UK Student Tuition Fees Protest...

I do not know why the UK was caught unawares by the scale of the student tuition protest today. Fees are not being merely doubled, no, they are being tripled. It is wrong. It makes education a elite entitlement. It is ridiculous. It is completely frustrating when words and advocacy are not listened to. Personally, it frustrates me that the demographics that's voice is least listened to tends to be the poor, the young, minorities, the elderly and the unemployed. This borders on despicable and can almost be described as evil. I do not support anarchy. I believe in obeying the law of the land and that consultation (e.g advocacy is the best solutions). Yet it appears that I differ from mainstream media...because I can understand why this happened.

This economic recession is not going to be solved through stupid moves. I feel that targeting the only avenue available to the future generations--education--to escape the trap that this economy presents is a mistake. While I do not agree with violence. I can understand the need for cuts. But these cuts are obscene.

Images of the small group that broke away from the main protest to storm the PM's Party HQ are below. But I personally understand that level of frustration that could cause the break of sanity that could cause this attack. According to the Guardian, the UK PM said today in China in answer to a question from a Chinese student, the prime minister said: "In the past, we have pushed up the fees on overseas students as a way of keeping them down for domestic students...Yes, foreign students will still pay a significant amount of money – but we should be able to bring that growth under control." If this is an accurate quote then I consider the move tyrannical and unjust. It shocked and chilled me to my core.



Rising tuition fees and hurting your own population to decrease fees for foreign students is a huge fundamental insanity that cannot be politically justified. Ignoring the disempowered, the voiceless and those who are not only the future but stakeholders in the state is shocking to me.

IF the Government represents the people...stop oppressing the poor, the young, and listen. We need a better solution. The cuts should start with the government.

Today's peaceful protest was organised by the NUS and UCU (lecturers' union). Both unions have attacked coalition plans to raise tuition fees as high as £9,000 while making 40% cuts to university teaching budgets.

I plan on researching and following this more. However, images from the violence cannot be ignored. If it was a minority of students, then I understand their reasons.



Aaron Porter (NUS president) said the march was the biggest student demonstration in generations, telling protesters: "We're in the fight of our lives ... we face an unprecedented attack on our future before it has even begun. "They're proposing barbaric cuts that would brutalise our colleges and universities."

This "miserable vision" would be resisted, he said, imploring students to take their protests to their constituencies and adding: "This is just the beginning ... the resistance begins here."

This is not fair. There has to be a fair resolution. Governments have to listen. But if the Governments refuse to listen, please do not be surprise when violence breaks out. Demonstrations don't seem to be working, words are not working, and the frustration levels are rising. Then triggers make things escalate out of control...wrong or right. This is unfortunately the reality. The thought process needs to be controlled.