Exactly how do you propose that your government affords to make a level playing field for ALL citizens in terms of education, health care, social welfare, etc??? How does that work in reality?
You've got girls on here complaining that they can't even get ultrasound scans because the health care system budget is so far stretched yet nobody wants to pay a higher fee for university.
I live in a country that is just as socialized as the UK, our health care is available to all, our education is subsidized (and more along the proposed new costs), welfare is available to all, maternity leave is one year - where does that money come from?????
If we're going to be blessed enough to live in a place where we can look for help when we're down and out (and not have $10,000 emergency room bills, or no emergency room at all, or perhaps be back at work full time when baby is 6 WEEKS), then we have to accept a reality that it comes at a price - and one of those prices is a fee increase for *optional* education.
FINALLY now we're getting to the crux. It's not about how lazy students are or how people are not willing to try hard as that's all nonsense
. It's about social structure and how we go about achieving it. Thankfully AT LAST the debate moves where it needs to be in my opinion.
Along with peanutbean's reply there are a few other factors.
We are in the middle of a recession and although it may not be officially a recession I think most people know and feel that it's still recession time. No other major economy is making cuts in this time.
Some economists think that the way to get yourself out of a recession is to spend your way out as Labour were trying to do. Whether that's right or wrong the one thing no one does is to make cuts during a recession as it will further damage the economy. We are risking a double dip recession when confidence is at a low ebb. It makes more sense to wait till we're in an economic boom to rely on increased tax revenue to make up for spending and to make cuts then when the private sector is thriving. Why is the UK the only major economy to be making cuts at this time? Is it some crazy new economics genius behind it or far more likely is it the conservatives using a tough time to further their ideology which some may agree with but I think is disgraceful. There are cuts across the board but with universities it's not a cut it a 3x increase in fees. Something that will never change or go back.
So along with being in wars which we don't need to be in which cost us billions, along with being too scared to really show any muscle to the banking system and along with not chasing clever corporate tax evasion we're thinking that making our higher education system only accessible to the rich is going to be the answer? Many graduates pay back their fees in taxes as you're much more likely to have a higher paying job once you've graduated. But those people who will not go to university will have lower paid jobs in the future. Furthermore, we will have increased foreign students I imagine but because immigration is cut, they'll use our wonderful education system then go and pay higher taxes in a foreign country.
Like other things the conservatives don't think long term. And here's where I go a little off topic; The whole "big society" idea or whatever it was called by Cameron where he basically tried to justify his massive cuts in funding to non profit organisations. I live in the east end of London where my friend has been mugged directly outside our house, where we have a crack house and brothel 10 doors down, but where we as a middle class couple can afford to live. The community programmes that are run here are magnificent. You have MANY talented and qualified people who do social work with skills that you can't just teach to volunteers. You can't in your spare time decide you want to work in gang intervention with no skillset. You need qualified and able social workers but since there are budget cuts and LOADS of people in these programmes are losing their jobs initiatives will be closed down. LONG TERM crime WILL go up. But because the upper classes in Kensington and Surrey won't really feel it they honestly don't care in my opinion. If he said "oh lets all volunteer to work for the NHS" we'd understand that's ridiculous because you need to be trained but to suggest people who work in the non profits are not skilled people is very unfair.
The school systems here are a joke. We have teachers being fired and assistant teachers being given teachers jobs because every single time the conservatives get into power Newham schools suffer badly.
And lastly, where are the tuition fees money going to? Are we getting tax cuts? It doesn't make economic sense to try and plug a deficit when we're in a recession. This isn't a personal bank account but a major economy. It's nonsense that people buy easily in my opinion. Surely any decent leader of a country not only thinks about fairness and equality for all but also has a little economic sense to not go about making cuts in a recession especially when the long term consequences are taken into account?
That's the essence of what tuition fees do. It takes away from a true meritocracy which is the ideal where people with talent and ability get ahead. Hard work and resilience etc. But some people think that poor people having to juggle multiple jobs while excelling at their studies to compete with rich people who already have cultural capital, connections as well as money and can do minimal work to get ahead and lead in multiple fields is perfectly acceptable. Chelsea Clinton left college to get a six figure salary. Do you think she worked her socks off and had many jobs to support her college fees? Not even big banks or consultancies give their graduates six figure salary starts. Of course life isn't fair and course you have to work hard to get ahead but that should ideally be equally and fairly applied to all. I don't understand people who disagree.
...have shared my view 1st page 
