So the students have taken to the streets to protest at the proposed changes to student funding. On the plus side they start out with some very nice placards clearly stating their cause, then left a load of grafitti which didn’t mention it. The rather pointless riot somewhat spoilt it though, starting initially in the wrong place and then attacking a rented office filled mainly with people with no power or little influence – surely protesting outside Parliament would have been more productive? Whilst the students are angry and have grievances to put across I can’t help feel that it might be a little early for this sort of civil unrest. Though given the manner in which some of that unrest took place one does again have to wonder.
Consider the lack of police action whilst scores of journalists photograph criminal action taking place:
(H/T Deathboy)
It really is very reminiscent of the same scenes back in 2009 at the G20 demo’s:
Only this time with added photogenic fire, in both cases with such an isolated lone person committing the damage one has to wonder why it was allowed to happen. I suppose actually getting the person away could be a bit tricky depending on what was going on beyond the ring of photographers and police, but really it does seem terribly odd. Though of course as Inspector Gadget observes this change in tactic may be due to the complaints about how those G20 demo’s were policed as well as maybe the NUS not giving the police a clear idea of what might happen though the promotional material they produced would count as something of a hint I’d have thought.
I’m not quite clear how setting fire to buildings and dropping fire extinguishers are acts of self defence on the part of the students, though of course I’m sure it will be claimed that these weren’t acts of genuine protesters – though the genuine protesters appear to have done little or nothing to stop such actions being taken in their names.
Considering the grievance against which this demonstration claimed to be, I was fortunate enough to go through university when grants still existed though I had to work through my holidays to avoid getting into debt, which seems to be less talked about these days and I’ve never fathomed how so many people can afford gap years. Would I have gone to university if I’d had to have paid more – I like to think so but equally as I did look at polytechnics at the time I might have gone for a trade instead (which was my plan if I didn’t get the grades). Either way as Snow wolf observes you end up paying for it somehow or other either upfront or in taxes. I can’t help but feel that paying for it up front and in the open is fairer on all those that do well without the benefit of tertiary education. But the money has to come from somewhere, though Dizzy has an alternative to charging for education.
At heart I think this is the big problem with many of the reforms that are trying to be pushed through at the moment. We’re at the start of a shift from paying for things on the never through taxes to having to pay for them as we go along, which will be all well and good once people have had a bit of warning and so can prepare (though with such poor interest rates at present how one is meant to save for future provision/education is a mystery) and we’ve also not yet started getting lower taxes which would let us pay for stuff. Sadly like someone trying to pay off credit cards so that they can then live on current earning we’re going to be worse off for a while to come – I just wish I had any faith in the concept that the tax cuts will come along at some point.
