Universities charging top rate- so much for social mobility!

 

According to a BBC survey, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13004196 ,far more English university students than originally expected will be paying the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 a year. Half of the 54 universities which took part in a BBC survey said they would charge £9,000 for all courses, and about two thirds said they would charge the top rate for some or all courses.

Ministers say it is "early days" and they expect the average fee to be "significantly lower", however this seems to fly in the face of their hopes that the top fee to be charged only in "exceptional circumstances.” This is devastating news for those young people who wish to go to university to better themselves when all opportunity is being robbed from the youth of this nation. As Harriet Harman stated the other day, how dare Clegg pontificate about social mobility when this measure and his betrayal have done more damage.

Young people I urge you to send a message by the ballot box at local elections that this betrayal we will not forget, NOR FORGIVE!

 

Shifting the goalposts,

The toll for opportunity, they raise the price,

The gate barred, to the hallowed halls of learning the gate is barred,

Like lambs our aspiration is culled for the sacrifice.

They shift the goalposts,

The ladder we seek to climb cruelly kicked away,

This betrayal inscribed on our memory we shall not forget,

With ballot paper and pen in hand, we shall make them pay!

Clegg- how things change! Protests at the LD conf!

How things change eh? This is probably the feeling Nick Clegg is facing with the massive protests that prompt his retreat behind the RING of STEEL replacing the adulation before the election. I wonder if he remembers this video he filmed- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTLR8R9JXz4 , where he promised ’no more broken promises’ only to break this promise and about every other promise he made, such as on tuition fees, the list really does go on as we know. Well if he did forget, I’m sure the 5000 protestors would have reminded him.

As a defiant statement to attempt to shrug this off, Clegg has told his party that “You can’t do everything when you are in power, but you can’t do anything when you are not. With power comes protest. We need to get used to it.” Yes Mr Clegg you cant do everything whilst in power but to completely abandon your principles and to betray the students who you so cynically targetted with your job is’nt just one of those things. It is a shameful betrayal.

At the conference, a vote held by delegates sent a message to the Conservatives that that many Lib Dems are opposed to market reform of the health service, any fragmentation or destabilisation of NHS services by new private providers or the lack of accountability for the spending of public money envisaged in the model of GP commissioning promoted in the government’s health bill.

So where does this leave the coalition then? Possibly not in a different position than before I think, however discontent from the public remains at fever pitch, and with many of their members seeming to disagree profoundly with the government, it will be choppy waters ahead for the good ship coalition. So where does this leave us? We should not rest on our laurels on this, as a woman I spoke to on the doorstep stated to me that whilst Clegg and Cameron are instant turn offs for many voters, Labour still needs to fight for every vote, to give people a real and hopeful alternative and many do not seem to have seen this as of yet. We still need to fight and fight hard for what we believe in like the NHs which is under threat. Many have signed this petition on 38 degrees calling for the Gov to rethink its plans for the NHS, and I urge you who read this also to sign to send a message- http://www.38degrees.org.uk/Save-our-NHS . Only together can we send a message to this government that enough is enough!

Clegg’s feeble attempt to shrug off genuine anger and protest shows us how out of touch the coalition are, and how in his opinion, he has done nothing wrong. What a difference a year makes, how things change!

Congrats to Dan Jarvis and the collapse of the lib dems!

 

First of all I would like to convey my congratulations to Dan Jarvis who last night became the new Labour MP for Barnsley Central. To all those who helped campaign this is your victory and I am proud to be a member of the party given a boost from last night. What is astonishing though was the complete collapse of the Lib Dem vote, with their party finishing 6th, behind both UKIP and the BNP. In his article on Labourlist http://www.labourlist.org/is-this-the-end-of-the-lib-dems-as-a-national-party , Mark Ferguson states that such a devastating result  shows an “annihilation for the Lib Dems… one that could spell the end of Nick Clegg’s party as a national force’” adding that as Sheffield Hallam – Nick Clegg’s seat – is only fifteen miles from Barnsley Central, this result is “a salutary warning – if Clegg needed one – of what could lie ahead, if he continues down this road.”

