Student protest targets Lib Dems
Student protest about the proposed trebling of tuition fees
Tens of thousands of students and schoolchildren staged protests today, all around the country.
They are angry at the proposed trebling of tuition fees, which they say will put off many prospective university entrants from lower income households and will leave all those who do go steeped in debt.
For the first time I can recall, schoolchildren have taken to the streets, many concerned over the removal of the that allows sixth formers from low income households up to £30 a week if they remain in school.
The majority of the sit-ins, marches and occupations of various academic establishments passed off peacefully. Only in London were there scuffles as students were "kettled" by police determined to prevent a repetition of the attack on Conservative HQ a fortnight ago.
Norman Lamb, Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk, defends the rise in tuition fees
An unmanned police van, carelessly left in middle of Whitehall, where thousands of protestors were corralled, was comprehensively wrecked, despite the best efforts of several more level-headed students.
One sixth former who was trapped in the crowd told me how they kept away from the trouble but there was nowhere to go.
"It started out really well. There was a great atmosphere; we were walking and singing and holding our placards and there was no trouble at all.
"Then as we got to Whitehall all these police arrived from the side and blocked the road. I didn't realise but we were actually in the front third of the march. One group was separated ahead of us, then as we turned round to go back, we realised we were blocked by a police line behind us too that separated us from the group behind.
"The police told me there were about 3,000 in our two groups and about 7,000 ahead of us. The police van wasn't far away from us. We could see there was trouble but we stayed back. We were held for more than four hours. We kept asking when they'd let us out, we were told go to the front, then the police there said go to the back. It moved very slowly and we were released at about nine. We stayed next to the fires to keep warm."
It was a long day and a cold night for many young people concerned over their future but they don't need to worry says Norman Lamb, Lib Dem MP for North Norfolk, and the political advisor to , who bore the brunt of today's anger.
"Everyone has the right to protest but they need to understand that this is not just about raising tuition fees," he said.
"I think a big change to the way universities are funded needs to be explained - there has been a misunderstanding that people will be prevented from going to university. That is not the case - you'll be helped.
"This is a completely different system, it's a fair system. The 25% of graduates who will be on the lowest pay will pay less for their university education than they pay now. Yes, those who become merchant bankers and wealthy lawyers will pay a lot more but that seems to me to be right. Those with the greatest shoulders should bear the heaviest burden and that's the way it should work.
"We're also scrapping up front fees for every part-time student, no student will be prevented from going to university by the cost of their course and the grants for living costs for the poorest students will go up not down, so there'll be more help for students from low income families and fairer repayments."
As yet there is no sign that tens of thousands of students up and down the land are reassured. They are pledging more protests before the vote on the legislation next month.
Welcome to the political blog for the East. I'm Deborah McGurran, the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Political Editor for the region. From Lowestoft to Luton, this is the place for politics with an eastern twist.
Comment number 1.
At 25th Nov 2010, N Porter wrote:This is very disturbing. Whilst the Police obviously have a duty to maintain law and order, they have absolutely no right to prevent people from exercising their democratic right to protest peacefully.
By all means arrest the troublemakers, but the Police tactics of 'kettling' law abiding citizens for hours on end in the freezing cold thereby preventing them from exercising their democratic right to protest should have no place in a civilised society. Is this how the Police are going to deal with every one of the numerous protests that will inevitably take place in the coming months and years (if the coalition lasts that long)? Such tactics will just give the troublemakers an excuse to cause more trouble, unless this is what the coalition really wants, so it can be used as a smokescreen to deflect attention away from what the protesters are really protesting about?
Do we live in Britain or Iran? Or Burma?
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Comment number 2.
At 26th Nov 2010, americaninengland wrote:I think many of the people are missing the point, the Government are just saying that they are allowed to raise their tuition fees (some should like Cambridge or Oxford- as they are in the same league with Harvard and Yale).
The students should be protesting the Universities as they have have the choice to raise the fees or not.
I think that they have every right to protest but the graffitti, violence and destruction is not right. I applaude the students preventing the other protestors from causing more damage. But if they are going to behave like this, I don't want to pay for their education with my taxes. The police wouldn't have to be there if they were behaving in a respectable manner.
I think if less people have degrees, the ones that do will have a better chance of getting jobs. How many people take a job that doesn't need a degree because they can't get hired. Protest if you need to, but stop destroying the place, it is unbecoming of you well educated people.
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Comment number 3.
At 3rd Dec 2010, KoleAdeniyan wrote:If the Liberal Democrats don't want to confine themselves to becoming the political dinasours of the British Political Landscape, I think it time they rethink their views on honesty and integrity, on the fees increase, and their policies in the coalition government.
The British people are not foolish, and would not fall for stupid rhetoric, like "the fee hike policy would make poorer students better off" and such and such. Ok we don't want to be better off, thank you very much, why don't you just make us worse off and lets pay no fees.
The current Leaders enjoyed the Luxury of not paying fees so why put the burden of paying on future generations.
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Comment number 4.
At 1st Feb 2011, johnny wrote:I agree the student protests may have gone to far so to speak, however what does this government expect raising student fees to unaffordable prices. I am sure the long term damage of future generations who will be unable to afford to get degrees will be far more costly then a few broken windows and damaged police vehicles.
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