I have found myself recently involved in a lot of conversations about political apathy, and about how to ensure that the current student campaign against cuts can maintain it's energy and not succumb to the apathy of which our generation has been previously guilty.
But why have we, as a nation, been so apathetic for so long. For me, it is down to two main causes.
Firstly, comfort; the 90s and the 00s, for the most part, have been very comfortable for us Brits. The economy has risen, the level of living for the majority has been maintained or improved, and everyday life in Britain has generally been agreeable.
Secondly, and more importantly, there has not been much of a chance to debate. The governments of Thatcher in the 80s were deeply ideological - and openly so. Thatcher's ideas and policies were clear, and open to either agree or disagree with. The chance, and the reason, to show disagreement and air grievances was clear.
The ideology of the New Labour regime was , however, far from clear. The continuation of thatcher's neoliberal marketisation programme was intertwined with social investment, and policies such as child tax credits. This straddling of both left and right made it unclear whether to protest, and what to protest about. The ideologies of New Labour were well-hidden, and confusingly put into action. The one time we were offered a clear decision to make - whether to go to war or not - the spirit of mass-mobilisation in Britain was displayed, with the largest demonstration is British history in February 2003.
David Cameron did a fantastic job of hiding his ideology throughout both the Tory leadership campaign and the election campaign. The ConDem coalition's early murmurings also did a good job of confusing and hiding their ideologies.
However, with the announcement of these cuts, the Thatcherite ideology driving the Conservative party has become abruptly apparent. Cameron himself also seems less and less willing to act as a centrist, as demonstrated by his recent retort to the Commons that he'd 'rather be a child of Thatcher than a son of Brown'.
Discussing the cuts and fee rises last night with SOAS SU President Jasper Kain, he made an interesting point. It was that most universities in recent years (SOAS included) have been running on a profit, or at least at evens. Cuts to funding are obviously not to be encouraged - but with all sectors of the economy taking a hit, and with the long-term outlook of universities, they could be tolerated. Assuming the coalition is out of power in four years, the universities could potentially take that hit, build up a bit of a deficit, and make up the money at a later date, or through other means. Some departments and services would inevitably suffer, but a good level of programme could still be maintained.
The rising of tuition fees, however, is a measure which would lead to much more long-term damage. Not only would it put thousands of potential students from lower-income families off university all together (and financially cripple those who do go), but it is a measure which cannot be reasonably reversed. Once four years' worth of students pay £6,000, and then £9,000, how can you then lower tuition fees again for following years? It is not just a step, but a giant leap, down the road of American-style fees, and towards creating a monied 'university class' of people - those who can actually afford to attend.
The cancellation of the schedule Lib Dem meeting today was neither a victory nor a loss for the anti-fees campaign; but it did show that our actions are having an effect. The Lib Dems are running scared, and are quickly reversing their plans to vote 'yes'. If we can use both direct action and lobbying to persuade more MP's to do the same, we may just win this battle. The ConDem's are using every dirty trick available to pass the bill, including moving the vote forward a week, and holding it on a Thursday (when many of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MP's will have left to travel home to their constituencies). We must keep up the momentum, and fight until the end.
Lobby your MP to vote 'NO' to the rise in tuition fees (see link below), and come to demonstrate on the 9th December, the day of the vote. Don't let this bill pass. Don't let a generation of students from lower-income families be barred from higher education.
Sam Bailey
But why have we, as a nation, been so apathetic for so long. For me, it is down to two main causes.
Firstly, comfort; the 90s and the 00s, for the most part, have been very comfortable for us Brits. The economy has risen, the level of living for the majority has been maintained or improved, and everyday life in Britain has generally been agreeable.
Secondly, and more importantly, there has not been much of a chance to debate. The governments of Thatcher in the 80s were deeply ideological - and openly so. Thatcher's ideas and policies were clear, and open to either agree or disagree with. The chance, and the reason, to show disagreement and air grievances was clear.
The ideology of the New Labour regime was , however, far from clear. The continuation of thatcher's neoliberal marketisation programme was intertwined with social investment, and policies such as child tax credits. This straddling of both left and right made it unclear whether to protest, and what to protest about. The ideologies of New Labour were well-hidden, and confusingly put into action. The one time we were offered a clear decision to make - whether to go to war or not - the spirit of mass-mobilisation in Britain was displayed, with the largest demonstration is British history in February 2003.
David Cameron did a fantastic job of hiding his ideology throughout both the Tory leadership campaign and the election campaign. The ConDem coalition's early murmurings also did a good job of confusing and hiding their ideologies.
However, with the announcement of these cuts, the Thatcherite ideology driving the Conservative party has become abruptly apparent. Cameron himself also seems less and less willing to act as a centrist, as demonstrated by his recent retort to the Commons that he'd 'rather be a child of Thatcher than a son of Brown'.
Discussing the cuts and fee rises last night with SOAS SU President Jasper Kain, he made an interesting point. It was that most universities in recent years (SOAS included) have been running on a profit, or at least at evens. Cuts to funding are obviously not to be encouraged - but with all sectors of the economy taking a hit, and with the long-term outlook of universities, they could be tolerated. Assuming the coalition is out of power in four years, the universities could potentially take that hit, build up a bit of a deficit, and make up the money at a later date, or through other means. Some departments and services would inevitably suffer, but a good level of programme could still be maintained.
The rising of tuition fees, however, is a measure which would lead to much more long-term damage. Not only would it put thousands of potential students from lower-income families off university all together (and financially cripple those who do go), but it is a measure which cannot be reasonably reversed. Once four years' worth of students pay £6,000, and then £9,000, how can you then lower tuition fees again for following years? It is not just a step, but a giant leap, down the road of American-style fees, and towards creating a monied 'university class' of people - those who can actually afford to attend.
The cancellation of the schedule Lib Dem meeting today was neither a victory nor a loss for the anti-fees campaign; but it did show that our actions are having an effect. The Lib Dems are running scared, and are quickly reversing their plans to vote 'yes'. If we can use both direct action and lobbying to persuade more MP's to do the same, we may just win this battle. The ConDem's are using every dirty trick available to pass the bill, including moving the vote forward a week, and holding it on a Thursday (when many of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MP's will have left to travel home to their constituencies). We must keep up the momentum, and fight until the end.
Lobby your MP to vote 'NO' to the rise in tuition fees (see link below), and come to demonstrate on the 9th December, the day of the vote. Don't let this bill pass. Don't let a generation of students from lower-income families be barred from higher education.
Sam Bailey
LOBBY YOUR MP: www.stopfees.org
FACEBOOK EVENT FOR DEC 9TH: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=173878782641548