So what does this mean then in the bigger picture? As Mr Jarvis said, the result sent “the strongest possible message” to David Cameron and Nick Clegg, however on Labour Uncut http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2011/03/04/the-evidence-that-labour%e2%80%99s-poll-lead-is-soft/ , Atul Hatwal states that whilst many are departing from the coalition, a 12% lead in polls still see people prefer David Cameron as PM to Ed Miliband.  Whether this is true or not, I still say we need to keep up the pressure on the coalition, challenge the orthodox narrative that this deficit that needs to be cut at all costs is Labour’s mess. We need to keep putting forward a credible alternative to the condems and restore hope to people. We have a new soldier in the fight in Dan Jarvis- now let’s continue to fight and fight hard!

The battlefield lies empty,

We triumphed,

While the traitors the decievers on the ground do lie,

We stand tall, the red flag above the battlements hoisted high!

Yet the war is not over, not by a stretch,

For they hold the nation at their mercy,

Their savage barrages show a lack of mercy.

The warrior of the red rose arises victorious this morn,

Let him join our battle, our fight for a hopeful new dawn!

Requiem for a dream!

I think by now we all know the story, the ladder was kicked away amid massive protests, the figures speak for themselves- 

• passed 323 to 302,
• 28 Lib Dem MPs voted yes
• 21 Lib Dem MPs voted no
• 8 Lib Dem MPs either abstained or were absent
• 6 Conservative MPs voted no
• 2 Conservative MPs abstained

This is indeed a dark day for the youth of this country, when the burden of debt is placed solely on the shoulders of students, whilst the gov has the front to harp on about how its wrong to build a future on debt. I am so proud of all the labour MPS who all voted against it, esp David Lammy and Diane Abbot who boldly spoke out furiously at the debate earlier. To the lib-dems, know this, this blood will be on your hands for many years. Enjoy your reign while it lasts as WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Requiem for a dream,

A dream of bettering oneself,

A dream of freeing oneself from the cycle of poverty,

Cruelly woken by Debt’s chains,

Heavier than before.

The ladder kicked away,

Cruelly, swiftly they kick it away!

Goodbye Judas,

Was the 30 pieces of silver worth your honour,

You rob the hope of a better tommorow with a wave of your hand,

Your betrayal ,your lies,

Your words and deeds are the rope on which you will hang!

Requiem for a dream, laid low in the cold.

We shall keep fighting!

D-day is almost upon us! The day our protests against these unjust fees are victorious, or the lib-dems sign their death warrant and rob all aspiration from this great nation of ours. Cracks in the harmonious facade have started to appear with Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker has hinted he could resign from the government in order to vote against plans for tuition fee rises, and even added that quitting his post to vote against the rises was one “option”, but said he had not yet made up his mind. This comes as former party leaders Sir Menzies Campbell and Charles Kennedy are among those thought likely to side with Labour against the coalition’s plans.

Add to the mix the explosive revelation that Tory Mp David Davis has also stated he will vote against the measures, and we have a powder keg ready to explode(much like Corrie’s explosive storyline!) . The cracks are showing in the coalition as Clegg arranges a last dicth attempt to get Lib Dem MP’s to either vote for or vote against, as the coalition looks to be in a state of disarray. Well done to David Davis to publically place his head above the parapet and may he be the first of many brave enough to rebel. Its all still to play for it seems and we shall continue to FIGHT!!!

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

Magician, he seeks to deceive with a sleight of hand,
Hoodwink, betray, inflict injustice on the land.
Some try to sit on the fence,
Now is the time to choose a side,
We await the turning of the tide!
My student brothers and sisters we shall fight,
Fight fight fight!
We shall fight them on the streets,
We shall fight them in cyberspace,
We shall fight them in the Palace,
WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER!

We praise those who say no,

To the infliction of injustice,

To the robbing of aspiration from the young,

They say no.

All hail those who place head above the parapet,

Who stand up to be counted,

Those who join us,

Those ready to chip away the facde to expose the fruit to decay,

Those who hear the call to fight!

Find your courage! Letter to lib dem mps!

Following the reports that Clegg and other Lib-dems are considering abstaining, I write this blog letter to persuade the lib dem mp’s not to stand by and let this injustice occur!

