Guardian UK: After tuition fees vote, students will ensure politicians are the biggest losers

[marmar]

The last 30 days have shaken the coalition. Together with UCU, the lecturers' union, we brought 50,000 to the streets of London on 10 November for the biggest student demonstration in a generation. It has sparked a new wave of activism that has involved tens of thousands of students, parents, pupils and teachers in creative, nonviolent protests and direct action.

By piling pressure on MPs with dozens of spontaneous demonstrations, scores of occupations and hundreds of thousands taking action around the country, we have come together to defend education and fight for our future. A generation has found its voice.

We won the arguments and the battle for public opinion and, even in parliament, MPs admitted they agreed with us that the government's proposals were unfair, unnecessary and wrong before trailing through the lobbies to vote for them. There are no winners from Thursday's vote, but we will ensure that the biggest losers will be politicians.

We lost the vote in the House of Commons because MPs broke the promises they made to voters. We knew that had their pledges been honoured, we would have won the day.

Twenty-one Liberal Democrat MPs kept their promises and they deserve our praise. I will write to each of them individually to thank them for standing up for students and their families. It was great to see them join Conservative, Labour, Green, SNP, Plaid Cymru, DUP, SDLP and independent MPs as a rainbow coalition to vote down the government's proposals. It is a democratic disgrace that their motion was not considered and that the people were not heard. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/10/tuition-fees-politicians-biggest-losers

[dipsydoodle]

1. To help cover the cost of restoration of damage caused at the protests

It might make sense if the fees were now rounded up to £10000.

[LeftishBrit]

2. To help cover the cost of the damage that government cuts to EVERYTHING are bringing to the UK...

It might make sense if government members and parliamentary supporters paid some sort of compensation to us all!

For starters, those MPs who voted to triple tuition fees, and who received their own higher education for FREE, might consider paying back 27000 to cover the costs of the education which has helped them into a position where they can now pull up the ladder out from under current prospective students, not to mention stomping all over other public services and those who depend on them.

[bemildred]

3. This is what politics is all about, holding sellouts accountable. nt