; considers that the review must recognise that unmanageable levels of debt are bad for both the borrower and the lender, act as a barrier to wider participation in higher education and should be avoided wherever possible; and further believes that it must examine the proper balance of contributions between the state, individuals and employers to ensure that the future funding of higher education is fair for all.”
And it is Labour MPs who are rallying behind this EDM, fighting for a fairer deal for students.
The EDM has 76 signatories
Labour: 49
Liberal Democrat:23
DUP: 1
Independant: 1
Conservative: 2
If your MPs aren’t willing to work with the student movement to demand fairer higher education funding then don’t try and tell us that the average student has any reason to vote Conservative.
Hollie Jones, BULS member
EDMs = Parliamentary graffiti.
don’t dismiss them though. two tory MPs signing this is dismal.
Labour have more MP’s than any other party in parliament and they are (for now) the party of government and thus more likely to be able to influence change. Therefore one should not be suprised at all that they have the most signaturies on the EDM. Although I must admit I do love it how you say ‘Labour MP’s are rallying behind this EDM’… Forgive me Hollie but 49/350?… do you seriously call that ‘rallying behind’? The Tories are the second largest party in the HoC and Labour (in terms of seats) nearly DOUBLE what we’ve got so your figures (as per usual) are hollow and deceptive.
Besides if you ask me that ’49′ are the same pointless backbenchers that given their way would bring back the ‘old’ Labour policies that led this country (and indeed your own party) to ruin. Theyve always been talkers rather than do-ers. What Jimmy is getting at in his blog however is it was your government that brought tutition fees in and regardless of the position of any other party in parliament the ‘blame’ for the introduction and latter exploitation of the system lies solely with Labour as it was their ‘brainchild’
Oh and if youre really the ‘fiercest critics’ of it… why are you all still planning to vote for a government that in your own words ‘perpetuates inequality’…. as you’ll never vote Tory on ‘principle’ why don’t you vote Liberal Democrat and prove your principle? Or is all this just hot air…
The main feature of this EDM is its call for a review. Unlike Labourites, Conservatices tend to know their minds.
Firstly- the second largest party in the HoC and the Lib Dems still managed to get more than 10 times as many signatories as the Conservatives.
And it is not a matter of principle that I don’t vote Conservative. Nor would I vote Lib Dem to “prove” my principle. Never did I suggest that the Lib Dems are right in saying that education should be free, just that graduate contribution must be fairer.
I am voting for a Labour government because I believe that a Labour government is the best government- not off the back of one issue or policy.
Yes top up fees are not fit for purpose, they penalise those earning the least after University, while those who earn more should be giving more back.
I will be voting Labour as the only Party with a record on equality- NMW, civil partnerships, maternity and paternity pay, legislated against disability discrimination…. the list goes on.
First off Im not suprised the liberals managed to get more signaturies because it is one of their flagship policies and they need a bandwagon to jump on and as Ive already said many of those in the Labour party who signed the petition are likely ‘the loony left’ that were cast aside by the mainstream of your party years ago (and that is one thing I do applaud them on!) The 300 other members of the PLP have not signed the petition thus it is a severe minority view. Why would any right minded Tory sign an EDM that will achieve nothing and is backed by loony lefties and liberals?
As for your defence of Labours record, the fact is this government has given with one hand and pillaged with the other. Theyve hidden their deceit behind a smug ‘commpassionate’ rhetoric that falls flat in the cold light of day. New Labour is nothing more than a hybrid regime composed of two strands; one strand, the neo-liberal, is in the dominant position, the other strand, the social democratic, is completely subordinate.
Labours record is clear; Inequality and the gap between the richest and the pporest is at unprecedented levels, students are riddled with debt which they are unlikely to be able to pay off for many many years, public borrowing is at phenominal levels, all your golden economic rules have proven to be ficticious and as such we’re entering the worst recession in living memory that will see millions of people lose their jobs. Now before you throw ‘Thatcher’ in my face (as you lot are always dying to do):
1) That was 20 years ago (almost as long as weve been alive)
2) According to even your own party members the New Labour regime have fallen over themselves to emulate her so to slam her now after spending the last decade emulating her is hypocracy of the highest order (although why should we be suprised)
3) This recession, according to all predictions, will see unemployment smash Thatchers ‘record’ of 3 million. Now bear in mind that ‘record’ was set at a time when she was restructuring an entire economy and had inherited dire economic circumstances… what have you lot had to do that was so revolutionary, what happened to your golden inheritance?
This recession is in large part down to the reckless nature of this government. But oh wait I forgot… “it was America what done it”… This government should take some damn responsibility and them maybe just maybe people would believe a word they say. The rest of the country has woken up to what this government have done, when will you lot?
Before we get too hung up on numbers lets put them in context:
Lab, 14%
Con, 1%
I know you say loony left but what in it do you disagree with?