Dear Lib Dem MPs

In your manifesto, you may recall that you stated that you would “scrap unfair university tuition fees so everyone has the chance to get a degree, regardless of their parents income” . You and your leader signed an NUS pledge to “vote against any rise in fees.” So here we are a few months later facing a bill that intends to put up student fees free fold, very little lib dem opposition to this , and the best we have is possible abstention. Well I say this is not good enough!

I come from an underpriveliged background and I worked hard through secondary school to gain my GCSE results and similarly through sixth form college to get my A-Level results. Like many of people in a similar position, I wish to go to university in order to better myself and escape from the
deprivation I was born into. I find it hard enough with fees of £3290 a year which alongside my maintainance loan which I find vital, which will saddle me with massive debts when I leave. By tripling fees, people like me will find it even harder and many will be put off university altogether due to the enormous cost. That means a potential Einstein, a potential Stephen Hawking will be turned away. They may have big brains yet their talent may not be realised as they do not have big wallets.

How is this just? How is this progressive and HOW IS THIS IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST? You make much of the deficit stating that we shouldn’t “create a future built on debt” , yet by doing this you ensure it is a reality for a whole generation! How is this right?

A graduate tax has been proposed as an alternative to higher fees and thus this would seem a fairer alternative to fees which would price the underpriveliged out of a greater start in life, gaining better more high paid jobs and thus would contribute greatly to society in terms of higher income tax and a more qualified work force.

Abstaining will still allow the law to pass as it will bring down the amount the Tories need to pass the law to 297. Abstaining still allows this injustice to occur. Abstaining betrays the pledge you made to students. You threaten to rob us off all aspiration and you turn this promised land into a wasteland, you leave us to die on the rocky road to Jericho.

I urge you not to walk on by on the other side of the road. I urge you to speak out against this injustice like you promised in the pledge. As Robert Kennedy once said “when we fail to speak up and speak out, we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice.” I urge you in the name of justice, to speak out and not stand idley by and let this happen! The young people wishing to make a better life for themselves deserve nothing less!

Anthony

BBC News – Six Rochdale Liberal Democrats resign over leadership

 

BBC News – Six Rochdale Liberal Democrats resign over leadership

On the above BBC news website, it has been reported that 6 Lib Dem councillors in Rochdale have “resigned from the party in protest over its leadership nationally and locally,” with Pat and Ted Flynn, Peter Davison, Doreen Brophy Lee, Barbara Todd and Naim Mahmood sitting as independents.

Councillor Pat Flynn said the party was "doing too many U-turns" adding that "we didn’t like the direction the leadership were taking us, and we don’t feel this is the party we were elected to – that is the bottom line."

I salute these lib-dems who feel brave enough to speak out against their party being used as nothing more than a shield and a fig leaf for the ideological cuts being unleashed on our public services! I also salute the other lib-dem councillors who have joined the labour party in protest! Their party has betrayed their voters and most of all those who fight for it like them! Our challenge is to persuade them to join us in this fight against the unjust coalition and embrace them into our family!

 

We embrace you

We embrace you,

You who will no longer sit and watch this assault,

This ideological butchery on the body of our nation,

You who will rise up against this travesty inflicted in your name.

We salute you,

You stick your head above the parapet,

Into our family we welcome you, embrace you,

Brothers, in this fight against darkness, we need you!

“I say this man is without honour”

Shameful- Clegg signing a pledge he had NO intention of sticking to!

 

Just when I thought my opinion of Clegg and the lib-dems couldn’t get any worse, I saw this article on the Guardians website today! http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/12/lib-dems-tuition-fees-clegg

In the piece, secret documents reveal that the Liberal Democrats were drawing up plans to abandon Nick Clegg’s flagship policy to scrap university tuition fees two months before the general election.

The documents reveal that a month before Clegg signed the pledge in April , where he vowed to scrap the “dead weight of debt”, a secret team of key Lib Dems made clear that, in the event of a hung parliament, the party would not “waste political capital defending its manifesto pledge to abolish university tuition fees within six years.” In a document marked “confidential” and dated 16 March, the head of the secret pre-election coalition negotiating team, Danny Alexander, wrote: “On tuition fees we should seek agreement on part-time students and leave the rest. We will have clear yellow water with the other [parties] on raising the tuition fee cap, so let us not cause ourselves more headaches.”

