Want your children to be able to go to uni?

[GreatAuntLoretta]

I am really feeling the urge to join the NUS protest against tuition fees on Thursday 9th December. Although my children are both under five, I am really really upset and annoyed to think that if they want to go to university in the future we will be very unlikely to be able to afford to send them. Who knows what the fees will be by then?! Also when my children are a little older I would really like to have the opportunity to retrain and do a degree. That would be completely off the cards. (angry)

Is anyone else with young children thinking of attending? It would be good to stick together with some other parents. A large group of parents will probably be a lot safer than a random woman with a buggy and a toddler in a mass crowd.

Who is with me?

Is there already a family protest group out there?

I am of the view that some of my students are not uni material, but that is based on having taught them for some time, watching them develop from 11 onwards, and being aware of their particular educational needs. It's not based on a snap judgement because someone pissed me off. Neither would I assume that their putative offspring would be unable to get to Uni.

You don't know what was developing as neither you, nor your OH (unless he was a policeman on the ground, or had access to all the intelligence being fed to the police) would be entirely aware of what was going on.

Harvalp,

But I think that too many generalists at senior levels in government and the senior civil service is not a healthy thing. It's clearly visible in all the major parties now, where so many figures have gone straight into politics, in some form, with no experience outside that hothouse.

We've moved from one political class (the upper class) to another (professional politician), with some cross-over. If you're saying that too many politicians have gone straight into politics with no experience of life outside school, uni, politics, then I agree. Ideally the generalists should get some experience of working outside politics first. As should chemists and engineers.

Ah, another useful idiot...

You obviously studied philosophy.

RRocks

scaryteacher, I do know that no-one 'dangerous' would have been able to get over two rows of barriers about 15 feet apart and say,10 feet high, to commit whatever dastardly deed they were planning to do.

The only danger where I was personally, was from the police.

I certainly don't think that we wish our universities to be full of violent thugs.

I don't think my being a teacher or not has much relevance - but since you bring it up, I wouldn't tolerate a student behaving like that for one moment in my classrooom; they'd be kicked out until they'd learnt to behave like a civilised human being.

If anyone is around and feeling useful lots of peaceful students are being kettles on the Westminster bridge trying to go home - last trains out if London leave soon.

Anyone mind emailling BBC to let them know, and put some pressure on the police to get them out?

These people are shameful attacking prince Phillip, defacing Churchill statue these are people who are supposed to be degree educated I even witnessed people throwing fireworks at the police on the bcc live feed now they have the cheek to say their cold and they have missed their last train.
What about the police who have been working triple shifts how much has this all cost the money should be taken from the higher education budget .

Ps let the blighters walk home

What so now nobody can protest about anything in case random loonies hijack it and attack things?! Which is exactly what has happened here. Remember the 80s anyone?

PEACEFUL protest, is legal and a part of active democracy. Peaceful protestors don't deserve to be treated like this.

BTW, it is also quite tricky to walk hone to other cities 100s miles away, and leaving early is not an option when you've been stuck in the same place for 7hrs and not been allowed to leave even though you are being entirely peaceful.

LaWeaselMys, I'll happily email - got an email address?

I can't get a link, but if you go to the BBC pages and find a protest articles you can submit at the bottom.

I think they might've ended submissions - but they're all still trapped!

Thank you, granted. I'm worried about them.

My 16 yr old daughter was kettled for more than 8 hours, first in parliament square and then on westminster bridge where the police told the leeds coach to go, leaving all the totally peaceful protesters with no means of getting back home.

During the demo they were batoned and charged by police and the disgraceful coverage by the media which did not show anything like the violence meted out by the thugs in blue that are the metropolitan police is unsurprising but still appalling - luckily with the event of mobile filming there is much to be seen on youtube and other sites.

And regarding the royals - frankly at this moment in time a bit of paint and a kicked car containing a parasite and a scrounger is the least of my worries!

I was there yesterday.

maypole1 - the paint didn't start being thrown until the kettling had started.

harvalp - I also saw no car on fire.

Maypole, I was watching the live coverage for a bit between seminars and I saw:

Kids protesting as peacefully as a crowd ever can
Some surging, looked like normal crowd behaviour to me
One barrier being handled by several kids

Then at 4-ish I saw the police charge the kids on horseback and my jaw dropped. I wondered what country I was in for a minute. It really did not seem the right thing to do from what I was seeing.

Subsequently I saw it kick off and witnessed:

Kids throwing sticks and other long missiles
More barriers being handled and thrown towards police
Placards being burnt
Kids apparently kettled
Increased surging
Police officers shoving kids rather too hard when they did not appear to be under attack themselves

From what I saw, my opinion is the police response seemed disproportionate and contributed to the subsequent violence. It seems they have learned nothing from years gone past.

As many (all) the others who were there, and from where I was, the police disproportionate reaction was a big contributor to violence. And most of all a clear agent in boycotting the protest.