November 10, 201015 yr [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd_5EKQSK-8]YouTube - STUDENT PROTESTS IN LONDON U.K. TURN VIOLENT 10/11/2010 (MIRROR)[/ame] There have been violent scenes as tens of thousands of people protested against plans to treble tuition fees and cut university funding in England. Demonstrators stormed a building in Westminster housing the Conservative Party head quarters, smashed windows and got on to the roof. Outside, a crowd of thousands surged as placards and banners were set on fire and missiles were thrown. Student leaders condemned the violence as "despicable". They say about 50,000 people took part in a march through Westminster earlier. A stand-off is still taking place between about two dozen demonstrators and the police. According to Scotland Yard, 10 people have been taken to hospitals in London for treatment - including three police officers. None was seriously injured. The vast majority of demonstrators had been peaceful, a statement said, but "a small minority" had damaged property. At one point, a fire extinguisher was reported to have been thrown from the roof. Higher education funding is being cut by 40% - with teaching grants being all but wiped out except for science and maths. The government expects the costs of teaching other courses to be funded by tuition fees. It proposes that tuition fees should rise from 2012. The plan is for a lower cap at £6,000, with universities able to charge up to £9,000 - triple the current cap - in "exceptional circumstances". Ministers insist their plans offer a "fair deal for students". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11726822
November 11, 201015 yr Anarchists cause chaos as 50,000 students take to streets over fees Hijacking of a very middle class protest: Anarchists cause chaos as 50,000 students take to streets over fees By Charlotte Gill Last updated at 9:15 AM on 11th November 2010 Comments (1965) Add to My Stories Met chief: This is an embarrassment for London and for us It was supposed to be a day of peaceful protest, with students exercising their democratic right to demonstrate against soaring university fees. But anarchists hijacked the event, setting off the most violent scenes of student unrest seen in Britain for decades. Militants from far-Left groups whipped up a mix of middle-class students and younger college and school pupils into a frenzy. The focus of the violence was Tory HQ in central London, where hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage was caused. Clashes: A protester kicks in the glass at Millbank Tower in Westminster yesterday Youths wearing hoodies and masks smashed through reinforced glass at Mllbank on Wednesday The glass frontage was smashed and protesters swarmed seven floors up to the roof, from where a fire extinguisher was hurled down at police below. Effigies of David Cameron and Nick Clegg were burnt to cheers from a roaring mob. At least 14 casualties were taken to hospital, seven of them police officers, and 35 demonstrators were arrested. More... PAUL HARRIS: On the roof Cambridge students cheered and waved flags. Down below masked thugs kicked windowsJust 225 police to hold back 50,000: I'm embarrassed, says Met chief over woeful preparation for riot'You're like a Fresher who has met a dodgy bloke': Harman warns Clegg he'll regret tuition fees U-turnRevealed: Crippling 30-year graduate debt trap that will see students paying off their loans even when their OWN children go to universityMAIL COMMENT: Standing firm in the face of protests Later Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson admitted his force had failed to predict the trouble, with just 20 officers holding back surging crowds at the main flashpoint. He said: ‘It’s not acceptable. It is an embarrassment for London and for us.’ Student leaders condemned the violence. National Union of Students president Aaron Porter described it as ‘despicable’. Going wild: Young students trashing the entrance to Millbank Tower No control: Protesters used furniture to smash windows at Millbank Unprepared? Injured police officers are led away from the clashes Enlarge He blamed the trouble on a small minority who he believed had arranged it beforehand. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘I am appalled that a small minority have today shamefully abused their right to protest. ‘This is intolerable and all those involved will be pursued and they will face the full force of the law. ‘The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has assured me that there will be a vigorous post incident investigation. He will also be reviewing police planning and response.’ The protest of 50,000 students, lecturers and supporters – including at least one Lib Dem MP – started peacefully with a march from Whitehall past Downing Street and Parliament. But it turned violent when demonstrators halted outside Millbank Tower, home to Tory HQ, facing the Thames. Even though the march had been publicised for weeks, Scotland Yard had policed the event with just 225 officers. The 20 officers lining the route at Millbank faced an impossible task of trying to hold back thousands of demonstrators. Officers watched helplessly as protesters charged the entrance lobby and caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage by using chairs and fire extinguishers to smash the glass frontage, effectively opening up the atrium to the entire crowd. Anger: Thousands gathered outside Tory Party headquarters Demonstrators waving a flag from the roof 30 Millbank after storming the building Riot police standing guard inside the wrecked entrance to Millbank Tower One policewoman with a bleeding head wound was led away by two colleagues. Troublemakers stood on tables, ripped fire alarms from their fittings, pulled down ceiling panels and sprayed graffiti. They made their way to the roof, quickly followed by dozens more who flooded into the building. A veteran of the Leftist anarchist group Class War, which has a history of violent clashes with police, was spotted while police sources said animal rights activists were also present. One bearded man in his 30s was using a loud hailer to incite the crowd. Graffiti was scrawled on buildings along Millbank and a war memorial was defaced with the words ‘Fight back’. Many students condemned the troublemakers but some said violence was an acceptable form of protest. One student from King’s College said that 450 Cambridge students had attended the protest and she believed some from her college were on the roof. Demonstrators chanted 'Tory scum' and daubed 'Tory pigs' on the walls of Millbank in protest Demonstrators clashed with police as they clambered through a smashed window at 30 Millbank On top of the world: Protesters on the roof of Millbank, home of Tory party headquarters ‘It was students from King’s who made the effigies of Cameron and Clegg. It’s been fantastic. The atmosphere is amazing and everybody is really nice. ‘The majority is a completely non-violent protest. I’m not really worried about violence against property or objects, smashing buildings is completely fine, it’s a great image of our anger. I’ve got no problem with that at all as long as nobody gets hurt.’ The volatile situation started to calm down at about 4.30pm when the Metropolitan Police sent in hundreds of riot officers, who drove protesters away from the building. There was concern that some would be pushed into one of several bonfires started in the crowd and police made efforts to disperse the crowd. By 7pm, police began to let the several hundred protesters cordoned on the road in front of Millbank Tower out in ones and twos. Vandals: Youths took hammers and sticks to the glass of Millbank Tower Flashpoint: Thousands of students outside Millbank Tower yesterday afternoon Chaos: A protester lights a flare outside the besieged entrance to Tory Party headquarters It is not known whether there will be more trouble tomorrow. An unsolicited text received by a student at a 6th form student in London read: 'No Student should attend School/ College/Uni Tomorrow!!! Instead participate in the march for Student Loans and EMA to continue funding. 'Even if you don't want to join in with the march just don't attend School/ College/Uni. Leave the class rooms empty! Let them know that the young people of today too mean business!!! This is our futures, they shouldn't be allowed to scam us like this!!' Inside the severely damaged lobby of the tower, a group of around 25 protesters could be seen surrounded by police. Officers led them down from various floors of the seven-storey building where they were found after running inside at the peak of the riot. Anger: Students protesting against tuition fees rises in Westminster on Wednesday Peaceful: Students on the official march yesterday Conservative Party staff remained in their offices throughout with chairman Baroness Warsi among those inside. The protesters in the Tory HQ building and on the roof released a statement which said: ‘We oppose all cuts and we stand in solidarity with public sector workers, and all poor, disabled, elderly and working people. ‘This is only the beginning of the resistance to the destruction of our education system and public services.’ Under the Government’s proposals, which represent the most radical shake-up of student funding for decades, the fee cap will be raised to £6,000, with universities able to charge up to £9,000 – triple the current cap – in ‘exceptional circumstances’. ALL STUDENTS 'WILL PAY FEES OF £9,000' By LAURA CLARK and JAMES CHAPMAN Almost all universities will charge £9,000-a-year tuition fees to avoid their courses being seen as poor quality, a report will warn today. The vast majority will charge the highest possible fee within a few years because students perceive costlier courses to be more prestigious, analysts said. They warned that charges of £9,000-a-year across the board would significantly increase the cost to taxpayers of offering students subsidised loans to cover fees. This would potentially force the Government to further raise interest rates on loans or lower the £21,000 salary threshold for repayments to start. Ministers have claimed that universities will charge £9,000-a-year only in ‘exceptional cases’. They even say some will charge less than £6,000. But the report, by respected think-tank the Higher Education Policy Institute, says: ‘Those institutions that are over-subscribed will charge £9,000 without hesitation. ‘Those that have struggled to recruit students will initially be more cautious, but, within a few years, we believe that almost all universities will charge the maximum £9,000 fee. ‘No doubt, as now, some further education colleges will charge less than the maximum, and so may a small number of higher education institutions, but our expectation is that the great majority of students will be charged the maximum. ‘The evidence from the U.S. suggests that a higher fee makes the institution more, rather than less, attractive.’ The report also suggests the ‘savings that will accrue to the Government will in reality be much lower than expected’. Today’s report follows David Cameron fanning the flames of student anger yesterday by admitting higher fees would subsidise charges for foreign students. Challenged by a Chinese student during his trip to the country, the Prime Minister revealed that the higher fees were partly designed to limit rises for international undergraduates who can pay around £20,000 a year. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328385/TUITION-FEES-PROTEST-Anarchists-cause-chaos-50k-students-streets.html#ixzz14xwfluFk
November 11, 201015 yr i doubt all the people protesting are indeed students and pay any fee... truth is cost per year there is so damn expensive.
November 11, 201015 yr Bunch of left wing/socialist pigs. They don't realise that the education in this country is far more priviledged than most countries. They have a failure to grasp the seriousness of the economic deficit the country faces right now. They are in essence ignorant, selfish wankshafts.
November 11, 201015 yr They have a right to be a bit pissed off, but I think it would be funny if they bought out the tear gas and rubber bullets, give the middle class Cheguvaras something to complain about.
November 11, 201015 yr Bunch of left wing/socialist pigs. They don't realise that the education in this country is far more priviledged than most countries. They have a failure to grasp the seriousness of the economic deficit the country faces right now. They are in essence ignorant, selfish wankshafts. They've got every right to complain. Fees are already higher than in most other European countries. I spend 4-6 hours a week at uni (we don't have a session every week for one my modules) and I'm only in for like 22 weeks a year. I'm a full-time student but I spend more time at my second part-time job than at uni. I feel like I'm already paying a lot for what I'm getting. I believe that higher fees will stop people from going to university and it's mostly gonna affect student from a poorer background. It's not just about fees though, universities are also gonna get less funding which is likely to affect the quality of teaching. There will be less staff and bigger classes and universities are likely to drop subjects. I know a couple of people who went down to London and they said that it was mostly a peaceful protest. Most of the people who kicked in the windows weren't actully students either. It's a shame that a few people gave everyone else who was involved a bad name.
November 11, 201015 yr Haha I thought that was a boyband for a second. What is it with those stupid Hi top trainers people seem to love at the moment?:laugh3:.
November 11, 201015 yr They've got every right to complain. Fees are already higher than in most other European countries. I spend 4-6 hours a week at uni (we don't have a session every week for one my modules) and I'm only in for like 22 weeks a year. I'm a full-time student but I spend more time at my second part-time job than at uni. I feel like I'm already paying a lot for what I'm getting. I believe that higher fees will stop people from going to university and it's mostly gonna affect student from a poorer background. It's not just about fees though, universities are also gonna get less funding which is likely to affect the quality of teaching. There will be less staff and bigger classes and universities are likely to drop subjects. I know a couple of people who went down to London and they said that it was mostly a peaceful protest. Most of the people who kicked in the windows weren't actully students either. It's a shame that a few people gave everyone else who was involved a bad name. But surely you've seen the cuts being made by Universities to their departments? They need the income as well. With a tuition fees system there will INEVITABLY be times when the fees have to increase and looking at Britain's economic climate it seems fairly rational. For a start I feel they should charge international students more. If it affects the number of international students coming into the UK fine. More places for those UK students who can't get in because international students are taking their places. We should be looking after our own students first and foremost. Secondly I admit that I benefit from being in a Scottish university where I don't pay any tuition fees. However I have to admit that I don't think Scotland can continue to have universities where people like myself don't have to pay. But I don't think it will continue like that as much as people like myself would like.