This shows Clegg for the betrayer he really is, a man without honour, a man who is willing to sign an agreement without beliveing in it. This is a man with no belief, a man willing to sell his principles and his voters for power like a whore selling his body. I hope there are still some Lib-dems who have a shred of honour and vote against this rise in tuition fees which, in their own leaders words, would burden the young with a “dead weight of debt”. If they do not make a stand, remember this your leader and your lack of resistance have signed your death warrant. You may forget the promises you made Clegg, but the students will not! WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Traitor,

Is their no depths to the levels you descend?

You sign an agreement, a promise, yet you pretend,

A double cross you plan, betrayal you intend,

Honourless, you mouth breeds nothing but lies.

Judas,

Were the 30 pieces of silver worth it,

Was the chance of power worth selling yourself whore?

You’re false words, false promises will hang you yet,

The blood of your brothers lies on your hands,

We will never forget!

100 days

Well my people, it has been 100 days since the love in on the lawn, 100 days since David Cameron and Nick Clegg consumated their political marriage. In this time we have seen gaffes on the part of Michael Gove’s and the BSF fiasco, gaffes by David Caemron himself, contraversially accusing Pakistan of exporting terror, and DPM Nick Clegg calling the Iraq war at the dispatch box illegal, onlyto have to label this as a “personal opinion”. We have also seen the VAT rise proposed, the Lib Dems giving their consent despite having campiagned against the VAT bombshell in the election. And who can forget the U-churn, the embarrasing U-turn of taking free milk from young children.

So, what do the people think of this marriage I hear you wonder? According to a poll on the GMTV website, in association with the Mirror, support of the lib-dems has dropped to 15%, showing that more than a third of people who voted Lib Dem at the Election aren’t supporting them now. Even more damning for the Lib-dems is that 50% of the people asked stated that they thought that “had sold out their principles by going into coalition with the Conservatives,” and that 6 in 10 people dont think the coalition will last the full 5 years.

Creedence to the belief that the coalition may not last came in the form of Simon Hughes, who according to BBC news stated that “Liberal Democrat MPs should have a veto on policies put forward by the coalition government, and that a future coalition between the Lib Dems and Labour was “still on the agenda”.

So I wonder if this news will be cause for celebration for Nick Clegg on his 100 days anniversary?

100 days

100 days have passed since the love in on the lawn,
The shock of betrayal burned as bright as the sun.
Seemed a partnership of equals,
A new politics of consesus, a new politics of hope.

How the times change,
How you collaborate with their injustices, no resistance.
Amnesia- forgetting what you stand for,
How you serve your master well!

You pay for it now, your followers leave you, disallusioned,
In despair at their false Messiah transformed into Delilah
Your aquiescence is the rope you will hang on,
Enjoy your silver pieces while you can Judas.

The poisoned chalice!

 

Cam-Clegg :Voters confused about lib-dem identity

Someone on twitter just tweeted a really interesting link. According to the article on politics.co.uk ,

“polls by YouGov for the Sun and by ComRes for the Independent put the Lib Dems on 15% and 16% respectively – significantly lower than the 23% share of the vote the party won in the general election on May 6th”

Even more damning for the Lib-Dems is another statistic on the site that states that voters “appear baffled by the party’s identity. Nearly three-quarters said it was difficult to know what the party stood for.” With record numbers leaving the Lib-dems and joining the labour party, the picture emerges of a support base feeling disillusioned, betrayed even by the party’s blind acquiescence to Tory legislation, not putting up a fight against the VAT rise which they campaigned against during the election.

Question is Nick, was the taste of power worth selling out your principles and the support of your voters?

Poisoned Chalice

Was it worth it,

Your taste of power,

Was it worth selling your principles for?

Was it worth squandering your followers?

You hang yourself with your own rope Judas,

Your blind obedience, your deception,

You drink from the poisoned chalice,

The blood of your party spilled for prestige.