Bitter disputes after tuition fee vote

Adam Hewitt • Published 10 Dec 2010 09:30 Comments 1 Comment

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STUDENTS have reacted with anger and disappointment to the tuition fee increase which passed yesterday despite their campaigning efforts.

Reading University Students' Union said its members were involved only in peaceful marches and lobbying MPs in London throughout the day and were not involved in the violence elsewhere in the capital, during which at least 26 arrests were made and 43 demonstrators were injured, 12 police officers were hurt and a Royal car carrying Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall was attacked.

RUSU president Jess Lazarczyk added: "Obviously we're devastated at the result of the vote and now need to look at how we can lobby the University to make the right decisions about how these cuts and increase in fees are implemented and how students can get the most out of their university experience."

The vote to lift the fee cap from £3,000 to a maximum of £9,000 passed with a majority of 21, despite 21 Lib Dems and six Tory MPs voting against the Government. A further eight Coalition MPs abstained.

Nes Cazimoglu, the union's vice president for democracy and campaigns and a Labour activist, said: "I do not doubt all those MPs who voted 'yes', including Rob Wilson, Alok Sharma and John Redwood, our local MPs, will be answerable to their student voters at the next election."

But Mr Sharma, speaking in the Parliamentary debate, said: "The coalition's proposed system is fair. The Institute for Fiscal Studies says it is more progressive than the current system, and the Opposition have proposed no system at all. It is fair to all taxpayers that students, who will on average earn significantly more than non-graduates in their lifetime, make a contribution to their education after they graduate.

"Graduates will pay less per month than do they under the current system."

Former Reading East Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Cllr Gareth Epps, was scathing about his party colleagues who voted for the fee rises.

He wrote on his blog: "Congratulations to the 21 Liberal Democrat MPs who stuck to their principles and the pledge they signed. Shame on those that voted to massively increase wealth inequality and debt. You are no better than the charlatans of the Labour Party whose deceit you gleefully opposed."

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africanlady
3 posts
Dec 16, 13:31
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why are they angry about all over the world everyone is paying for education it may be subsidised to same extent but you still pay for it,

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