November 11, 201015 yr Wish that fire extinguisher had fallen on his head. Judging by his style there though - I think he already has. What's he doing at university? Hair dressing?
November 12, 201015 yr Haha I thought that was a boyband for a second. Maybe they thought they were auditioning for the WRECKS Factor..................... :rolleyes:
November 12, 201015 yr But surely you've seen the cuts being made by Universities to their departments? They need the income as well. With a tuition fees system there will INEVITABLY be times when the fees have to increase and looking at Britain's economic climate it seems fairly rational. For a start I feel they should charge international students more. If it affects the number of international students coming into the UK fine. More places for those UK students who can't get in because international students are taking their places. We should be looking after our own students first and foremost. Secondly I admit that I benefit from being in a Scottish university where I don't pay any tuition fees. However I have to admit that I don't think Scotland can continue to have universities where people like myself don't have to pay. But I don't think it will continue like that as much as people like myself would like. I know they've already made cuts but surely giving them less funding isn't gonna improve the situation. As for international students, they already pay ridiculous amounts. I think most of them pay like £9000 a year but they get charged £25000 if they want to do medicine at Oxford. I see your point about British universities being for British students but I don't think it would be in their interest if less foreign students came to Britain. British students would have to get charged a lot more if oversea students didn't pay ridiculously high fees. Btw It's weird how Scottish universities are free for EU students but not for English students. I guess a lot of them might choose to come to Scotland if your universities remain free.
November 12, 201015 yr I know they've already made cuts but surely giving them less funding isn't gonna improve the situation. As for international students, they already pay ridiculous amounts. I think most of them pay like £9000 a year but they get charged £25000 if they want to do medicine at Oxford. I see your point about British universities being for British students but I don't think it would be in their interest if less foreign students came to Britain. British students would have to get charged a lot more if oversea students didn't pay ridiculously high fees. Btw It's weird how Scottish universities are free for EU students but not for English students. I guess a lot of them might choose to come to Scotland if your universities remain free. I know it's quite strange that. If English students have to pay then so should EU students. But on cutting funding I just feel it's inevitable regarding Britain's economic state. Universities AND students will just have to be a bit more efficient and careful on how they spend their money. It can be done.
November 12, 201015 yr Scottish unis are free because the English government pays for them Basically. So if any Scottish Nationalists spout on shit to you about 'Westminster's taking our oil money' (which is decreasing in revenue every single year) just remind them what Westminster pays back. In short - Scots who campaign for Scottish independence are ignorant bullshitters!
November 12, 201015 yr Basically. So if any Scottish Nationalists spout on shit to you about 'Westminster's taking our oil money' (which is decreasing in revenue every single year) just remind them what Westminster pays back. In short - Scots who campaign for Scottish independence are ignorant bullshitters! North Sea fields peaked ages ago and wern't that big to start with really, it's very much an industry in decline now.
November 13, 201015 yr I know they've already made cuts but surely giving them less funding isn't gonna improve the situation. As for international students, they already pay ridiculous amounts. I think most of them pay like £9000 a year but they get charged £25000 if they want to do medicine at Oxford. I see your point about British universities being for British students but I don't think it would be in their interest if less foreign students came to Britain. British students would have to get charged a lot more if oversea students didn't pay ridiculously high fees. Btw It's weird how Scottish universities are free for EU students but not for English students. I guess a lot of them might choose to come to Scotland if your universities remain free. to add on to your point...in general, international students are cash cows for UK unis. same in Aussie unis also. always have been, always will be. though there are only so many international students all the unis in the world can milk for cash. if it goes up higher, & given that the UK Pound Sterling is still quite strong against most other currencies (e.g. £1 = in the region of RM5; RM being the local currency in Malaysia), there will obviously be a drop in international students. so the situation goes back to square one where the local students' fees will need to be raised given the funding cuts. & just to give an idea of how much the full fee is, for my 1yr postgraduate degree, i paid £15k. my classmates who are local students pay £4k. & this isn't Oxford/Cambridge's fees (i'm not THAT smart/loaded :P). in terms of a medical undergraduate degree, i've heard that Malaysian parents/students typically have to be prepared to pay RM1million+ (after currency conversion) for their education alone, before adding in accommodation & living costs.
