Viewing Thread:
"Higher Education Bill"

Check out BBC Parliament - they're totally ragging each other to bits with their snidey words. "Those privatising vultures on the other bench" has to be the best quote so far.

On a more political level, the higher education bill will be voted on tonight- It if passes, those of us who plan on going to uni will end up being more so in debt and have to pay in advance too. If it isn't passed then we will not be as much in debt, but some universities will be shut down due to lack of funding - and some subjects such as medicine will be underfunded and have a lack of resources.

Labour want to put the bill through, but the conversatives dont, and nobody invited the Lib Dems to the conference.

The vote is at 7pm, and results will be accounced at about 8 I think.

Personally I hope it doesn't pass, but the labour argument seems to be strong, and they have more seats than the conservatives. The only real way the bill cannot pass is if all the conservatives vote against the bill, and a fair share of the labour MPs vote against their own bill too.

Just seen this:

Labour abstentions: 19

Cowards.

50 votes, or 5 votes, a victory is still a victory.

Also, the way i see it like this.
The Government is between a rock and a hard place. The Uni's are banging on for more money, but the average folks on the street already pay 5/6, and don't want to pay any more. So, the Government has to find that extra 6th from somewhere, leaving just the students. It's crap, i know, but life's like that, and as far as i'm aware, there's no good alternative. If that's wrong, please tell me.

All the Tory's have said is, 'Our policy would lead to more money for Uni's, less control by the Government, and less debt for students'. Great everybody sais, what is it? Tory reply, 'Well get back to you on that'.
On another note, the Torys are having a go at Labour for relying on Scottish votes to get it through. But, i'd bet if it were those Scots votes that enabled this bill to be chucked out, they wouldn't say a darn thing.

Fecking New Labour

I'm pisssed off

Jammy git

Arn't the government supposed to be offerering money for students? And if you actually get a job worth diddly squat, you can repay them? If you get a bad job, you don't necassairily(sp?) have to pay? That's what I understand.

(and my mum said that, an' she's always roit)

My screen name well and truly sums up how I feel now.

Win by 5 votes.

Celebrate children, Mr Blair just sold your higher education out...

This country well and truly sucks.

Wow, they won by 5.

I'm watching via BBC broadband stream as well, it'll probably pass but I hope it does not. Even for poor students it is only a kind of help. £3000 grant a year BUT that amount does not cover all expenses anyway and they will be hit by higher tuition fees which accumulate over the 3 years, along with interest for a total of about 15K. They then leave uni and face higher repayments when they start work. If you end up in a job paying about 20K you'll be paying back for ages and ages.

Under this system I leave uni with a debt of around 10K, under the new one it would be 15K (I worked it out). So tell me anyone, how would anyone in the same situation as me be better off? Because they are £5000 down. Hmmm

And I'm actually for the top up fees by the way. Think of it practically and everyone would do the same.