Yeah I’m as fucked off with New Labour as most party members are, but I still believe its by far the best option of the three main parties and has acheived far more good than bad over the last twelve years. The party’s heart is in the right place and it’s practices will come back round to better reflect that soon enough. You offer a stream of criticism without any answer to what you’d have done differantly or how what Hollie said was good was bad…
Ive already justified why the Conservatives wont back this so the numbers are irrelevant. What I am countering though is Hollies claim that it is “Labour MPs who are rallying behind this EDM”. They are the biggest part of a pitiful number backing a pointless EDM. The whole post is completely misleading. Although It might suprise you to hear I don’t entirely disagree with you Brigid. Ive got the common sense and good grace to admit Labour havent been all bad
And believe it or not the Tories 18 years in power achieved more good than bad. Of course there was bad stuff, as there has been with Labour, but what ever you may think we revived the economy and left a golden economic legacy. New Labour admitted as much by reversing next to nothing from our years of power and in most areas extended it! So I do concede Labour havent been allll bad but that cannot save them now just as it couldnt save us then. Youve been in power too long and youve got a lot of lessons to learn like we did.
i think your problem dan is that you think just by having an extended period in opposition means you’ve learnt your lessons. that’s just not the case. I and the majority of the country are still waiting for evidence of any lessons changed.
You only have one real policy committment and that’s to take Britain out of the centre of EU negotiations and form a new right-wing group in the parliament. Very few parties are joining the Tories new group, proving that we will have little say in EU affairs if you get into office. Infact, you’re getting people like Robert Kilroy-Silk, Jean Marie le Pen and Mussolini’s grand-daughter. Not the most progressive of folk, and certainly not the most influential.
Any other policy committments besides giving a tax credit to people just because they’re getting married? As if getting married needs some kind of state recognition for it.
I don’t see anything new, and I doubt many people will be able to see anything new when it comes to the ballot box.
I am not really sure what lessons the tories have learnt, if anything Labour have proved that the golden economic legacy was unsustainable as it relied upon the thatcherite ‘free’ market. I haven’t heard one thing that the tories would have done differently that would have saved us from this recession, and there haven’t been many pointers either on how to get us out again – apart from helping savers (who are incidentally those who have enough money to for an extra 1-2% interest to actually make any sort of difference). You have no new ideas, face it.
Tom – can you fit any more untruths into one paragraph.
“You only have one real policy committment”
Palpably false. See our party website.
“and that’s to take Britain out of the centre of EU negotiations and form a new right-wing group in the parliament.”
It’s not about “EU negotiations” or being rightwing. The new grouping stands for modernising and reforming the EU – making it more democratic/accountable and tightening it’s remit.
“Very few parties are joining the Tories new group, proving that we will have little say in EU affairs if you get into office.”
That bit’s true, although it seems you have little to say now. By the way, re the Working Time directive do you support your MEPs in Brussels or Gordon Brown as they have taken polar opposite positions.
“Infact, you’re getting people like Robert Kilroy-Silk, Jean Marie le Pen and Mussolini’s grand-daughter. ”
A complete falsehood. For a start, Kilroy-Silk is not standing for re-election and we are not and will not be in league with racist parties.
“Not the most progressive of folk, and certainly not the most influential.”
We can agree on that, but your premise is false.
thanks for taking such care over your response to my comment. can i assume then that the first paragraph you believe is true…i’ve copied it here for ease…
“i think your problem dan is that you think just by having an extended period in opposition means you’ve learnt your lessons. that’s just not the case. I and the majority of the country are still waiting for evidence of any lessons changed.”
You’re wrong Hollie. There’s only one Conservative signature. Here they all are: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=38194&SESSION=899, not that cutting the Conservative signage in half makes much difference considering the original number.
As to student tuition fees: Dan, what exactly do you want? “Public borrowing is at phenominal levels”, so what do you suggest? That we abolish/lower tuition fees and borrow some more? Or that we raise tuition fees and push even more debt onto students? Or should we keep things as they are, perhaps? The current system isn’t as bad as a lot of people make out, Brown introduced quite a few grants, or so I remember, and the loan only has to be paid back once you’re earning over a set amount . There is no going back now, but what we have here is one of the fairest alternatives there is going.
The fact that there’s only one Conservative signature just goes to show their underlying principles – opportunism, egotism and shortsightedness and that’s not want we really need right now.
As for all or most of the Labour MP’s on there being insane leftists or whatever: we want names, Dan; names. In fact, forget it, I know you won’t do it anyway.
I also suggest you calm yourself down a bit; you’d be spraying spit all over us if you said what you’re typing out loud. Not only that, but stress can lead to long term detrements to one’s health if one is not careful.
And stop arguing about this EDM, as we all know exactly what it shows, it’s just you’re too proud and Conservative and stressed to admit it. You’re whole speech is an anachronism: it doesn’t belong in this section of the present! And you know it.
thanks for taking such care over your response to my comment. can i assume then that the first paragraph you believe is true…i’ve copied it here for ease…
No, but most of that paragraph is a matter of opinion – which you’re entitled to. I was pointing out the mismash of falsehoods that would make any Labour spindoctor proud.
I love how weird blog-trackbacks can be! My latest post http://tommygilchrist.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/its-your-fight/) about how Brown needs to engage with student voters or face the consequences suggested this post as a suitable read.
Love it