The immorality of university tuition fees

The Lib Dems have been warned by Charles Kennedy not to lose their ‘heart’ over spending cuts. Not to retreat on their opposition to tuition fees.

Spending cuts are essential, if properly targeted and not frontline, but one of the immoralities of the current spending regime – at a time when youth unemployment is at a record high and property ownership remains out of reach to many under 30s- is saddling kids in their early 20s with massive debt.

Baby boomers have enjoyed prosperity and high house prices, relatively low tax rises, and many can go on holiday, and enjoy life. Well, good on them, but what about their grandchildren?

That’s one worry that may disturb older people’s sleep. Where are the jobs, houses, families for many of today’s university students, or those who avoid university due to debt? Where indeed.

It is time for other parties to realise the immorality of tuition fees, and – in wielding the axe – do not let it fall on vulnerable youth. Someone else must pay, but not those kids at (or about to go to) university who will, after all, rebuild our country just as the post-war generation, the parents of the baby boomers, did.

Advertisement

Electoral Gerrymandering, not Reform: Lewis Carroll couldn’t have made it up

On ConservativeHome, as elsewhere, there’s speculation about the fall-out from the Labour nuclear explosion that will be the European/local election results (Lab 15%). The pandemic of insanity that has followed the expenses scandal [fixed-term parliaments, electoral reform, etc] is leading to Labour desperation and a potential move towards PR and a Lab/LD stitch up. As I commented there…

Propping up a lame-duck Labour Government would destroy the Liberal Democrats, and would lead to LD –> Tory vote-switching on an unprecedented scale. So, in effect, it could tip the Tories over 50% and destroy the Centre Left’s case for PR.

Also, PR would give us BNP MPs!!! Nick Griffin MP? Is Alan Johnson serious??? (actually MRLP’s R U Serious MP would be more like it.)

We’re in Lewis Carroll territory here.

… but, whatever happens, this iniquitous Labour Government must be destroyed as soon as possible. Not only have they presided over the humiliation of the House of Commons, economic disarray, and much else, but now they’re prepared to pervert democracy to cling onto their positions. Labour must be ousted and an honest, decent Government needs to be ushered in asap.