Forum Topic

A Monster Raving Liberal Party Voter - confused?

They pledged that they would not only oppose increases in student tuition fees if they got into office but also that they would aim to eventually abolish them. Today, Vince Cable proposes that fees be increased substantially and that students on many courses will be obliged to pay the full costs of their studies after completing their courses.Vince Cable has the support of his Leader Nick Clegg, but his Deputy Leader Simon Hughes will be voting against. The rest of the party will either vote for, against, abstain, or, like Chris Huhne, stay away in Cancun.My question to Monster Raving Liberal Party voters in the last election is:Is this the "new politics" you were expecting when you gave them your support?

John Connelly ● 5621d15 Comments

I always had doubt about the wisdom of changing polytechnics into universities but not because I considere they catered for a lower level of ability but because they catered for a different client group who required a higher education but with a practical basis.  That decision was another part of the decline in this country's ability to develop its engineering and industrial base.  However, society is the main beneficiary of an educated workforce and as such we should be paying for education through our taxes which is the most progressive way of providing education.  I can only imagine the next step will be charging school children for their equipment and books. And yes, I know Labour started the business of charging for university education but they never made the issue a central plank of their election campaign.  The Liberals are at best naive and at worst total shysters.

Patricia Nicholas ● 5619d

Oh look Sharon has been instructed to post her intellectual views on local politics again!!

Paul Fisher ● 5619d

Such sensitive souls, these ICG types.

Sharon Smith ● 5619d

It's okay Neil, he's desperate to keep his hand in at a time when the elected councillors he claims to support are beginning to understand that he is no friend of theirs and is actively trying to stir things up for them and create unnecessary difficulties.I've moved on since the election and I'm not going to be engaging Robin or anybody else on this level, although I hope I still have a contribution to make when there is intelligent debate to be had.

Phil Andrews ● 5620d

ChrisI am not sure what the Uni intake was in 1961 but I understand it was +/- 151,000 in 1990 and has increased to 871,000 in 2010. I think part of the problem (besides the state of our finances) was granting so many Poly's a University status with extremely low entry level requirements.

Steve Taylor ● 5620d

I am saddened by last night's vote.I attended university 1961 to 1964; the local authority paid my fees and I received a maintenance allowance.Couldn't the teaching allowance to universities have been covered by taxing the bankers bonuses at say 75%.Few commentators seem to remeber that it was the Labour government who started us down the slipery slope of high university fees.

Chris Dakers ● 5620d

I winced when Vince Cable, whom I have some respect for despite disagreeing with his overall political views, said he was "proud" to put forward a set of policies which will widen educational inequality in this country. A high price to pay for 30 pieces of silver!For the record, when Labour introduced tuition fees I wrote directly to Blunkett protesting that this was a betrayal of the principle of universal access to education. I believe that a graduate tax, applicable to everyone who has benefited from public funding in higher education, could be developed. To be fair it has to be applied to 65 year old retired head teachers and university vice-chancellors whose pensions are often substantial, not just young people.One problem we face with any payback system, whether graduate tax or loans, is how we deal with those who choose to work abroad. There is no easy way to cover this.

John Connelly ● 5620d

"what a complete tosser."Agreed!

Steve Taylor ● 5620d

Oh RobinPlease hear we go agian. Why spoil something which I agree with with your usual ICG rant. You just put me off supporting/voting Labour again.What the Lib Dems have done is completely wrong, the campaigned high and low on no uni fees.

Neil Chippendale ● 5620d

Well said, Vanessa.The reason Simon Hughes took so long before deciding to abstain was because he wanted to be sure the fees increase would be safely voted through without his support.Reminds me of what certain LBH councillors did when they were asked to vote on doubling their allowances.

Robin Taylor ● 5620d

I have more time for those who at least had the guts to vote 'yes' than those who sat firmly on the fence - cowards every one of them. All that old tripe about Hughes 'talking to people' and 'listening to their opinions', he knew what he'd do from the outset, he just wanted to wrap it up to look better, what a complete tosser.

Vanessa Smith ● 5620d

I got Simon Hughes wrong. He has finally decided to abstain, so he might as well have stayed at home.

John Connelly ● 5620d

In a nutshell Ken, and if we are mad enough to vote for voting reform this is what the future looks like.

Vanessa Smith ● 5621d

The Lib Condems are irrelevant puppets of the Tories, the tune that the Conservatives call is the tune the Libs will sing.

Ken Collins ● 5621d

Where have you been all these years John?'Political party breaks election promise'is hardly a new phenomenon.What about the promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty for one?

Keith Iddon ● 5621d