Want your children to be able to go to uni?

I think we should have a national learn-in.

At the appointed hour, occupy every library, every community centre, every school, every college, every university, every single place where learning is supposed to take place, and refuse to budge until a more realistic plan has been developed than FINING people for LEARNING. For that is what this is.

The fight against cutting EMA is definitely not over - day of action called by a number of unions on monday 13th december
website is:
emacampaign.org.uk/

also for ladychocolate newcastle action can be seen on
www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=170088963021619
although the page seems to be down at the moment - if you put day x newcastle into facebook you should be able to find it

also
"Gather from 4.30pm outside Civic Centre, rally at 5pm - called by Sunday's student general assembly and also backed by Unison, Coalition of Resistance and Public Services Alliance" from another page - so lots going on!

We can only live in hope this coalition will be defeated on Thursday.

I am in contact with my MP who has said he will vote against. I cannot make it to London but would have marched if I'd been able to.

A rise in income tax would put more money into the pot and along with fair and reasonable cuts could help pay off the deficit.

Thank you Ladychocolate and Jackstarbright. I've sent the letter to my MP, although I'm not sure I really agree with the NUS proposals (I'd far rather people who can afford it paid more tax!). However, the NUS are the ones who know what's best for them, and I do want to support them in any way possible.

Their website is impressive, and it's great that they have been constructive enough to put forward their own proposals. I just hope that they are properly considered by the government, when the Coalition is defeated on Thursday. It'll be back to the drawing board for them, and they'll need some new ideas. I live in hope.

I would like my children to go to uni if they are suitably qualified, but we will never be able to afford these tuition fees. I can't get to London on the 9th to protest, but I could get to Newcastle if anything was happening there. Does anyone know of anything? I have also emailed every liberal MP to ask them to vote against it. There is also a standard letter on the NUS web site which you can send to your MP. Ladies, please protest. If you don't your children will be saddled with huge debts especially if they go to university to study an arts subject - such degrees simply do not command significant salaries. I know. I have one!

You do realise that even the NUS (and Labour) are not talking about a rise in general taxation to pay for student tuition. See the NUS Funding Blueprint. Under this scheme graduates will pay extra tax to meet the cost of their tuition.

Personally a fixed debt is more appealing then an open ended tax!

I agree that a general tax rise should be looked at, rather than all these terrible cuts. Preferably a fair tax rise. Cannot believe I am thinking this.

Patsy99 good point! What are taxes for, if not education? (But I think the govt should raise taxes, on a sliding scale. Surely that's the fairest way, without artificial cut-off points).

'that you signed the pledge'.

To John Hemming again. I think the students have done excellent job of raising awareness to all your constituents that signed pledge on tuition fees so keeping a close eye on how you vote on Thursday.

So students should be expected to pay for their education themselves as they get the benefit of a higher salary?

If that's the case they should pay less tax than everyone else. Why should graduates contribute more/higher taxes into the public purse when they had to fund the education which got them there in the first place.

A 9% tax rebate for up to 25 years should be just about right.

These students won't be affected by your cuts but they are standing up for what they believe. So they have been a bit OTT today, well you need to punish them by voting for this policy to spite the students coming up after them. That not very mature is it.

Oh. Just heard that the students have been occupying your office - so I see why you said that they would not make you change your mind by doing that. I apologise for what I have just posted.

But, when this all dies down, please do think again - about the hundreds of students who didn't occupy your office, and who are trying to protest in a law-abiding way. Please take their views into account.

I think I have just heard John Hemmings saying on the radio that the student protests are not going to affect the way he votes on Thursday. Or if they do, they will make him vote for the increase in fees, because he doesn't want to 'reward their bad behaviour'!

I really hope I have misheard.

But if not, John Hemmings, what message is that sending the students? That nothing they do is going to make a difference? Is that really how you think a democracy works? Do you want them to creep back into their burrows and never venture out again, except to put a X by your name in the next election? Or would you rather they didn't vote at all?

