Student riots

Watching the news coverage this evening is making my blood boil, but not for the reasons you might think, and I may be in the minority with my thoughts on this, but hey, it wont be the first time!

An education to the age of 16 is a right. Higher education is not. It's a choice, always has been, that hasn't changed regardless of the government in power. The arrogance of the teenagers who expect everything to be given to them is infuriating. "it should be free" Just who the hell do they think pays for it, Father Christmas? The parents (as well as other working adults who have chosen not to have children) are paying for it, either up front or by means of taxes, but someone has to pay the piper at some point.

How much money do the rioters (oh, I'm sorry, "protesters") think their needless episodes of violence, graffiti and destruction of property is going to cost? Where do they think the money to pay for it is going to come from? Guess what, probably from the money set aside for education.

Everyone in this country has the right to freedom of speech. Nowhere does it say that includes vandalism, violence and graffiti, and nor should it. Swearing and gesticulating in the background of a televised interview whilst wearing a hood and a scarf to conceal facial features is neither clever or grown up and it certainly doesn't improve the already blackened image of young adults.

I wonder how many police have been drafted in to provide cover and assistance? How many areas in London are now short on cover for their own areas to handle the normal emergency calls? Many areas outside of London are very thinly spread for emergency cover already because of cutbacks, will the price for this rioting outrage be paid by some innocent individual who genuinely needed the help of the police?

I believe It was Aaron Porter who is the head of the National Students Union who said in an interview earlier that the government should increase taxes rather than penalising students who want to attend university. Our wage packets and purses are already black and blue from the beatings of the increase in vat, fuel duty, and other taxes which have been induced, how much more tax does he think we can bear?

I do not agree with the minimum fee being set as I feel that this enables universities to profit. If they don't need to charge that much, then don't. I also don't agree with the fact that a number of Lib Dem politicians abstained from the vote. They are not elected to sit on the fence. If they didn't agree entirely with the proposal, they should have voted against it and brought forward a new proposal. Abstaining is a cop out.

On the other hand, the one thing that was made perfectly clear when Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg got into office was that there were going to be some unpleasant decisions to be made as the government is in a financial mess. They are making the unpleasant decisions, and will upset someone no matter which way they do it.

Maybe one good thing will come out of this increase in fees. Maybe the students that do go to university will appreciate it for what it is, a hard sacrifice made by their parents, or the result of hard work to save money on their own part. Having to work so hard to get the money to attend may perhaps a) deter the would layabouts who partake in fluff courses in order to delay their entrance into the real working world and b) encourage those that do attend to work a damn sight harder and make them worthwhile young adults who are actually deserving of some respect because they are prepared to work and contribute to society.

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