Student Demo in Cardiff

[Annabella]

NUS are organising a student demonstration against top up fees in Cardiff on the 2nd of December :

NUS National Demonstration 2004
Thursday 2 December, Cardiff

On 2 December, thousands of students will be descending on Cardiff to keep top-up fees out of Wales and demonstrate student power. BE ONE OF THEM!

5 reasons to demonstrate


1. England is the only nation in the UK which currently faces the prospect of top-up fees. If we continue to fight against fees elsewhere, England could become the exception, thereby making the student movement's case against top up fees all the more powerful.
2. There are 5.2 million students in the UK. That is 13% of the electorate. With a general election due in 2005, students should take their vote to the street, to keep students issues high on the political agenda and to show we will vote on the issues that affect us.
3. Political parties are clamouring to come on our demo and speak to you as students. They want your vote, and they will bend to pressure if students demonstrate solidarity and power.
4. Devolution offers Wales the chance to get it right where Westminster got it wrong.
5. A day out in Cardiff, yelling slogans, feeling like you've done something important - an exciting end to the year.


Visit https://www.nusonline.co.uk/demo to find out how and when to get to Cardiff. The fight goes on!




Anyone who is interested in joining this, and isn't from Cardiff, let me know as there is plenty of spare room at Jimmy's and mine.
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Avast! Pirates ahoy!
I did Cadwell!
www.bikepics.com/members/bella

[Mal]

And there's plenty of space at mine too, less than 10 miles from Cardiff.

Mal

[Demonic69]

Y'all need to get jobs Demonstrating doesn't work, you just piss everybody else off. If they want to bring fees in, it makes no difference what you think, they don't care
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Back on a Blade. Just feels so right.

[Jimmythe1]

With all due respect, I don't agree.

For example, if it were not for the on-going campaigning against a ban on foxhunting, it would very likely have been banned already.

Also I am at University, stacking up mountains of debt, in order to get the job I want. So your comment about 'us (me) should just get a job - pisses me off'.
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There's no way to happiness, happiness is the way.

[instigator]

I'm a student too and have to agree with demonic here. Protesting is all fine and dandy until one w*nker throws something...stay off the roads and keep yourself to yourselves and I'm cool with it.

I'm prepared to pay for my education for the benefits I receive...everyone seems to think things should be free in life. Get real, you pay for what you get. How much are these top up fees going to cost you english folk anyway? As in, a total per year?

You could always get an industrial placement instead of telling politicians how things should be and pay off your debt before you leave Uni. Its easy enough...I'm living proof and I'll have racked up £12k debt by the time I graduate and I can pay it off if I want as I worked hard and got where I am today.

Don't be afraid of effort, students say they've got it hard, pppffffff.......A little motivation and effort go a long way.

[Annabella]

I have no problem with paying for my education (or my parents paying for it as the case may be).

Top up Fees will have a massive effect on middle income families, (as normal fees currently do). Those whose families earn just over the cut off receive no financial help and will have to pay the maximum amount of top up fee (i.e. the entire cost of the education).

The highest top ups apply to courses such as Medicine and Dentistry, meaning that only the richest of students can afford to study to become a doctor! Is this right or fair? How many people will this put off studying?

I also agree that working towards paying for the education is necessary. I worked for a year full time and work my summer breaks to help towards the costs. The money earned from part time jobs, however, makes very little impact on the overall costs.


The answer from Dean of "Get a Job" does not explain how this country will continue to have a working health service, education system etc etc. Unfortunately, higher education is necessary for specialist jobs. Unless you want to import foreigners to take all our jobs? Think about that.
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Avast! Pirates ahoy!
I did Cadwell!
www.bikepics.com/members/bella

[Phoenix]

[Mal]

[mchaggis]

I would be interested in doing it, except for the fact that it's on a Thursday, I've too much work and I'm skint.

Personally I think the government have it all wrong. Their idea of half the population with a degree is complete bullshit. If half the population were to have degrees, then someone would have to make up all the new degrees for people to do. The demand for graduates in most tertiary fields isn't something I think is rising. The old favourites, engineering, medicine, teaching, law etc are the core degrees which remain useful.

Far too much emphasis is being placed on making everyone think they can achieve anything if they try hard enough, but what's the point in that if what they achieve isn't worth it? We need the hands on people to balance out the thinkers. The apparent death of the apprenticeship schemes coupled with the ridiculous government drive on tertiary education is what is responsible for the dire skills shortage in technical trades, increasing the attractiveness of our country for economic immigrants.

So many people at university needing government backing doesn't mean that the government are going to spend any more on university funding imo, they will expect the student themselves to make up the shortfall, paying a lot for a degree which isn't worth the debt and time compared to having worked with an apprenticeship since the age of 16.

Incidentally, conventional thinking is that you need an IQ of 120 to go to University. By definition, that's quite a bit less than half of the population.
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I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[Demonic69]

I don't actually think you should all just get a job, as I agree some jobs need the extra education.
I do however think Uni for some is just a way of avoiding work for a bit longer. Getting a degree in Golf-Centre management anyone? There are so many Mickey-mouse courses out there there's no wonder the Government need to impose more fees, purely to pay for the Staff to run these courses. You should be protesting that only people on pointless courses should have to pay fees, as some courses are actually beneficial to the general populace.
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Back on a Blade. Just feels so right.

[instigator]

[Mal]

[carvell]

Bath have about 5 coaches going for free - sounds like an excuse for a day off if nothing else.
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Yamaha TDM 850

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

I would have loved to gone into a training scheme in clay (or nowaday's digital) modelling for transport and/or product design. However everyone has been pushed towards doing degree's. No-one will higher you for design work without one (admittedly im not the best in the world but i've seen worse gain degree's). So sometimes you have no choice but to attend. I therefore think the price upping is possibly a good idea but only if they have other options to reach a similar point somewhere along the line, this doestn exist yet.

Some places do take the p**s with the degree's they offer and the way they accept people in who can't necessarily complete the course.

Basically it's all screwed up by greedy bastards. And sod protesting I want riot's, it's got boring!
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical