Downing Street Says » Tuition Fees

» Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Tuition Fees

Asked if the Prime Minister was confident about winning the vote on the Higher Education Bill next Wednesday, the PMOS said that the Government had set out its position in the Commons. We had won the vote on Second Reading in January. We believed that our package of higher education reforms was fair. We had listened carefully to the representations that had been made. We had taken on board concerns which had been expressed. As the Bill returned to the Commons, we would obviously continue to make our case and set out our arguments because we believed they were right. Pressed further, the PMOS said that we had won the vote in January and we would continue to work hard to maintain that position. There had been genuine dialogue about this issue. We believed that the Bill was the best way forward for students in the higher education sector. This was not a pick ‘n’ mix Bill. It stood as a whole. Variability was a key component. The arguments had won the day in January. We would continue to work hard to ensure that the position held firm when the Bill was before the Commons next week.

1 Comment »

"There had been genuine dialogue about this issue." But I don’t think there has been a genuine debate about this issue. The only question has been ‘do you support our Bill or not?’.

There has been no discussion about alternative forms of funding, nothing about the benefits of higher education (in whatever sense you wish to interpret that), nothing about whether encouraging more people to take it up is a good thing, and on and on.

There are many issues around higher education that have just been ignored. Unfortunately this Government has yet again assumed that they know best without any need for explanation or justification. It wouldn’t be so bad if they had made clear the ideological principle that is driving this policy but I don’t think New Labour has either any ideologies or any principles.
Comment by Uncarved Block — 24 Mar 2004 on 10:15 pm | Link

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Tuition Fees

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