December 10, 201015 yr Author Student fee rise passed as protests turn violent MPs have voted to approve the controversial rise in the tuition fees cap from £3,290 a year to £9,000. Three ministerial aides - two Lib Dems and one Tory - resigned in disgust at the plans as the Government's majority of 83 was slashed to just 21, a quarter of its normal size. In a blow to Nick Clegg's authority, 21 Liberal Democrats including former leaders Menzies Campbell and Charles Kennedy voted against the Government. Another five Lib Dems abstained rather than back the plans, meaning the Deputy Prime Minister failed to get even half his 57 MPs to vote with the Government. David Cameron's authority was also undermined as eight Tories defied personal pleas to get in line. Senior Government officials saw the rebellion either side of the walls of the Palace of Westminster as a grim portent of further protests to come at the Coalition's cuts. Tory backbenchers formed an unlikely alliance with Labour MPs to fire awkward questions at Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable as he presented the plans to the Commons. Flanked by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and David Cameron, Mr Cable was met with jeers as he argued that the new system of fees, repaid once graduates start earning £21,000, was 'more progressive and more related to the ability to pay of graduates'. Mr Cable's voice wavered as he tried to set out the principle behind the policy - that students would no longer have to pay upfront tuition fees . Senior Tory Right-winger Edward Leigh warned that Middle Britain would be hit the hardest by the changes. He said: 'Many of the people we represent, who are on moderate incomes, who are in work, also need help as well and mustn't be disadvantaged. Middle income, Middle Britain, cannot go on paying for this.' Tory MP Julian Lewis, who voted No, said students from poor families would be put off by the high fees. 'I can hear people talking percentages until they are blue in the face, or yellow in the face. But they will not convince me that young people from poor backgrounds will not be deterred.' Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=519689&in_page_id=2#ixzz17jLLaZMn
December 10, 201015 yr It was such a disgrace seeing Churchill's statue defaced and the Cenotaph vandalised. The men and women who died for these yobs right to protest were clearly not respected. Low life ****s the lot of them.
December 10, 201015 yr I wonder if it all would have been as bad if they had only doubled fees instead of tripling them... Based on the figures I've seen, compared to tuition around here, they were really low before, but they're going to be prohibitively, cripplingly high. :disappointed: What happened at the protests was really, really awful, but your futures are really going to suck soon without education. I can see how there could be those who think jail is a fair price to pay to make their point since they don't have a future either way. It's not a very good way to get the point across, but...
December 10, 201015 yr I wonder if it all would have been as bad if they had only doubled fees instead of tripling them... Based on the figures I've seen, compared to tuition around here, they were really low before, but they're going to be prohibitively, cripplingly high. :disappointed: What happened at the protests was really, really awful, but your futures are really going to suck soon without education. I can see how there could be those who think jail is a fair price to pay to make their point since they don't have a future either way. It's not a very good way to get the point across, but... Education is very important but innovation is just as important. And besides universities have the option to charge UP TO £9,000 pound a year so it's not to say every student will now be paying £9000 rather than £3250. And besides students will only start repaying their tuition fees once they start earning a job over £21000 which is raised from the previous level (don't know the previous repayment salary) so it's not all bad news for students. Merely they don't fully understand the situation and have been led astray by that useless, careerist t w a t Aaron Porter the NUS President aka Labour Party member. Complete W a nker.
December 10, 201015 yr Protesting was fair enough, but what did Prince Charles have to do with raising fees?
December 10, 201015 yr Education is very important but innovation is just as important. And besides universities have the option to charge UP TO £9,000 pound a year so it's not to say every student will now be paying £9000 rather than £3250. And besides students will only start repaying their tuition fees once they start earning a job over £21000 which is raised from the previous level (don't know the previous repayment salary) so it's not all bad news for students. Merely they don't fully understand the situation and have been led astray by that useless, careerist t w a t Aaron Porter the NUS President aka Labour Party member. Complete W a nker. Yes, on Question Time last night, it was also explained that even those earning enough to be "liable" for repayments would actually end up paying far less per month than under the existing system.;)
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