These young people are showing some interest in their own futures and the futures of younger generations. They are taking responsible action to influence politicians in the only way that is available to them. How else can they register their views? How much attention would you pay a petition, for example? How many emails and letters do you bin without even looking at them?

And what bad behaviour are you talking about? Daring to demonstrate against something they think is unfair?

I am probably OTT on this but it made me very angry. You should listen to them. You are accountable to them. Please reconsider.

They are evil b--s who don't care about anyone but their own kind. They will be happy when it's only the rich kids that apply to uni, get the top jobs, influence and run the country. They have to be stopped. Even if the increases have to go ahead, there has to be some help for ordinary families.

Do they really think that kids who's parents don't work will think, hey great, I will go to uni because my debt will now be 27k instead of 33K.

Not so the rich kids(eg Cameron and Clegg's kids) who will have it all paid off for them. It'll be win win for them. Less competition when they leave their private schools for the best uni places and less competition on the housing front too. Can see why they're so keen on this policy.

I agree wholeheartedly with the statement above. Of course they don't care as it won't affect them. Same as the child trust fund - what's £250 a month to them - pah - peanuts!

I really don't understand why this government continues to hit young people and families. The brunt of the cuts have again been on young people; surely young people are our future. Investing in universities surely is investing in the future of a country.

Young people will be lumbered with massive debts, and as I said in other threads, they will have to live at home for a long time as they will not be able to repay their debts AND live on their own.

£27k of fees plus all the living expenses as a student, that surely will amount to at least 50 or 60k - and that is if you don't want to become a doctor. In that case you are looking at double that.

So a doctor would be looking more at 120k to qualify. And how long will it take them to repay it?

No I am afraid we are back to inequality; young people whose parents can't afford to pay will not choose that route. And if they do, they will end up so much worse off.

I would like someone explaining to me the figures, ie how will a graduate on a salary of 21k repay a massive loan of 50k and then on top of that buy their first car, get their rented flat say in London and save for a future mortgate. It isn't going to happen is it.

heston, don't know how old your DC's are but the free tuition won't be paid until 2014. That's if it all gets passed.

I'm very pleased to hear the news about FSM pupils getting a year paid. I am a lone parent and can't work due to disability, so DS and DD will probably still receive FSM for the rest of their schooldays. I was really fretting about the increased fees, especially as they're both bright but not good at vocational studies, so HE would suit them. They are both on course for straight As too, so may well be eligible for two years' funding.

We live in an area where over 50% of pupils get FSM and very few pupils consider university. This will be an effective way to encourage them to apply - although the fact that they will still have to pay for the third (or fourth) year is problematic. There could be a lot of students dropping out after the first or second year.

Supporting a family and paying student debts won't be easy.

The "only £140 a month" quoted further down may not be a lot to the poster but to us that would be a massive amount.

Let's not forget houses will be even harder to come by in the years ahead so presumably our kids will have bigger mortgage/rent bills too.

Also if they have a joint mortgage so 2 lots of student debts to account for I can't see how it won't have a big impact on getting a mortgage(debt is debt) especially if they have a job with less chance of a huge salary,payrise eg teaching,social work etc. Our kids will have less choice mortgagewise so will end up paying more.

Not so the rich kids(eg Cameron and Clegg's kids) who will have it all paid off for them. It'll be win win for them. Less competition when they leave their private schools for the best uni places and less competition on the housing front too. Can see why they're so keen on this policy.

I'd be there with bells on,but we're in Devon.

Granted, thanks for posting on the other thread. I couldn't engage in that conversation anymore .

TBH I don't expect even a glimmer of hope regarding EMA and tuition fees in view of this national scholarship announced yesterday, it's only good news, if you can call it that for a very few.

The students are protesting about EMA as well, will see what the next couple of weeks bring.

It was introduced in 2004.

How long has EMA existed? Wasn't it a very recent introduction?

Just wondering.